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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ME17 (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
11.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£867
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,508
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 1034 kWh/kW — 5 above 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 1034 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)
1034 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: £867, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 828 kWh 1241 kWh £223 £124 £347 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,869
3 kW 3103 kWh 1241 kWh 1862 kWh £334 £186 £520 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,303
4 kW 4138 kWh 1655 kWh 2483 kWh £446 £248 £694 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,738
5 kW 5172 kWh 2069 kWh 3103 kWh £557 £310 £867 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,172
6 kW 6206 kWh 2483 kWh 3724 kWh £668 £372 £1,041 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,606
7 kW 7241 kWh 2896 kWh 4344 kWh £780 £434 £1,214 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,041
8 kW 8275 kWh 3310 kWh 4965 kWh £891 £497 £1,388 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,475

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: £1,042, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2069 kWh 1241 kWh 828 kWh £334 £83 £417 £6,169 14.8 yrs £2,169
3 kW 3103 kWh 1862 kWh 1241 kWh £501 £124 £625 £8,204 13.1 yrs £4,303
4 kW 4138 kWh 2483 kWh 1655 kWh £668 £166 £834 £10,238 12.3 yrs £6,438
5 kW 5172 kWh 3103 kWh 2069 kWh £835 £207 £1,042 £12,273 11.8 yrs £8,572
6 kW 6206 kWh 3724 kWh 2483 kWh £1,002 £248 £1,251 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,707
7 kW 7241 kWh 4344 kWh 2896 kWh £1,170 £290 £1,459 £16,342 11.2 yrs £12,841
8 kW 8275 kWh 4965 kWh 3310 kWh £1,337 £331 £1,668 £18,376 11.0 yrs £14,976

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: £1,130, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1448 kWh 621 kWh £390 £62 £452 £7,569 16.7 yrs £1,469
3 kW 3103 kWh 2172 kWh 931 kWh £585 £93 £678 £9,604 14.2 yrs £3,953
4 kW 4138 kWh 2896 kWh 1241 kWh £780 £124 £904 £11,638 12.9 yrs £6,438
5 kW 5172 kWh 3620 kWh 1552 kWh £975 £155 £1,130 £13,673 12.1 yrs £8,922
6 kW 6206 kWh 4344 kWh 1862 kWh £1,170 £186 £1,356 £15,707 11.6 yrs £11,407
7 kW 7241 kWh 5068 kWh 2172 kWh £1,364 £217 £1,582 £17,742 11.2 yrs £13,891
8 kW 8275 kWh 5793 kWh 2483 kWh £1,559 £248 £1,808 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,376

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: £1,156, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1510 kWh 559 kWh £407 £56 £462 £9,319 20.2 yrs £-71
3 kW 3103 kWh 2265 kWh 838 kWh £610 £84 £694 £11,354 16.4 yrs £2,518
4 kW 4138 kWh 3020 kWh 1117 kWh £813 £112 £925 £13,388 14.5 yrs £5,108
5 kW 5172 kWh 3775 kWh 1396 kWh £1,016 £140 £1,156 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,697
6 kW 6206 kWh 4531 kWh 1676 kWh £1,220 £168 £1,387 £17,457 12.6 yrs £10,287
7 kW 7241 kWh 5286 kWh 1955 kWh £1,423 £195 £1,618 £19,492 12.0 yrs £12,876
8 kW 8275 kWh 6041 kWh 2234 kWh £1,626 £223 £1,850 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,466

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: £1,174, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1552 kWh 517 kWh £418 £52 £469 £11,069 23.6 yrs £-1,681
3 kW 3103 kWh 2327 kWh 776 kWh £627 £78 £704 £13,104 18.6 yrs £979
4 kW 4138 kWh 3103 kWh 1034 kWh £835 £103 £939 £15,138 16.1 yrs £3,638
5 kW 5172 kWh 3879 kWh 1293 kWh £1,044 £129 £1,174 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,298
6 kW 6206 kWh 4655 kWh 1552 kWh £1,253 £155 £1,408 £19,207 13.6 yrs £8,957
7 kW 7241 kWh 5430 kWh 1810 kWh £1,462 £181 £1,643 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,617
8 kW 8275 kWh 6206 kWh 2069 kWh £1,671 £207 £1,878 £23,276 12.4 yrs £14,276

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: £1,191, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2069 kWh 1593 kWh 476 kWh £429 £48 £476 £13,519 28.4 yrs £-3,991
3 kW 3103 kWh 2389 kWh 714 kWh £643 £71 £715 £15,554 21.8 yrs £-1,261
4 kW 4138 kWh 3186 kWh 952 kWh £858 £95 £953 £17,588 18.5 yrs £1,468
5 kW 5172 kWh 3982 kWh 1190 kWh £1,072 £119 £1,191 £19,623 16.5 yrs £4,198
6 kW 6206 kWh 4779 kWh 1427 kWh £1,286 £143 £1,429 £21,657 15.2 yrs £6,927
7 kW 7241 kWh 5575 kWh 1665 kWh £1,501 £167 £1,667 £23,692 14.2 yrs £9,657
8 kW 8275 kWh 6372 kWh 1903 kWh £1,715 £190 £1,906 £25,726 13.5 yrs £12,386

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 ME17

Figures below are tailored to ME17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #542 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #276 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£998 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #859 of 2997
17.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£998 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1034kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1034 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: 74% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 8,225 properties

Coverage

Maidstone (100%)

Areas Covered

Harrietsham, Lenham & North Downs, Leeds & Langley, Headcorn & Sutton Valence, Boughton Monchelsea & Chart Sutton, Coxheath & Farleigh, Penenden Heath, Loose & Linton + 4 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

ME15 (Maidstone)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME17
ME14 (Maidstone)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,024 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME17
ME99 (Maidstone)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME17
ME16 (Maidstone)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,027 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME17
TN27 (Ashford)
≈9.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME17
ME18 (Maidstone)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME17

Similar sunshine across the UK

PE24 (East Lindsey)
~1,034 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME17
SO40 (New Forest)
~1,035 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME17
TQ10 (South Hams)
~1,034 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME17