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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ME5 (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
11.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£682
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,911
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 1017 kWh/kW — 12 below 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 1017 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)
1017 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: £852, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2034 kWh 813 kWh 1220 kWh £219 £122 £341 £4,069 11.9 yrs £2,751
3 kW 3050 kWh 1220 kWh 1830 kWh £328 £183 £511 £6,104 11.9 yrs £4,126
4 kW 4067 kWh 1627 kWh 2440 kWh £438 £244 £682 £8,138 11.9 yrs £5,501
5 kW 5084 kWh 2034 kWh 3050 kWh £547 £305 £852 £10,173 11.9 yrs £6,877
6 kW 6101 kWh 2440 kWh 3660 kWh £657 £366 £1,023 £12,207 11.9 yrs £8,252
7 kW 7117 kWh 2847 kWh 4270 kWh £766 £427 £1,193 £14,242 11.9 yrs £9,628
8 kW 8134 kWh 3254 kWh 4881 kWh £876 £488 £1,364 £16,276 11.9 yrs £11,003

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: £1,025, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2034 kWh 1220 kWh 813 kWh £328 £81 £410 £6,169 15.1 yrs £2,027
3 kW 3050 kWh 1830 kWh 1220 kWh £493 £122 £615 £8,204 13.3 yrs £4,091
4 kW 4067 kWh 2440 kWh 1627 kWh £657 £163 £820 £10,238 12.5 yrs £6,154
5 kW 5084 kWh 3050 kWh 2034 kWh £821 £203 £1,025 £12,273 12.0 yrs £8,218
6 kW 6101 kWh 3660 kWh 2440 kWh £985 £244 £1,229 £14,307 11.6 yrs £10,281
7 kW 7117 kWh 4270 kWh 2847 kWh £1,150 £285 £1,434 £16,342 11.4 yrs £12,345
8 kW 8134 kWh 4881 kWh 3254 kWh £1,314 £325 £1,639 £18,376 11.2 yrs £14,408

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: £1,111, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2034 kWh 1423 kWh 610 kWh £383 £61 £444 £7,569 17.0 yrs £1,315
3 kW 3050 kWh 2135 kWh 915 kWh £575 £92 £666 £9,604 14.4 yrs £3,723
4 kW 4067 kWh 2847 kWh 1220 kWh £766 £122 £888 £11,638 13.1 yrs £6,130
5 kW 5084 kWh 3559 kWh 1525 kWh £958 £153 £1,111 £13,673 12.3 yrs £8,538
6 kW 6101 kWh 4270 kWh 1830 kWh £1,150 £183 £1,333 £15,707 11.8 yrs £10,946
7 kW 7117 kWh 4982 kWh 2135 kWh £1,341 £214 £1,555 £17,742 11.4 yrs £13,353
8 kW 8134 kWh 5694 kWh 2440 kWh £1,533 £244 £1,777 £19,776 11.1 yrs £15,761

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: £1,136, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2034 kWh 1484 kWh 549 kWh £400 £55 £455 £9,319 20.5 yrs £-228
3 kW 3050 kWh 2227 kWh 824 kWh £599 £82 £682 £11,354 16.7 yrs £2,282
4 kW 4067 kWh 2969 kWh 1098 kWh £799 £110 £909 £13,388 14.7 yrs £4,793
5 kW 5084 kWh 3711 kWh 1373 kWh £999 £137 £1,136 £15,423 13.6 yrs £7,304
6 kW 6101 kWh 4453 kWh 1647 kWh £1,199 £165 £1,364 £17,457 12.8 yrs £9,815
7 kW 7117 kWh 5196 kWh 1922 kWh £1,399 £192 £1,591 £19,492 12.3 yrs £12,326
8 kW 8134 kWh 5938 kWh 2196 kWh £1,599 £220 £1,818 £21,526 11.8 yrs £14,837

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: £1,154, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2034 kWh 1525 kWh 508 kWh £411 £51 £461 £11,069 24.0 yrs £-1,841
3 kW 3050 kWh 2288 kWh 763 kWh £616 £76 £692 £13,104 18.9 yrs £739
4 kW 4067 kWh 3050 kWh 1017 kWh £821 £102 £923 £15,138 16.4 yrs £3,319
5 kW 5084 kWh 3813 kWh 1271 kWh £1,026 £127 £1,154 £17,173 14.9 yrs £5,898
6 kW 6101 kWh 4576 kWh 1525 kWh £1,232 £153 £1,384 £19,207 13.9 yrs £8,478
7 kW 7117 kWh 5338 kWh 1779 kWh £1,437 £178 £1,615 £21,242 13.2 yrs £11,057
8 kW 8134 kWh 6101 kWh 2034 kWh £1,642 £203 £1,846 £23,276 12.6 yrs £13,637

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: £1,171, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2034 kWh 1566 kWh 468 kWh £422 £47 £468 £13,519 28.9 yrs £-4,153
3 kW 3050 kWh 2349 kWh 702 kWh £632 £70 £702 £15,554 22.1 yrs £-1,505
4 kW 4067 kWh 3132 kWh 935 kWh £843 £94 £937 £17,588 18.8 yrs £1,144
5 kW 5084 kWh 3915 kWh 1169 kWh £1,054 £117 £1,171 £19,623 16.8 yrs £3,792
6 kW 6101 kWh 4698 kWh 1403 kWh £1,265 £140 £1,405 £21,657 15.4 yrs £6,441
7 kW 7117 kWh 5480 kWh 1637 kWh £1,475 £164 £1,639 £23,692 14.5 yrs £9,089
8 kW 8134 kWh 6263 kWh 1871 kWh £1,686 £187 £1,873 £25,726 13.7 yrs £11,738

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 ME5

Figures below are tailored to ME5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1605 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #415 of 2997
10.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£785 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1913 of 2997
22.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£785 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1017kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1017 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: 75% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 12,461 properties

Coverage

Medway (86%)|Tonbridge and Malling (8%)|Maidstone (6%)

Areas Covered

Lordswood & Walderslade, Wayfield & Weeds Wood, Chatham Central & Brompton, Princes Park, Luton, Fort Horsted, Boxley Downs, Walderslade + 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

ME4 (Medway)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,040 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ME5
ME1 (Medway)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME5
ME7 (Medway)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,018 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME5
ME8 (Medway)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ME5
ME2 (Medway)
≈5.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME5
ME6 (Tonbridge and Malling)
≈6.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,023 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ME5

Similar sunshine across the UK

DT8 (Dorset)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME5
DA18 (Bexley)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ME5
DT9 (Dorset)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ME5