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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ME16 (Maidstone)

See if solar pays off for you in Maidstone — 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
11.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£861
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,347
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 1027 kWh/kW — 2 below the regional median (1029).

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 1027 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)
1027 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: £861, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2053 kWh 821 kWh 1232 kWh £221 £123 £344 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,817
3 kW 3080 kWh 1232 kWh 1848 kWh £332 £185 £516 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,226
4 kW 4107 kWh 1643 kWh 2464 kWh £442 £246 £689 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,634
5 kW 5133 kWh 2053 kWh 3080 kWh £553 £308 £861 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,043
6 kW 6160 kWh 2464 kWh 3696 kWh £663 £370 £1,033 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,452
7 kW 7187 kWh 2875 kWh 4312 kWh £774 £431 £1,205 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,860
8 kW 8214 kWh 3285 kWh 4928 kWh £884 £493 £1,377 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,269

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: £1,034, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2053 kWh 1232 kWh 821 kWh £332 £82 £414 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,107
3 kW 3080 kWh 1848 kWh 1232 kWh £497 £123 £621 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,210
4 kW 4107 kWh 2464 kWh 1643 kWh £663 £164 £828 £10,238 12.4 yrs £6,314
5 kW 5133 kWh 3080 kWh 2053 kWh £829 £205 £1,034 £12,273 11.9 yrs £8,417
6 kW 6160 kWh 3696 kWh 2464 kWh £995 £246 £1,241 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,521
7 kW 7187 kWh 4312 kWh 2875 kWh £1,161 £287 £1,448 £16,342 11.3 yrs £12,624
8 kW 8214 kWh 4928 kWh 3285 kWh £1,327 £329 £1,655 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,728

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: £1,121, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2053 kWh 1437 kWh 616 kWh £387 £62 £449 £7,569 16.9 yrs £1,402
3 kW 3080 kWh 2156 kWh 924 kWh £580 £92 £673 £9,604 14.3 yrs £3,853
4 kW 4107 kWh 2875 kWh 1232 kWh £774 £123 £897 £11,638 13.0 yrs £6,304
5 kW 5133 kWh 3593 kWh 1540 kWh £967 £154 £1,121 £13,673 12.2 yrs £8,754
6 kW 6160 kWh 4312 kWh 1848 kWh £1,161 £185 £1,346 £15,707 11.7 yrs £11,205
7 kW 7187 kWh 5031 kWh 2156 kWh £1,354 £216 £1,570 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,656
8 kW 8214 kWh 5749 kWh 2464 kWh £1,548 £246 £1,794 £19,776 11.0 yrs £16,107

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: £1,147, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2053 kWh 1499 kWh 554 kWh £404 £55 £459 £9,319 20.3 yrs £-140
3 kW 3080 kWh 2248 kWh 832 kWh £605 £83 £688 £11,354 16.5 yrs £2,415
4 kW 4107 kWh 2998 kWh 1109 kWh £807 £111 £918 £13,388 14.6 yrs £4,970
5 kW 5133 kWh 3747 kWh 1386 kWh £1,009 £139 £1,147 £15,423 13.4 yrs £7,526
6 kW 6160 kWh 4497 kWh 1663 kWh £1,211 £166 £1,377 £17,457 12.7 yrs £10,081
7 kW 7187 kWh 5246 kWh 1940 kWh £1,412 £194 £1,606 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,636
8 kW 8214 kWh 5996 kWh 2218 kWh £1,614 £222 £1,836 £21,526 11.7 yrs £15,191

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: £1,165, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2053 kWh 1540 kWh 513 kWh £415 £51 £466 £11,069 23.8 yrs £-1,751
3 kW 3080 kWh 2310 kWh 770 kWh £622 £77 £699 £13,104 18.7 yrs £874
4 kW 4107 kWh 3080 kWh 1027 kWh £829 £103 £932 £15,138 16.2 yrs £3,498
5 kW 5133 kWh 3850 kWh 1283 kWh £1,036 £128 £1,165 £17,173 14.7 yrs £6,123
6 kW 6160 kWh 4620 kWh 1540 kWh £1,244 £154 £1,398 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,748
7 kW 7187 kWh 5390 kWh 1797 kWh £1,451 £180 £1,631 £21,242 13.0 yrs £11,372
8 kW 8214 kWh 6160 kWh 2053 kWh £1,658 £205 £1,864 £23,276 12.5 yrs £13,997

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: £1,182, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2053 kWh 1581 kWh 472 kWh £426 £47 £473 £13,519 28.6 yrs £-4,062
3 kW 3080 kWh 2372 kWh 708 kWh £638 £71 £709 £15,554 21.9 yrs £-1,368
4 kW 4107 kWh 3162 kWh 945 kWh £851 £94 £946 £17,588 18.6 yrs £1,326
5 kW 5133 kWh 3953 kWh 1181 kWh £1,064 £118 £1,182 £19,623 16.6 yrs £4,020
6 kW 6160 kWh 4743 kWh 1417 kWh £1,277 £142 £1,419 £21,657 15.3 yrs £6,715
7 kW 7187 kWh 5534 kWh 1653 kWh £1,490 £165 £1,655 £23,692 14.3 yrs £9,409
8 kW 8214 kWh 6324 kWh 1889 kWh £1,703 £189 £1,891 £25,726 13.6 yrs £12,103

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 ME16

Figures below are tailored to ME16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1676 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #333 of 2997
10.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£991 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #881 of 2997
17.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£991 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1027kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1027 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: 57% • Flats: 34% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 9,621 properties

Coverage

Maidstone (98%)|Tonbridge and Malling (2%)

Areas Covered

Fant & Oakwood, Allington & Bridge, Barming Heath & Teston, Palace Wood, Penenden Heath, Park Wood & Mangravet, Aylesford South & Ditton

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

ME99 (Maidstone)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME16
ME14 (Maidstone)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,024 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME16
ME15 (Maidstone)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ME16
ME20 (Tonbridge and Malling)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,030 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME16
ME18 (Maidstone)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME16
ME19 (Tonbridge and Malling)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME16

Similar sunshine across the UK

TR10 (Cornwall)
~1,027 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME16
BS24 (North Somerset)
~1,027 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME16
EX7 (Teignbridge)
~1,027 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME16