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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ME4 (Medway)

See if solar pays off for you in Medway — 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
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£698
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,306
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 1040 kWh/kW — 11 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 1040 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)
1040 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: £872, 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 2081 kWh 832 kWh 1248 kWh £224 £125 £349 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,909
3 kW 3121 kWh 1248 kWh 1873 kWh £336 £187 £523 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,363
4 kW 4161 kWh 1664 kWh 2497 kWh £448 £250 £698 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,817
5 kW 5202 kWh 2081 kWh 3121 kWh £560 £312 £872 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,271
6 kW 6242 kWh 2497 kWh 3745 kWh £672 £375 £1,047 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,726
7 kW 7282 kWh 2913 kWh 4369 kWh £784 £437 £1,221 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,180
8 kW 8322 kWh 3329 kWh 4993 kWh £896 £499 £1,396 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,634

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: £1,048, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2081 kWh 1248 kWh 832 kWh £336 £83 £419 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,217
3 kW 3121 kWh 1873 kWh 1248 kWh £504 £125 £629 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,375
4 kW 4161 kWh 2497 kWh 1664 kWh £672 £166 £839 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,533
5 kW 5202 kWh 3121 kWh 2081 kWh £840 £208 £1,048 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,692
6 kW 6242 kWh 3745 kWh 2497 kWh £1,008 £250 £1,258 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,850
7 kW 7282 kWh 4369 kWh 2913 kWh £1,176 £291 £1,468 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,008
8 kW 8322 kWh 4993 kWh 3329 kWh £1,344 £333 £1,677 £18,376 11.0 yrs £15,167

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: £1,136, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2081 kWh 1456 kWh 624 kWh £392 £62 £454 £7,569 16.7 yrs £1,521
3 kW 3121 kWh 2185 kWh 936 kWh £588 £94 £682 £9,604 14.1 yrs £4,031
4 kW 4161 kWh 2913 kWh 1248 kWh £784 £125 £909 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,542
5 kW 5202 kWh 3641 kWh 1560 kWh £980 £156 £1,136 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,052
6 kW 6242 kWh 4369 kWh 1873 kWh £1,176 £187 £1,363 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,562
7 kW 7282 kWh 5098 kWh 2185 kWh £1,372 £218 £1,591 £17,742 11.2 yrs £14,073
8 kW 8322 kWh 5826 kWh 2497 kWh £1,568 £250 £1,818 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,583

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: £1,163, 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 2081 kWh 1519 kWh 562 kWh £409 £56 £465 £9,319 20.0 yrs £-18
3 kW 3121 kWh 2278 kWh 843 kWh £613 £84 £698 £11,354 16.3 yrs £2,598
4 kW 4161 kWh 3038 kWh 1124 kWh £818 £112 £930 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,214
5 kW 5202 kWh 3797 kWh 1404 kWh £1,022 £140 £1,163 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,830
6 kW 6242 kWh 4557 kWh 1685 kWh £1,227 £169 £1,395 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,446
7 kW 7282 kWh 5316 kWh 1966 kWh £1,431 £197 £1,628 £19,492 12.0 yrs £13,062
8 kW 8322 kWh 6075 kWh 2247 kWh £1,636 £225 £1,860 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,678

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: £1,180, 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 2081 kWh 1560 kWh 520 kWh £420 £52 £472 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,627
3 kW 3121 kWh 2341 kWh 780 kWh £630 £78 £708 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,059
4 kW 4161 kWh 3121 kWh 1040 kWh £840 £104 £944 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,746
5 kW 5202 kWh 3901 kWh 1300 kWh £1,050 £130 £1,180 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,432
6 kW 6242 kWh 4681 kWh 1560 kWh £1,260 £156 £1,416 £19,207 13.6 yrs £9,119
7 kW 7282 kWh 5462 kWh 1821 kWh £1,470 £182 £1,652 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,805
8 kW 8322 kWh 6242 kWh 2081 kWh £1,680 £208 £1,888 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,491

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: £1,198, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2081 kWh 1602 kWh 479 kWh £431 £48 £479 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,936
3 kW 3121 kWh 2403 kWh 718 kWh £647 £72 £719 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,180
4 kW 4161 kWh 3204 kWh 957 kWh £863 £96 £958 £17,588 18.4 yrs £1,577
5 kW 5202 kWh 4005 kWh 1196 kWh £1,078 £120 £1,198 £19,623 16.4 yrs £4,334
6 kW 6242 kWh 4806 kWh 1436 kWh £1,294 £144 £1,437 £21,657 15.1 yrs £7,091
7 kW 7282 kWh 5607 kWh 1675 kWh £1,509 £167 £1,677 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,848
8 kW 8322 kWh 6408 kWh 1914 kWh £1,725 £191 £1,917 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,605

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 ME4

Figures below are tailored to ME4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2015 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #229 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£803 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1749 of 2997
21.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£803 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1040kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1040 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: 51% • Flats: 44% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 11,972 properties

Coverage

Medway (100%)

Areas Covered

Chatham Central & Brompton, Fort Pitt, St Mary's Island, Luton, Fort Horsted, Gillingham North

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

ME1 (Medway)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME4
ME7 (Medway)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME4
ME2 (Medway)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME4
ME5 (Medway)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ME4
ME8 (Medway)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ME4
ME3 (Medway)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ME4

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL12 (Cornwall)
~1,041 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME4
TR2 (Cornwall)
~1,041 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME4
IP2 (Ipswich)
~1,041 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME4