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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE17 (Gateshead)

See if solar pays off for you in Gateshead — 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£589
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,597
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 Northern, the current unit rate is 25.43p/kWh with a 59.86p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 911 kWh/kW — 15 below the regional median (926).

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 911 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.4p/kWh
Standing charge
59.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
911 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: £737, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1822 kWh 729 kWh 1093 kWh £185 £109 £295 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,825
3 kW 2733 kWh 1093 kWh 1640 kWh £278 £164 £442 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,737
4 kW 3644 kWh 1458 kWh 2187 kWh £371 £219 £589 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,650
5 kW 4556 kWh 1822 kWh 2733 kWh £463 £273 £737 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,562
6 kW 5467 kWh 2187 kWh 3280 kWh £556 £328 £884 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,474
7 kW 6378 kWh 2551 kWh 3827 kWh £649 £383 £1,031 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,387
8 kW 7289 kWh 2916 kWh 4373 kWh £741 £437 £1,179 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,299

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: £877, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1822 kWh 1093 kWh 729 kWh £278 £73 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £850
3 kW 2733 kWh 1640 kWh 1093 kWh £417 £109 £526 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,324
4 kW 3644 kWh 2187 kWh 1458 kWh £556 £146 £702 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,799
5 kW 4556 kWh 2733 kWh 1822 kWh £695 £182 £877 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,274
6 kW 5467 kWh 3280 kWh 2187 kWh £834 £219 £1,053 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,749
7 kW 6378 kWh 3827 kWh 2551 kWh £973 £255 £1,228 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,223
8 kW 7289 kWh 4373 kWh 2916 kWh £1,112 £292 £1,404 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,698

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: £948, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1822 kWh 1276 kWh 547 kWh £324 £55 £379 £7,569 20.0 yrs £12
3 kW 2733 kWh 1913 kWh 820 kWh £487 £82 £569 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,768
4 kW 3644 kWh 2551 kWh 1093 kWh £649 £109 £758 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,524
5 kW 4556 kWh 3189 kWh 1367 kWh £811 £137 £948 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,280
6 kW 5467 kWh 3827 kWh 1640 kWh £973 £164 £1,137 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,036
7 kW 6378 kWh 4464 kWh 1913 kWh £1,135 £191 £1,327 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,792
8 kW 7289 kWh 5102 kWh 2187 kWh £1,298 £219 £1,516 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,547

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: £969, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1822 kWh 1330 kWh 492 kWh £338 £49 £387 £9,319 24.1 yrs £-1,569
3 kW 2733 kWh 1995 kWh 738 kWh £507 £74 £581 £11,354 19.5 yrs £271
4 kW 3644 kWh 2660 kWh 984 kWh £677 £98 £775 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,111
5 kW 4556 kWh 3326 kWh 1230 kWh £846 £123 £969 £15,423 15.9 yrs £3,951
6 kW 5467 kWh 3991 kWh 1476 kWh £1,015 £148 £1,162 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,792
7 kW 6378 kWh 4656 kWh 1722 kWh £1,184 £172 £1,356 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,632
8 kW 7289 kWh 5321 kWh 1968 kWh £1,353 £197 £1,550 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,472

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: £983, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1822 kWh 1367 kWh 456 kWh £348 £46 £393 £11,069 28.2 yrs £-3,207
3 kW 2733 kWh 2050 kWh 683 kWh £521 £68 £590 £13,104 22.2 yrs £-1,310
4 kW 3644 kWh 2733 kWh 911 kWh £695 £91 £786 £15,138 19.3 yrs £586
5 kW 4556 kWh 3417 kWh 1139 kWh £869 £114 £983 £17,173 17.5 yrs £2,483
6 kW 5467 kWh 4100 kWh 1367 kWh £1,043 £137 £1,179 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,379
7 kW 6378 kWh 4783 kWh 1594 kWh £1,216 £159 £1,376 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,276
8 kW 7289 kWh 5467 kWh 1822 kWh £1,390 £182 £1,572 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,172

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: £997, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1822 kWh 1403 kWh 419 kWh £357 £42 £399 £13,519 33.9 yrs £-5,544
3 kW 2733 kWh 2105 kWh 629 kWh £535 £63 £598 £15,554 26.0 yrs £-3,592
4 kW 3644 kWh 2806 kWh 838 kWh £714 £84 £797 £17,588 22.1 yrs £-1,639
5 kW 4556 kWh 3508 kWh 1048 kWh £892 £105 £997 £19,623 19.7 yrs £314
6 kW 5467 kWh 4209 kWh 1257 kWh £1,070 £126 £1,196 £21,657 18.1 yrs £2,267
7 kW 6378 kWh 4911 kWh 1467 kWh £1,249 £147 £1,396 £23,692 17.0 yrs £4,219
8 kW 7289 kWh 5612 kWh 1676 kWh £1,427 £168 £1,595 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,172

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 NE17

Figures below are tailored to NE17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1646 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2417 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£674 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2750 of 2997
32.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£674 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
911kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~911 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: 81% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 1,401 properties

Coverage

Gateshead (65%)|County Durham (26%)|Northumberland (9%)

Areas Covered

Chopwell and Rowlands Gill, Derwent & Pont Valley, Prudhoe North & Wylam, South Tynedale, Winlaton and High Spen

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 Northern

NE39 (Gateshead)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~925 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NE17
NE42 (Northumberland)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE17
NE40 (Gateshead)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE17
NE43 (Northumberland)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~909 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE17
DH8 (County Durham)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE17
NE41 (Northumberland)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE17

Similar sunshine across the UK

ST2 (Stoke-on-Trent)
~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE17
WA55 (Warrington)
~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE17
WA9 (St. Helens)
~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE17