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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in MK45 (Central Bedfordshire)

See if solar pays off for you in Central Bedfordshire — 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
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£827
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,493
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 995 kWh/kW — 14 below the regional median (1009).

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 995 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)
995 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: £827, 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 1990 kWh 796 kWh 1194 kWh £211 £119 £331 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,544
3 kW 2986 kWh 1194 kWh 1791 kWh £317 £179 £496 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,816
4 kW 3981 kWh 1592 kWh 2389 kWh £422 £239 £661 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,088
5 kW 4976 kWh 1990 kWh 2986 kWh £528 £299 £827 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,360
6 kW 5971 kWh 2389 kWh 3583 kWh £634 £358 £992 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,632
7 kW 6967 kWh 2787 kWh 4180 kWh £739 £418 £1,157 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,904
8 kW 7962 kWh 3185 kWh 4777 kWh £845 £478 £1,323 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,176

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: £991, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1194 kWh 796 kWh £317 £80 £396 £6,169 15.6 yrs £1,760
3 kW 2986 kWh 1791 kWh 1194 kWh £475 £119 £595 £8,204 13.8 yrs £3,690
4 kW 3981 kWh 2389 kWh 1592 kWh £634 £159 £793 £10,238 12.9 yrs £5,620
5 kW 4976 kWh 2986 kWh 1990 kWh £792 £199 £991 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,550
6 kW 5971 kWh 3583 kWh 2389 kWh £951 £239 £1,189 £14,307 12.0 yrs £9,481
7 kW 6967 kWh 4180 kWh 2787 kWh £1,109 £279 £1,388 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,411
8 kW 7962 kWh 4777 kWh 3185 kWh £1,267 £318 £1,586 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,341

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: £1,073, 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 1990 kWh 1393 kWh 597 kWh £370 £60 £429 £7,569 17.6 yrs £1,018
3 kW 2986 kWh 2090 kWh 896 kWh £554 £90 £644 £9,604 14.9 yrs £3,277
4 kW 3981 kWh 2787 kWh 1194 kWh £739 £119 £859 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,536
5 kW 4976 kWh 3483 kWh 1493 kWh £924 £149 £1,073 £13,673 12.7 yrs £7,796
6 kW 5971 kWh 4180 kWh 1791 kWh £1,109 £179 £1,288 £15,707 12.2 yrs £10,055
7 kW 6967 kWh 4877 kWh 2090 kWh £1,294 £209 £1,503 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,314
8 kW 7962 kWh 5573 kWh 2389 kWh £1,479 £239 £1,717 £19,776 11.5 yrs £14,573

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: £1,098, 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 1990 kWh 1453 kWh 537 kWh £385 £54 £439 £9,319 21.2 yrs £-534
3 kW 2986 kWh 2180 kWh 806 kWh £578 £81 £659 £11,354 17.2 yrs £1,823
4 kW 3981 kWh 2906 kWh 1075 kWh £771 £107 £878 £13,388 15.2 yrs £4,181
5 kW 4976 kWh 3633 kWh 1344 kWh £964 £134 £1,098 £15,423 14.0 yrs £6,539
6 kW 5971 kWh 4359 kWh 1612 kWh £1,156 £161 £1,318 £17,457 13.2 yrs £8,897
7 kW 6967 kWh 5086 kWh 1881 kWh £1,349 £188 £1,537 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,255
8 kW 7962 kWh 5812 kWh 2150 kWh £1,542 £215 £1,757 £21,526 12.3 yrs £13,613

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: £1,115, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1990 kWh 1493 kWh 498 kWh £396 £50 £446 £11,069 24.8 yrs £-2,153
3 kW 2986 kWh 2239 kWh 746 kWh £594 £75 £669 £13,104 19.6 yrs £271
4 kW 3981 kWh 2986 kWh 995 kWh £792 £100 £892 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,694
5 kW 4976 kWh 3732 kWh 1244 kWh £990 £124 £1,115 £17,173 15.4 yrs £5,118
6 kW 5971 kWh 4479 kWh 1493 kWh £1,188 £149 £1,337 £19,207 14.4 yrs £7,542
7 kW 6967 kWh 5225 kWh 1742 kWh £1,386 £174 £1,560 £21,242 13.6 yrs £9,965
8 kW 7962 kWh 5971 kWh 1990 kWh £1,584 £199 £1,783 £23,276 13.1 yrs £12,389

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: £1,131, 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 1990 kWh 1533 kWh 458 kWh £407 £46 £452 £13,519 29.9 yrs £-4,471
3 kW 2986 kWh 2299 kWh 687 kWh £610 £69 £679 £15,554 22.9 yrs £-1,982
4 kW 3981 kWh 3065 kWh 916 kWh £813 £92 £905 £17,588 19.4 yrs £508
5 kW 4976 kWh 3832 kWh 1145 kWh £1,017 £114 £1,131 £19,623 17.3 yrs £2,997
6 kW 5971 kWh 4598 kWh 1373 kWh £1,220 £137 £1,357 £21,657 16.0 yrs £5,487
7 kW 6967 kWh 5364 kWh 1602 kWh £1,423 £160 £1,583 £23,692 15.0 yrs £7,976
8 kW 7962 kWh 6131 kWh 1831 kWh £1,626 £183 £1,810 £25,726 14.2 yrs £10,465

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 MK45

Figures below are tailored to MK45 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #902 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #820 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£950 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1144 of 2997
18.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£950 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
995kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~995 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: 78% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 11% Based on 12,438 properties

Coverage

Central Bedfordshire (83%)|Bedford (17%)

Areas Covered

Ampthill, Flitwick, Barton-le-Clay & Silsoe, Westoning, Flitton & Greenfield, Greyfriars, Houghton Conquest & Haynes, Wixams & Wilstead + 5 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

SG17 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK45
MK42 (Bedford)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK45
MK43 (Bedford)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK45
MK40 (Bedford)
≈12.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK45
SG16 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈12.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~994 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK45
LU5 (Central Bedfordshire)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK45

Similar sunshine across the UK

W6 (Hammersmith and Fulham)
~995 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK45
SM5 (Sutton)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs MK45
NN9 (North Northamptonshire)
~995 kWh/kWp · +0% vs MK45