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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in M32 (Trafford)

See if solar pays off for you in Trafford — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

Solar Calculator

Change the settings below to see how costs and savings work for your situation.

System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
13.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£744
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,440
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

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How we calculate this

Solar generation: Based on typical south-facing roof at 35° angle. We account for weather, dirt, and system losses (14%).

How much you'll use directly:

  • Without battery: You'll use about 40% of what you generate. The rest gets sold back to the grid.
  • With 5 kWh battery: You'll use about 70% (battery stores extra for evening use).
  • With 10 kWh battery: You'll use about 75% (more storage means less exported).
  • Panel-only payback: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • Battery & payback: Batteries raise self-use and cut bills, but added hardware cost often lengthens break-even at typical UK rates.
  • When a battery can still make sense:
    • Evening-heavy usage patterns
    • Time-of-use tariffs / cheap night rates
    • Low export rate vs. high unit rate
    • Heat pump or EV charging synergy
    • Optional backup/resilience (system-dependent)
    • Lower evening-hour CO₂ vs. grid

Costs: Battery prices are typically £700 per kWh. Export tariffs vary by supplier (usually 5–15p per kWh).

Grid connection: Systems up to about 3.7 kW typically need just a notification (G98). Larger systems may need permission (G99).

These are typical values based on average usage patterns. Your actual results will vary based on your roof, shading, and how you use electricity.

Your area in context

In North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 884 kWh/kW — 14 above the regional median (870).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 884 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
884 kWh/kW
Export price (baseline)
10p/kWh

Browse the scenarios below. Each battery size has its own expand — open the one that matches your plan (or just explore). For each system size (2–8 kW) we show annual output, how much you use directly, what gets exported, annual benefit, upfront cost, break-even, and a 20-year net. Negative numbers are possible — that’s the honest trade-off when adding more battery than your usage profile justifies.

No battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £744, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 707 kWh 1061 kWh £192 £106 £298 £4,069 13.7 yrs £1,887
3 kW 2652 kWh 1061 kWh 1591 kWh £288 £159 £447 £6,104 13.7 yrs £2,830
4 kW 3536 kWh 1414 kWh 2122 kWh £383 £212 £596 £8,138 13.7 yrs £3,774
5 kW 4420 kWh 1768 kWh 2652 kWh £479 £265 £744 £10,173 13.7 yrs £4,717
6 kW 5304 kWh 2122 kWh 3182 kWh £575 £318 £893 £12,207 13.7 yrs £5,661
7 kW 6188 kWh 2475 kWh 3713 kWh £671 £371 £1,042 £14,242 13.7 yrs £6,604
8 kW 7072 kWh 2829 kWh 4243 kWh £767 £424 £1,191 £16,276 13.7 yrs £7,548

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £896, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1061 kWh 707 kWh £288 £71 £358 £6,169 17.2 yrs £997
3 kW 2652 kWh 1591 kWh 1061 kWh £431 £106 £537 £8,204 15.3 yrs £2,545
4 kW 3536 kWh 2122 kWh 1414 kWh £575 £141 £717 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,094
5 kW 4420 kWh 2652 kWh 1768 kWh £719 £177 £896 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,642
6 kW 5304 kWh 3182 kWh 2122 kWh £863 £212 £1,075 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,191
7 kW 6188 kWh 3713 kWh 2475 kWh £1,007 £248 £1,254 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,739
8 kW 7072 kWh 4243 kWh 2829 kWh £1,150 £283 £1,433 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,288

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £971, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1238 kWh 530 kWh £336 £53 £389 £7,569 19.5 yrs £202
3 kW 2652 kWh 1856 kWh 796 kWh £503 £80 £583 £9,604 16.5 yrs £2,053
4 kW 3536 kWh 2475 kWh 1061 kWh £671 £106 £777 £11,638 15.0 yrs £3,904
5 kW 4420 kWh 3094 kWh 1326 kWh £839 £133 £971 £13,673 14.1 yrs £5,755
6 kW 5304 kWh 3713 kWh 1591 kWh £1,007 £159 £1,166 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,606
7 kW 6188 kWh 4332 kWh 1856 kWh £1,174 £186 £1,360 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,457
8 kW 7072 kWh 4950 kWh 2122 kWh £1,342 £212 £1,554 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,307

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £994, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1291 kWh 477 kWh £350 £48 £398 £9,319 23.4 yrs £-1,367
3 kW 2652 kWh 1936 kWh 716 kWh £525 £72 £596 £11,354 19.0 yrs £575
4 kW 3536 kWh 2581 kWh 955 kWh £700 £95 £795 £13,388 16.8 yrs £2,517
5 kW 4420 kWh 3227 kWh 1193 kWh £875 £119 £994 £15,423 15.5 yrs £4,458
6 kW 5304 kWh 3872 kWh 1432 kWh £1,050 £143 £1,193 £17,457 14.6 yrs £6,400
7 kW 6188 kWh 4517 kWh 1671 kWh £1,225 £167 £1,392 £19,492 14.0 yrs £8,342
8 kW 7072 kWh 5162 kWh 1909 kWh £1,400 £191 £1,590 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,283

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,009, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1326 kWh 442 kWh £359 £44 £404 £11,069 27.4 yrs £-2,996
3 kW 2652 kWh 1989 kWh 663 kWh £539 £66 £606 £13,104 21.6 yrs £-993
4 kW 3536 kWh 2652 kWh 884 kWh £719 £88 £807 £15,138 18.8 yrs £1,009
5 kW 4420 kWh 3315 kWh 1105 kWh £899 £110 £1,009 £17,173 17.0 yrs £3,011
6 kW 5304 kWh 3978 kWh 1326 kWh £1,078 £133 £1,211 £19,207 15.9 yrs £5,013
7 kW 6188 kWh 4641 kWh 1547 kWh £1,258 £155 £1,413 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,015
8 kW 7072 kWh 5304 kWh 1768 kWh £1,438 £177 £1,615 £23,276 14.4 yrs £9,017

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £1,024, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1361 kWh 407 kWh £369 £41 £410 £13,519 33.0 yrs £-5,325
3 kW 2652 kWh 2042 kWh 610 kWh £554 £61 £615 £15,554 25.3 yrs £-3,262
4 kW 3536 kWh 2723 kWh 813 kWh £738 £81 £819 £17,588 21.5 yrs £-1,199
5 kW 4420 kWh 3403 kWh 1017 kWh £923 £102 £1,024 £19,623 19.2 yrs £863
6 kW 5304 kWh 4084 kWh 1220 kWh £1,107 £122 £1,229 £21,657 17.6 yrs £2,926
7 kW 6188 kWh 4765 kWh 1423 kWh £1,292 £142 £1,434 £23,692 16.5 yrs £4,989
8 kW 7072 kWh 5445 kWh 1627 kWh £1,476 £163 £1,639 £25,726 15.7 yrs £7,051

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

Figures are illustrative and use the same method as the calculator above. For exact results, adjust your roof direction, tariff, and usage in the calculator.

Insights for M32

Figures below are tailored to M32 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1594 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2222 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£858 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1812 of 2997
21.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£858 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
884kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~884 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 65% • Flats: 33% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 7,246 properties

Coverage

Trafford (100%)

Areas Covered

Longford, Gorse Hill & Cornbrook, Stretford & Humphrey Park, Lostock & Barton, Sale Central, Pendleton & Charlestown

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

Property data: EPC open data (Open Government Licence), aggregated

All estimates are typical values. Actual results vary based on your specific situation, roof characteristics, and usage patterns.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in North West

M17 (Trafford)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~868 kWh/kWp · -2% vs M32
M21 (Manchester)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · -1% vs M32
M33 (Trafford)
≈2.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M32
M16 (Trafford)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~868 kWh/kWp · -2% vs M32
M50 (Salford)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~875 kWh/kWp · -1% vs M32
M41 (Trafford)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~882 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M32

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA76 (Argyll and Bute)
~884 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M32
LL61 (Isle of Anglesey)
~884 kWh/kWp · +0% vs M32
BT11 (Belfast)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs M32