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 984 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.
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: £798, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1967 kWh | 787 kWh | 1180 kWh | £201 | £118 | £319 | £4,069 | 12.8 yrs | £2,312 |
| 3 kW | 2951 kWh | 1180 kWh | 1770 kWh | £302 | £177 | £479 | £6,104 | 12.8 yrs | £3,468 |
| 4 kW | 3934 kWh | 1574 kWh | 2360 kWh | £402 | £236 | £638 | £8,138 | 12.8 yrs | £4,624 |
| 5 kW | 4918 kWh | 1967 kWh | 2951 kWh | £503 | £295 | £798 | £10,173 | 12.8 yrs | £5,780 |
| 6 kW | 5901 kWh | 2360 kWh | 3541 kWh | £603 | £354 | £957 | £12,207 | 12.8 yrs | £6,936 |
| 7 kW | 6885 kWh | 2754 kWh | 4131 kWh | £704 | £413 | £1,117 | £14,242 | 12.8 yrs | £8,092 |
| 8 kW | 7868 kWh | 3147 kWh | 4721 kWh | £804 | £472 | £1,276 | £16,276 | 12.8 yrs | £9,248 |
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: £951, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1967 kWh | 1180 kWh | 787 kWh | £302 | £79 | £380 | £6,169 | 16.2 yrs | £1,436 |
| 3 kW | 2951 kWh | 1770 kWh | 1180 kWh | £452 | £118 | £570 | £8,204 | 14.4 yrs | £3,203 |
| 4 kW | 3934 kWh | 2360 kWh | 1574 kWh | £603 | £157 | £760 | £10,238 | 13.5 yrs | £4,971 |
| 5 kW | 4918 kWh | 2951 kWh | 1967 kWh | £754 | £197 | £951 | £12,273 | 12.9 yrs | £6,739 |
| 6 kW | 5901 kWh | 3541 kWh | 2360 kWh | £905 | £236 | £1,141 | £14,307 | 12.5 yrs | £8,507 |
| 7 kW | 6885 kWh | 4131 kWh | 2754 kWh | £1,055 | £275 | £1,331 | £16,342 | 12.3 yrs | £10,275 |
| 8 kW | 7868 kWh | 4721 kWh | 3147 kWh | £1,206 | £315 | £1,521 | £18,376 | 12.1 yrs | £12,043 |
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: £1,027, Upfront: £13,673, 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 | 1967 kWh | 1377 kWh | 590 kWh | £352 | £59 | £411 | £7,569 | 18.4 yrs | £647 |
| 3 kW | 2951 kWh | 2065 kWh | 885 kWh | £528 | £89 | £616 | £9,604 | 15.6 yrs | £2,721 |
| 4 kW | 3934 kWh | 2754 kWh | 1180 kWh | £704 | £118 | £822 | £11,638 | 14.2 yrs | £4,795 |
| 5 kW | 4918 kWh | 3442 kWh | 1475 kWh | £880 | £148 | £1,027 | £13,673 | 13.3 yrs | £6,868 |
| 6 kW | 5901 kWh | 4131 kWh | 1770 kWh | £1,055 | £177 | £1,232 | £15,707 | 12.7 yrs | £8,942 |
| 7 kW | 6885 kWh | 4819 kWh | 2065 kWh | £1,231 | £207 | £1,438 | £17,742 | 12.3 yrs | £11,016 |
| 8 kW | 7868 kWh | 5508 kWh | 2360 kWh | £1,407 | £236 | £1,643 | £19,776 | 12.0 yrs | £13,090 |
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: £1,050, Upfront: £15,423, 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 | 1967 kWh | 1436 kWh | 531 kWh | £367 | £53 | £420 | £9,319 | 22.2 yrs | £-919 |
| 3 kW | 2951 kWh | 2154 kWh | 797 kWh | £550 | £80 | £630 | £11,354 | 18.0 yrs | £1,246 |
| 4 kW | 3934 kWh | 2872 kWh | 1062 kWh | £734 | £106 | £840 | £13,388 | 15.9 yrs | £3,412 |
| 5 kW | 4918 kWh | 3590 kWh | 1328 kWh | £917 | £133 | £1,050 | £15,423 | 14.7 yrs | £5,577 |
| 6 kW | 5901 kWh | 4308 kWh | 1593 kWh | £1,101 | £159 | £1,260 | £17,457 | 13.9 yrs | £7,743 |
| 7 kW | 6885 kWh | 5026 kWh | 1859 kWh | £1,284 | £186 | £1,470 | £19,492 | 13.3 yrs | £9,908 |
| 8 kW | 7868 kWh | 5744 kWh | 2124 kWh | £1,468 | £212 | £1,680 | £21,526 | 12.8 yrs | £12,074 |
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: £1,065, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1967 kWh | 1475 kWh | 492 kWh | £377 | £49 | £426 | £11,069 | 26.0 yrs | £-2,547 |
| 3 kW | 2951 kWh | 2213 kWh | 738 kWh | £565 | £74 | £639 | £13,104 | 20.5 yrs | £-320 |
| 4 kW | 3934 kWh | 2951 kWh | 984 kWh | £754 | £98 | £852 | £15,138 | 17.8 yrs | £1,907 |
| 5 kW | 4918 kWh | 3688 kWh | 1229 kWh | £942 | £123 | £1,065 | £17,173 | 16.1 yrs | £4,133 |
| 6 kW | 5901 kWh | 4426 kWh | 1475 kWh | £1,131 | £148 | £1,278 | £19,207 | 15.0 yrs | £6,360 |
| 7 kW | 6885 kWh | 5164 kWh | 1721 kWh | £1,319 | £172 | £1,491 | £21,242 | 14.2 yrs | £8,586 |
| 8 kW | 7868 kWh | 5901 kWh | 1967 kWh | £1,508 | £197 | £1,704 | £23,276 | 13.7 yrs | £10,813 |
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: £1,081, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1967 kWh | 1515 kWh | 452 kWh | £387 | £45 | £432 | £13,519 | 31.3 yrs | £-4,874 |
| 3 kW | 2951 kWh | 2272 kWh | 679 kWh | £580 | £68 | £648 | £15,554 | 24.0 yrs | £-2,587 |
| 4 kW | 3934 kWh | 3029 kWh | 905 kWh | £774 | £90 | £864 | £17,588 | 20.3 yrs | £-299 |
| 5 kW | 4918 kWh | 3787 kWh | 1131 kWh | £967 | £113 | £1,081 | £19,623 | 18.2 yrs | £1,989 |
| 6 kW | 5901 kWh | 4544 kWh | 1357 kWh | £1,161 | £136 | £1,297 | £21,657 | 16.7 yrs | £4,277 |
| 7 kW | 6885 kWh | 5301 kWh | 1583 kWh | £1,354 | £158 | £1,513 | £23,692 | 15.7 yrs | £6,565 |
| 8 kW | 7868 kWh | 6059 kWh | 1810 kWh | £1,548 | £181 | £1,729 | £25,726 | 14.9 yrs | £8,852 |
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.