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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in N1 (Islington)

See if solar pays off for you in Islington — 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
12.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£482
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,938
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 London, the current unit rate is 25.63p/kWh with a 46.06p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 988 kWh/kW — 3 below the regional median (991).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 988 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.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
46.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
988 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: £803, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1976 kWh 790 kWh 1185 kWh £203 £119 £321 £4,069 12.7 yrs £2,353
3 kW 2964 kWh 1185 kWh 1778 kWh £304 £178 £482 £6,104 12.7 yrs £3,530
4 kW 3952 kWh 1581 kWh 2371 kWh £405 £237 £642 £8,138 12.7 yrs £4,706
5 kW 4940 kWh 1976 kWh 2964 kWh £506 £296 £803 £10,173 12.7 yrs £5,883
6 kW 5927 kWh 2371 kWh 3556 kWh £608 £356 £963 £12,207 12.7 yrs £7,060
7 kW 6915 kWh 2766 kWh 4149 kWh £709 £415 £1,124 £14,242 12.7 yrs £8,236
8 kW 7903 kWh 3161 kWh 4742 kWh £810 £474 £1,284 £16,276 12.7 yrs £9,413

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: £957, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1976 kWh 1185 kWh 790 kWh £304 £79 £383 £6,169 16.1 yrs £1,488
3 kW 2964 kWh 1778 kWh 1185 kWh £456 £119 £574 £8,204 14.3 yrs £3,283
4 kW 3952 kWh 2371 kWh 1581 kWh £608 £158 £766 £10,238 13.4 yrs £5,077
5 kW 4940 kWh 2964 kWh 1976 kWh £760 £198 £957 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,871
6 kW 5927 kWh 3556 kWh 2371 kWh £912 £237 £1,149 £14,307 12.5 yrs £8,665
7 kW 6915 kWh 4149 kWh 2766 kWh £1,063 £277 £1,340 £16,342 12.2 yrs £10,460
8 kW 7903 kWh 4742 kWh 3161 kWh £1,215 £316 £1,531 £18,376 12.0 yrs £12,254

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: £1,034, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1976 kWh 1383 kWh 593 kWh £354 £59 £414 £7,569 18.3 yrs £706
3 kW 2964 kWh 2075 kWh 889 kWh £532 £89 £621 £9,604 15.5 yrs £2,809
4 kW 3952 kWh 2766 kWh 1185 kWh £709 £119 £828 £11,638 14.1 yrs £4,912
5 kW 4940 kWh 3458 kWh 1482 kWh £886 £148 £1,034 £13,673 13.2 yrs £7,015
6 kW 5927 kWh 4149 kWh 1778 kWh £1,063 £178 £1,241 £15,707 12.7 yrs £9,118
7 kW 6915 kWh 4841 kWh 2075 kWh £1,241 £207 £1,448 £17,742 12.3 yrs £11,221
8 kW 7903 kWh 5532 kWh 2371 kWh £1,418 £237 £1,655 £19,776 11.9 yrs £13,324

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: £1,058, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1976 kWh 1442 kWh 533 kWh £370 £53 £423 £9,319 22.0 yrs £-859
3 kW 2964 kWh 2164 kWh 800 kWh £555 £80 £635 £11,354 17.9 yrs £1,337
4 kW 3952 kWh 2885 kWh 1067 kWh £739 £107 £846 £13,388 15.8 yrs £3,533
5 kW 4940 kWh 3606 kWh 1334 kWh £924 £133 £1,058 £15,423 14.6 yrs £5,729
6 kW 5927 kWh 4327 kWh 1600 kWh £1,109 £160 £1,269 £17,457 13.8 yrs £7,924
7 kW 6915 kWh 5048 kWh 1867 kWh £1,294 £187 £1,481 £19,492 13.2 yrs £10,120
8 kW 7903 kWh 5769 kWh 2134 kWh £1,479 £213 £1,692 £21,526 12.7 yrs £12,316

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: £1,073, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1976 kWh 1482 kWh 494 kWh £380 £49 £429 £11,069 25.8 yrs £-2,485
3 kW 2964 kWh 2223 kWh 741 kWh £570 £74 £644 £13,104 20.4 yrs £-228
4 kW 3952 kWh 2964 kWh 988 kWh £760 £99 £858 £15,138 17.6 yrs £2,030
5 kW 4940 kWh 3705 kWh 1235 kWh £950 £123 £1,073 £17,173 16.0 yrs £4,287
6 kW 5927 kWh 4446 kWh 1482 kWh £1,139 £148 £1,288 £19,207 14.9 yrs £6,545
7 kW 6915 kWh 5187 kWh 1729 kWh £1,329 £173 £1,502 £21,242 14.1 yrs £8,802
8 kW 7903 kWh 5927 kWh 1976 kWh £1,519 £198 £1,717 £23,276 13.6 yrs £11,060

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: £1,088, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1976 kWh 1521 kWh 454 kWh £390 £45 £435 £13,519 31.1 yrs £-4,812
3 kW 2964 kWh 2282 kWh 682 kWh £585 £68 £653 £15,554 23.8 yrs £-2,492
4 kW 3952 kWh 3043 kWh 909 kWh £780 £91 £871 £17,588 20.2 yrs £-173
5 kW 4940 kWh 3803 kWh 1136 kWh £975 £114 £1,088 £19,623 18.0 yrs £2,146
6 kW 5927 kWh 4564 kWh 1363 kWh £1,170 £136 £1,306 £21,657 16.6 yrs £4,465
7 kW 6915 kWh 5325 kWh 1591 kWh £1,365 £159 £1,524 £23,692 15.5 yrs £6,785
8 kW 7903 kWh 6086 kWh 1818 kWh £1,560 £182 £1,741 £25,726 14.8 yrs £9,104

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 N1

Figures below are tailored to N1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2147 of 2182
3.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1427 of 2997
11.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,102 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #429 of 2997
15.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£168 fixed • ~£1,102 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.63p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.06p/day
Local Sunshine
988kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~988 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For eligible homes in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 10% • Flats: 78% • Bungalows: 0% Based on 30,966 properties

Coverage

Islington (73%)|Hackney (26%)|Camden (1%)

Areas Covered

St Mary's & St James', Hoxton West, Barnsbury, Canonbury, Hoxton East & Shoreditch, Caledonian, De Beauvoir, St Peter's & Canalside + 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 London

N1P (Islington)
≈0.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · +0% vs N1
EC1V (Islington)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · -0% vs N1
EC1R (Islington)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · -0% vs N1
N5 (Islington)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · +0% vs N1
N1C (Camden)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · -0% vs N1
EC1P (Islington)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~986 kWh/kWp · -0% vs N1

Similar sunshine across the UK

BS32 (South Gloucestershire)
~988 kWh/kWp · +0% vs N1
N10 (Haringey)
~988 kWh/kWp · +0% vs N1
N3 (Barnet)
~988 kWh/kWp · +0% vs N1