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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in MK42 (Bedford)

See if solar pays off for you in Bedford — 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
12.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£664
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,470
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1000 kWh/kW — 9 below the regional median (1009).

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 1000 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1000 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: £830, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2000 kWh 800 kWh 1200 kWh £212 £120 £332 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,574
3 kW 2999 kWh 1200 kWh 1800 kWh £318 £180 £498 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,861
4 kW 3999 kWh 1600 kWh 2399 kWh £424 £240 £664 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,149
5 kW 4999 kWh 2000 kWh 2999 kWh £530 £300 £830 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,436
6 kW 5999 kWh 2399 kWh 3599 kWh £637 £360 £996 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,723
7 kW 6998 kWh 2799 kWh 4199 kWh £743 £420 £1,163 £14,242 12.3 yrs £9,010
8 kW 7998 kWh 3199 kWh 4799 kWh £849 £480 £1,329 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,297

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: £996, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2000 kWh 1200 kWh 800 kWh £318 £80 £398 £6,169 15.5 yrs £1,796
3 kW 2999 kWh 1800 kWh 1200 kWh £477 £120 £597 £8,204 13.7 yrs £3,745
4 kW 3999 kWh 2399 kWh 1600 kWh £637 £160 £797 £10,238 12.9 yrs £5,693
5 kW 4999 kWh 2999 kWh 2000 kWh £796 £200 £996 £12,273 12.3 yrs £7,641
6 kW 5999 kWh 3599 kWh 2399 kWh £955 £240 £1,195 £14,307 12.0 yrs £9,589
7 kW 6998 kWh 4199 kWh 2799 kWh £1,114 £280 £1,394 £16,342 11.7 yrs £11,537
8 kW 7998 kWh 4799 kWh 3199 kWh £1,273 £320 £1,593 £18,376 11.5 yrs £13,485

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: £1,078, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2000 kWh 1400 kWh 600 kWh £371 £60 £431 £7,569 17.5 yrs £1,057
3 kW 2999 kWh 2100 kWh 900 kWh £557 £90 £647 £9,604 14.8 yrs £3,336
4 kW 3999 kWh 2799 kWh 1200 kWh £743 £120 £863 £11,638 13.5 yrs £5,615
5 kW 4999 kWh 3499 kWh 1500 kWh £928 £150 £1,078 £13,673 12.7 yrs £7,893
6 kW 5999 kWh 4199 kWh 1800 kWh £1,114 £180 £1,294 £15,707 12.1 yrs £10,172
7 kW 6998 kWh 4899 kWh 2100 kWh £1,300 £210 £1,510 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,451
8 kW 7998 kWh 5599 kWh 2399 kWh £1,485 £240 £1,725 £19,776 11.5 yrs £14,730

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: £1,103, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2000 kWh 1460 kWh 540 kWh £387 £54 £441 £9,319 21.1 yrs £-494
3 kW 2999 kWh 2189 kWh 810 kWh £581 £81 £662 £11,354 17.2 yrs £1,884
4 kW 3999 kWh 2919 kWh 1080 kWh £774 £108 £882 £13,388 15.2 yrs £4,261
5 kW 4999 kWh 3649 kWh 1350 kWh £968 £135 £1,103 £15,423 14.0 yrs £6,639
6 kW 5999 kWh 4379 kWh 1620 kWh £1,162 £162 £1,324 £17,457 13.2 yrs £9,017
7 kW 6998 kWh 5109 kWh 1890 kWh £1,355 £189 £1,544 £19,492 12.6 yrs £11,395
8 kW 7998 kWh 5839 kWh 2160 kWh £1,549 £216 £1,765 £21,526 12.2 yrs £13,773

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: £1,120, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2000 kWh 1500 kWh 500 kWh £398 £50 £448 £11,069 24.7 yrs £-2,112
3 kW 2999 kWh 2249 kWh 750 kWh £597 £75 £672 £13,104 19.5 yrs £332
4 kW 3999 kWh 2999 kWh 1000 kWh £796 £100 £896 £15,138 16.9 yrs £2,776
5 kW 4999 kWh 3749 kWh 1250 kWh £995 £125 £1,120 £17,173 15.3 yrs £5,220
6 kW 5999 kWh 4499 kWh 1500 kWh £1,194 £150 £1,344 £19,207 14.3 yrs £7,664
7 kW 6998 kWh 5249 kWh 1750 kWh £1,393 £175 £1,567 £21,242 13.6 yrs £10,108
8 kW 7998 kWh 5999 kWh 2000 kWh £1,591 £200 £1,791 £23,276 13.0 yrs £12,552

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: £1,136, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2000 kWh 1540 kWh 460 kWh £408 £46 £454 £13,519 29.7 yrs £-4,430
3 kW 2999 kWh 2309 kWh 690 kWh £613 £69 £682 £15,554 22.8 yrs £-1,920
4 kW 3999 kWh 3079 kWh 920 kWh £817 £92 £909 £17,588 19.4 yrs £590
5 kW 4999 kWh 3849 kWh 1150 kWh £1,021 £115 £1,136 £19,623 17.3 yrs £3,100
6 kW 5999 kWh 4619 kWh 1380 kWh £1,225 £138 £1,363 £21,657 15.9 yrs £5,610
7 kW 6998 kWh 5389 kWh 1610 kWh £1,430 £161 £1,591 £23,692 14.9 yrs £8,120
8 kW 7998 kWh 6159 kWh 1840 kWh £1,634 £184 £1,818 £25,726 14.2 yrs £10,631

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 MK42

Figures below are tailored to MK42 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1768 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #818 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£763 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2078 of 2997
23.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£763 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1000kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1000 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: 69% • Flats: 25% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 17,345 properties

Coverage

Bedford (99%)|Central Bedfordshire (1%)

Areas Covered

Cauldwell, Kempston Central & East, Kingsbrook, Greyfriars, Wixams & Wilstead, Kempston South, Shortstown, Kempston North + 2 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 Eastern

MK40 (Bedford)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK42
MK41 (Bedford)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,002 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK42
MK43 (Bedford)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK42
MK44 (Bedford)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,007 kWh/kWp · +1% vs MK42
MK45 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK42
SG19 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,002 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK42

Similar sunshine across the UK

BA2 (Bath and North East Somerset)
~1,000 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK42
BA3 (Bath and North East Somerset)
~1,000 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK42
SE23 (Lewisham)
~1,000 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK42