A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 810 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p 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: £662, Upfront: £10,173, 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 | 1621 kWh | 648 kWh | 972 kWh | £168 | £97 | £265 | £4,069 | 15.4 yrs | £1,226 |
| 3 kW | 2431 kWh | 972 kWh | 1459 kWh | £251 | £146 | £397 | £6,104 | 15.4 yrs | £1,839 |
| 4 kW | 3241 kWh | 1297 kWh | 1945 kWh | £335 | £194 | £529 | £8,138 | 15.4 yrs | £2,452 |
| 5 kW | 4052 kWh | 1621 kWh | 2431 kWh | £419 | £243 | £662 | £10,173 | 15.4 yrs | £3,065 |
| 6 kW | 4862 kWh | 1945 kWh | 2917 kWh | £503 | £292 | £794 | £12,207 | 15.4 yrs | £3,678 |
| 7 kW | 5672 kWh | 2269 kWh | 3403 kWh | £586 | £340 | £927 | £14,242 | 15.4 yrs | £4,291 |
| 8 kW | 6483 kWh | 2593 kWh | 3890 kWh | £670 | £389 | £1,059 | £16,276 | 15.4 yrs | £4,904 |
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: £790, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1621 kWh | 972 kWh | 648 kWh | £251 | £65 | £316 | £6,169 | 19.5 yrs | £153 |
| 3 kW | 2431 kWh | 1459 kWh | 972 kWh | £377 | £97 | £474 | £8,204 | 17.3 yrs | £1,279 |
| 4 kW | 3241 kWh | 1945 kWh | 1297 kWh | £503 | £130 | £632 | £10,238 | 16.2 yrs | £2,406 |
| 5 kW | 4052 kWh | 2431 kWh | 1621 kWh | £628 | £162 | £790 | £12,273 | 15.5 yrs | £3,532 |
| 6 kW | 4862 kWh | 2917 kWh | 1945 kWh | £754 | £194 | £948 | £14,307 | 15.1 yrs | £4,658 |
| 7 kW | 5672 kWh | 3403 kWh | 2269 kWh | £879 | £227 | £1,106 | £16,342 | 14.8 yrs | £5,785 |
| 8 kW | 6483 kWh | 3890 kWh | 2593 kWh | £1,005 | £259 | £1,264 | £18,376 | 14.5 yrs | £6,911 |
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: £854, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1621 kWh | 1134 kWh | 486 kWh | £293 | £49 | £342 | £7,569 | 22.1 yrs | £-734 |
| 3 kW | 2431 kWh | 1702 kWh | 729 kWh | £440 | £73 | £513 | £9,604 | 18.7 yrs | £649 |
| 4 kW | 3241 kWh | 2269 kWh | 972 kWh | £586 | £97 | £684 | £11,638 | 17.0 yrs | £2,032 |
| 5 kW | 4052 kWh | 2836 kWh | 1215 kWh | £733 | £122 | £854 | £13,673 | 16.0 yrs | £3,415 |
| 6 kW | 4862 kWh | 3403 kWh | 1459 kWh | £879 | £146 | £1,025 | £15,707 | 15.3 yrs | £4,799 |
| 7 kW | 5672 kWh | 3971 kWh | 1702 kWh | £1,026 | £170 | £1,196 | £17,742 | 14.8 yrs | £6,182 |
| 8 kW | 6483 kWh | 4538 kWh | 1945 kWh | £1,173 | £194 | £1,367 | £19,776 | 14.5 yrs | £7,565 |
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: £874, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1621 kWh | 1183 kWh | 438 kWh | £306 | £44 | £349 | £9,319 | 26.7 yrs | £-2,330 |
| 3 kW | 2431 kWh | 1775 kWh | 656 kWh | £459 | £66 | £524 | £11,354 | 21.7 yrs | £-870 |
| 4 kW | 3241 kWh | 2366 kWh | 875 kWh | £611 | £88 | £699 | £13,388 | 19.2 yrs | £590 |
| 5 kW | 4052 kWh | 2958 kWh | 1094 kWh | £764 | £109 | £874 | £15,423 | 17.7 yrs | £2,051 |
| 6 kW | 4862 kWh | 3549 kWh | 1313 kWh | £917 | £131 | £1,048 | £17,457 | 16.7 yrs | £3,511 |
| 7 kW | 5672 kWh | 4141 kWh | 1532 kWh | £1,070 | £153 | £1,223 | £19,492 | 15.9 yrs | £4,971 |
| 8 kW | 6483 kWh | 4732 kWh | 1750 kWh | £1,223 | £175 | £1,398 | £21,526 | 15.4 yrs | £6,431 |
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: £886, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.4 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1621 kWh | 1215 kWh | 405 kWh | £314 | £41 | £355 | £11,069 | 31.2 yrs | £-3,977 |
| 3 kW | 2431 kWh | 1823 kWh | 608 kWh | £471 | £61 | £532 | £13,104 | 24.6 yrs | £-2,466 |
| 4 kW | 3241 kWh | 2431 kWh | 810 kWh | £628 | £81 | £709 | £15,138 | 21.3 yrs | £-954 |
| 5 kW | 4052 kWh | 3039 kWh | 1013 kWh | £785 | £101 | £886 | £17,173 | 19.4 yrs | £557 |
| 6 kW | 4862 kWh | 3646 kWh | 1215 kWh | £942 | £122 | £1,064 | £19,207 | 18.1 yrs | £2,069 |
| 7 kW | 5672 kWh | 4254 kWh | 1418 kWh | £1,099 | £142 | £1,241 | £21,242 | 17.1 yrs | £3,580 |
| 8 kW | 6483 kWh | 4862 kWh | 1621 kWh | £1,256 | £162 | £1,418 | £23,276 | 16.4 yrs | £5,092 |
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: £899, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.8 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1621 kWh | 1248 kWh | 373 kWh | £322 | £37 | £360 | £13,519 | 37.6 yrs | £-6,324 |
| 3 kW | 2431 kWh | 1872 kWh | 559 kWh | £484 | £56 | £540 | £15,554 | 28.8 yrs | £-4,762 |
| 4 kW | 3241 kWh | 2496 kWh | 745 kWh | £645 | £75 | £719 | £17,588 | 24.4 yrs | £-3,199 |
| 5 kW | 4052 kWh | 3120 kWh | 932 kWh | £806 | £93 | £899 | £19,623 | 21.8 yrs | £-1,636 |
| 6 kW | 4862 kWh | 3744 kWh | 1118 kWh | £967 | £112 | £1,079 | £21,657 | 20.1 yrs | £-73 |
| 7 kW | 5672 kWh | 4368 kWh | 1305 kWh | £1,129 | £130 | £1,259 | £23,692 | 18.8 yrs | £1,490 |
| 8 kW | 6483 kWh | 4992 kWh | 1491 kWh | £1,290 | £149 | £1,439 | £25,726 | 17.9 yrs | £3,052 |
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.