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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ME20 (Tonbridge and Malling)

See if solar pays off for you in Tonbridge and Malling — 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
£864
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,423
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 1030 kWh/kW — 1 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 1030 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)
1030 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: £864, 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 2061 kWh 824 kWh 1236 kWh £222 £124 £346 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,842
3 kW 3091 kWh 1236 kWh 1855 kWh £333 £185 £518 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,262
4 kW 4121 kWh 1649 kWh 2473 kWh £444 £247 £691 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,683
5 kW 5152 kWh 2061 kWh 3091 kWh £555 £309 £864 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,104
6 kW 6182 kWh 2473 kWh 3709 kWh £666 £371 £1,037 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,525
7 kW 7212 kWh 2885 kWh 4327 kWh £777 £433 £1,209 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,946
8 kW 8243 kWh 3297 kWh 4946 kWh £888 £495 £1,382 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,366

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: £1,038, 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 2061 kWh 1236 kWh 824 kWh £333 £82 £415 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,136
3 kW 3091 kWh 1855 kWh 1236 kWh £499 £124 £623 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,254
4 kW 4121 kWh 2473 kWh 1649 kWh £666 £165 £831 £10,238 12.3 yrs £6,373
5 kW 5152 kWh 3091 kWh 2061 kWh £832 £206 £1,038 £12,273 11.8 yrs £8,491
6 kW 6182 kWh 3709 kWh 2473 kWh £999 £247 £1,246 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,609
7 kW 7212 kWh 4327 kWh 2885 kWh £1,165 £288 £1,453 £16,342 11.2 yrs £12,727
8 kW 8243 kWh 4946 kWh 3297 kWh £1,331 £330 £1,661 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,845

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: £1,125, 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 2061 kWh 1442 kWh 618 kWh £388 £62 £450 £7,569 16.8 yrs £1,434
3 kW 3091 kWh 2164 kWh 927 kWh £582 £93 £675 £9,604 14.2 yrs £3,900
4 kW 4121 kWh 2885 kWh 1236 kWh £777 £124 £900 £11,638 12.9 yrs £6,367
5 kW 5152 kWh 3606 kWh 1545 kWh £971 £155 £1,125 £13,673 12.1 yrs £8,834
6 kW 6182 kWh 4327 kWh 1855 kWh £1,165 £185 £1,350 £15,707 11.6 yrs £11,301
7 kW 7212 kWh 5049 kWh 2164 kWh £1,359 £216 £1,575 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,768
8 kW 8243 kWh 5770 kWh 2473 kWh £1,553 £247 £1,801 £19,776 11.0 yrs £16,234

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: £1,151, 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 2061 kWh 1504 kWh 556 kWh £405 £56 £461 £9,319 20.2 yrs £-107
3 kW 3091 kWh 2256 kWh 835 kWh £607 £83 £691 £11,354 16.4 yrs £2,464
4 kW 4121 kWh 3009 kWh 1113 kWh £810 £111 £921 £13,388 14.5 yrs £5,036
5 kW 5152 kWh 3761 kWh 1391 kWh £1,012 £139 £1,151 £15,423 13.4 yrs £7,607
6 kW 6182 kWh 4513 kWh 1669 kWh £1,215 £167 £1,382 £17,457 12.6 yrs £10,178
7 kW 7212 kWh 5265 kWh 1947 kWh £1,417 £195 £1,612 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,750
8 kW 8243 kWh 6017 kWh 2226 kWh £1,620 £223 £1,842 £21,526 11.7 yrs £15,321

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: £1,169, 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 2061 kWh 1545 kWh 515 kWh £416 £52 £468 £11,069 23.7 yrs £-1,718
3 kW 3091 kWh 2318 kWh 773 kWh £624 £77 £701 £13,104 18.7 yrs £923
4 kW 4121 kWh 3091 kWh 1030 kWh £832 £103 £935 £15,138 16.2 yrs £3,565
5 kW 5152 kWh 3864 kWh 1288 kWh £1,040 £129 £1,169 £17,173 14.7 yrs £6,206
6 kW 6182 kWh 4636 kWh 1545 kWh £1,248 £155 £1,403 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,847
7 kW 7212 kWh 5409 kWh 1803 kWh £1,456 £180 £1,636 £21,242 13.0 yrs £11,488
8 kW 8243 kWh 6182 kWh 2061 kWh £1,664 £206 £1,870 £23,276 12.4 yrs £14,129

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: £1,186, 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 2061 kWh 1587 kWh 474 kWh £427 £47 £475 £13,519 28.5 yrs £-4,028
3 kW 3091 kWh 2380 kWh 711 kWh £641 £71 £712 £15,554 21.9 yrs £-1,317
4 kW 4121 kWh 3173 kWh 948 kWh £854 £95 £949 £17,588 18.5 yrs £1,393
5 kW 5152 kWh 3967 kWh 1185 kWh £1,068 £118 £1,186 £19,623 16.5 yrs £4,104
6 kW 6182 kWh 4760 kWh 1422 kWh £1,281 £142 £1,424 £21,657 15.2 yrs £6,815
7 kW 7212 kWh 5553 kWh 1659 kWh £1,495 £166 £1,661 £23,692 14.3 yrs £9,526
8 kW 8243 kWh 6347 kWh 1896 kWh £1,709 £190 £1,898 £25,726 13.6 yrs £12,237

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 ME20

Figures below are tailored to ME20 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1363 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #279 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£995 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #864 of 2997
17.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£995 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1030kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1030 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: 73% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 5,192 properties

Coverage

Tonbridge and Malling (97%)|Maidstone (3%)

Areas Covered

Aylesford South & Ditton, Larkfield, Aylesford North & North Downs, Snodland East & Ham Hill, Boxley Downs, East Malling, West Malling & Offham

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

ME6 (Tonbridge and Malling)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,023 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME20
ME19 (Tonbridge and Malling)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME20
ME16 (Maidstone)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,027 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME20
ME99 (Maidstone)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME20
ME14 (Maidstone)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,024 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME20
ME18 (Maidstone)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME20

Similar sunshine across the UK

IP20 (South Norfolk)
~1,030 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME20
RM17 (Thurrock)
~1,030 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME20
SO2 (Southampton)
~1,031 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME20