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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ME10 (Swale)

See if solar pays off for you in Swale — 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
11.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£703
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,440
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 South East, the current unit rate is 26.92p/kWh with a 47.60p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1048 kWh/kW — 19 above the regional median (1029).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1048 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.9p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1048 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: £879, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 839 kWh 1258 kWh £226 £126 £352 £4,069 11.6 yrs £2,962
3 kW 3145 kWh 1258 kWh 1887 kWh £339 £189 £527 £6,104 11.6 yrs £4,443
4 kW 4193 kWh 1677 kWh 2516 kWh £452 £252 £703 £8,138 11.6 yrs £5,924
5 kW 5241 kWh 2097 kWh 3145 kWh £564 £314 £879 £10,173 11.6 yrs £7,405
6 kW 6290 kWh 2516 kWh 3774 kWh £677 £377 £1,055 £12,207 11.6 yrs £8,886
7 kW 7338 kWh 2935 kWh 4403 kWh £790 £440 £1,230 £14,242 11.6 yrs £10,367
8 kW 8386 kWh 3355 kWh 5032 kWh £903 £503 £1,406 £16,276 11.6 yrs £11,848

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: £1,056, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1258 kWh 839 kWh £339 £84 £423 £6,169 14.6 yrs £2,281
3 kW 3145 kWh 1887 kWh 1258 kWh £508 £126 £634 £8,204 12.9 yrs £4,472
4 kW 4193 kWh 2516 kWh 1677 kWh £677 £168 £845 £10,238 12.1 yrs £6,662
5 kW 5241 kWh 3145 kWh 2097 kWh £847 £210 £1,056 £12,273 11.6 yrs £8,853
6 kW 6290 kWh 3774 kWh 2516 kWh £1,016 £252 £1,268 £14,307 11.3 yrs £11,043
7 kW 7338 kWh 4403 kWh 2935 kWh £1,185 £294 £1,479 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,234
8 kW 8386 kWh 5032 kWh 3355 kWh £1,355 £335 £1,690 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,424

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: £1,145, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1468 kWh 629 kWh £395 £63 £458 £7,569 16.5 yrs £1,591
3 kW 3145 kWh 2201 kWh 943 kWh £593 £94 £687 £9,604 14.0 yrs £4,136
4 kW 4193 kWh 2935 kWh 1258 kWh £790 £126 £916 £11,638 12.7 yrs £6,681
5 kW 5241 kWh 3669 kWh 1572 kWh £988 £157 £1,145 £13,673 11.9 yrs £9,226
6 kW 6290 kWh 4403 kWh 1887 kWh £1,185 £189 £1,374 £15,707 11.4 yrs £11,772
7 kW 7338 kWh 5137 kWh 2201 kWh £1,383 £220 £1,603 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,317
8 kW 8386 kWh 5870 kWh 2516 kWh £1,580 £252 £1,832 £19,776 10.8 yrs £16,862

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: £1,172, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1531 kWh 566 kWh £412 £57 £469 £9,319 19.9 yrs £53
3 kW 3145 kWh 2296 kWh 849 kWh £618 £85 £703 £11,354 16.2 yrs £2,705
4 kW 4193 kWh 3061 kWh 1132 kWh £824 £113 £937 £13,388 14.3 yrs £5,357
5 kW 5241 kWh 3826 kWh 1415 kWh £1,030 £142 £1,172 £15,423 13.2 yrs £8,008
6 kW 6290 kWh 4592 kWh 1698 kWh £1,236 £170 £1,406 £17,457 12.4 yrs £10,660
7 kW 7338 kWh 5357 kWh 1981 kWh £1,442 £198 £1,640 £19,492 11.9 yrs £13,312
8 kW 8386 kWh 6122 kWh 2264 kWh £1,648 £226 £1,874 £21,526 11.5 yrs £15,963

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: £1,189, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1572 kWh 524 kWh £423 £52 £476 £11,069 23.3 yrs £-1,555
3 kW 3145 kWh 2359 kWh 786 kWh £635 £79 £714 £13,104 18.4 yrs £1,168
4 kW 4193 kWh 3145 kWh 1048 kWh £847 £105 £951 £15,138 15.9 yrs £3,891
5 kW 5241 kWh 3931 kWh 1310 kWh £1,058 £131 £1,189 £17,173 14.4 yrs £6,613
6 kW 6290 kWh 4717 kWh 1572 kWh £1,270 £157 £1,427 £19,207 13.5 yrs £9,336
7 kW 7338 kWh 5504 kWh 1835 kWh £1,482 £183 £1,665 £21,242 12.8 yrs £12,058
8 kW 8386 kWh 6290 kWh 2097 kWh £1,693 £210 £1,903 £23,276 12.2 yrs £14,781

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: £1,207, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2097 kWh 1614 kWh 482 kWh £435 £48 £483 £13,519 28.0 yrs £-3,863
3 kW 3145 kWh 2422 kWh 723 kWh £652 £72 £724 £15,554 21.5 yrs £-1,069
4 kW 4193 kWh 3229 kWh 964 kWh £869 £96 £966 £17,588 18.2 yrs £1,724
5 kW 5241 kWh 4036 kWh 1206 kWh £1,086 £121 £1,207 £19,623 16.3 yrs £4,518
6 kW 6290 kWh 4843 kWh 1447 kWh £1,304 £145 £1,448 £21,657 15.0 yrs £7,311
7 kW 7338 kWh 5650 kWh 1688 kWh £1,521 £169 £1,690 £23,692 14.0 yrs £10,105
8 kW 8386 kWh 6457 kWh 1929 kWh £1,738 £193 £1,931 £25,726 13.3 yrs £12,899

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 ME10

Figures below are tailored to ME10 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1792 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #226 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£810 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1698 of 2997
21.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£810 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1048kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1048 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 72% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 14,658 properties

Coverage

Swale (100%)

Areas Covered

Homewood, Murston, Roman, Chalkwell, Milton Regis, Woodstock, Borden and Grove Park, Kemsley + 3 more

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 South East

ME9 (Swale)
≈0.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,048 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME10
ME11 (Swale)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME10
ME12 (Swale)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,059 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME10
ME8 (Medway)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME10
ME13 (Swale)
≈11.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME10
ME7 (Medway)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · -3% vs ME10

Similar sunshine across the UK

NR13 (Broadland)
~1,048 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME10
TQ12 (Teignbridge)
~1,048 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME10
PL24 (Cornwall)
~1,049 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME10