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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE19 (Northumberland)

See if solar pays off for you in Northumberland — 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
14.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£845
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,921
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 871 kWh/kW — 55 below the regional median (926).

Read the full story

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 871 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)
871 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: £704, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1742 kWh 697 kWh 1045 kWh £177 £105 £282 £4,069 14.4 yrs £1,565
3 kW 2613 kWh 1045 kWh 1568 kWh £266 £157 £423 £6,104 14.4 yrs £2,348
4 kW 3484 kWh 1394 kWh 2090 kWh £354 £209 £563 £8,138 14.4 yrs £3,130
5 kW 4355 kWh 1742 kWh 2613 kWh £443 £261 £704 £10,173 14.4 yrs £3,913
6 kW 5226 kWh 2090 kWh 3136 kWh £532 £314 £845 £12,207 14.4 yrs £4,696
7 kW 6097 kWh 2439 kWh 3658 kWh £620 £366 £986 £14,242 14.4 yrs £5,478
8 kW 6968 kWh 2787 kWh 4181 kWh £709 £418 £1,127 £16,276 14.4 yrs £6,261

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: £839, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1742 kWh 1045 kWh 697 kWh £266 £70 £335 £6,169 18.4 yrs £540
3 kW 2613 kWh 1568 kWh 1045 kWh £399 £105 £503 £8,204 16.3 yrs £1,860
4 kW 3484 kWh 2090 kWh 1394 kWh £532 £139 £671 £10,238 15.3 yrs £3,181
5 kW 4355 kWh 2613 kWh 1742 kWh £664 £174 £839 £12,273 14.6 yrs £4,501
6 kW 5226 kWh 3136 kWh 2090 kWh £797 £209 £1,006 £14,307 14.2 yrs £5,821
7 kW 6097 kWh 3658 kWh 2439 kWh £930 £244 £1,174 £16,342 13.9 yrs £7,141
8 kW 6968 kWh 4181 kWh 2787 kWh £1,063 £279 £1,342 £18,376 13.7 yrs £8,461

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: £906, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1742 kWh 1219 kWh 523 kWh £310 £52 £362 £7,569 20.9 yrs £-322
3 kW 2613 kWh 1829 kWh 784 kWh £465 £78 £544 £9,604 17.7 yrs £1,267
4 kW 3484 kWh 2439 kWh 1045 kWh £620 £105 £725 £11,638 16.1 yrs £2,856
5 kW 4355 kWh 3048 kWh 1306 kWh £775 £131 £906 £13,673 15.1 yrs £4,445
6 kW 5226 kWh 3658 kWh 1568 kWh £930 £157 £1,087 £15,707 14.4 yrs £6,034
7 kW 6097 kWh 4268 kWh 1829 kWh £1,085 £183 £1,268 £17,742 14.0 yrs £7,623
8 kW 6968 kWh 4877 kWh 2090 kWh £1,240 £209 £1,449 £19,776 13.6 yrs £9,212

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: £926, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1742 kWh 1272 kWh 470 kWh £323 £47 £370 £9,319 25.2 yrs £-1,911
3 kW 2613 kWh 1907 kWh 705 kWh £485 £71 £556 £11,354 20.4 yrs £-241
4 kW 3484 kWh 2543 kWh 941 kWh £647 £94 £741 £13,388 18.1 yrs £1,428
5 kW 4355 kWh 3179 kWh 1176 kWh £808 £118 £926 £15,423 16.7 yrs £3,098
6 kW 5226 kWh 3815 kWh 1411 kWh £970 £141 £1,111 £17,457 15.7 yrs £4,767
7 kW 6097 kWh 4451 kWh 1646 kWh £1,132 £165 £1,296 £19,492 15.0 yrs £6,437
8 kW 6968 kWh 5087 kWh 1881 kWh £1,294 £188 £1,482 £21,526 14.5 yrs £8,107

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: £939, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1742 kWh 1306 kWh 435 kWh £332 £44 £376 £11,069 29.5 yrs £-3,553
3 kW 2613 kWh 1960 kWh 653 kWh £498 £65 £564 £13,104 23.2 yrs £-1,830
4 kW 3484 kWh 2613 kWh 871 kWh £664 £87 £752 £15,138 20.1 yrs £-107
5 kW 4355 kWh 3266 kWh 1089 kWh £831 £109 £939 £17,173 18.3 yrs £1,617
6 kW 5226 kWh 3919 kWh 1306 kWh £997 £131 £1,127 £19,207 17.0 yrs £3,340
7 kW 6097 kWh 4573 kWh 1524 kWh £1,163 £152 £1,315 £21,242 16.2 yrs £5,063
8 kW 6968 kWh 5226 kWh 1742 kWh £1,329 £174 £1,503 £23,276 15.5 yrs £6,787

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: £953, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1742 kWh 1341 kWh 401 kWh £341 £40 £381 £13,519 35.5 yrs £-5,896
3 kW 2613 kWh 2012 kWh 601 kWh £512 £60 £572 £15,554 27.2 yrs £-4,119
4 kW 3484 kWh 2683 kWh 801 kWh £682 £80 £762 £17,588 23.1 yrs £-2,342
5 kW 4355 kWh 3353 kWh 1002 kWh £853 £100 £953 £19,623 20.6 yrs £-565
6 kW 5226 kWh 4024 kWh 1202 kWh £1,023 £120 £1,143 £21,657 18.9 yrs £1,213
7 kW 6097 kWh 4695 kWh 1402 kWh £1,194 £140 £1,334 £23,692 17.8 yrs £2,990
8 kW 6968 kWh 5365 kWh 1603 kWh £1,364 £160 £1,525 £25,726 16.9 yrs £4,767

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 NE19

Figures below are tailored to NE19 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #52 of 2182
7.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~15 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2685 of 2997
12.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£966 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2027 of 2997
22.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£966 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
871kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~871 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 60% • Flats: 2% • Bungalows: 38% Based on 847 properties

Coverage

Northumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

Bellingham, Rothbury, Ponteland West, Ponteland North, Humshaugh, Corbridge

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

NE48 (Northumberland)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~840 kWh/kWp · -4% vs NE19
NE18 (Northumberland)
≈20.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~919 kWh/kWp · +5% vs NE19
NE45 (Northumberland)
≈23.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +5% vs NE19
NE46 (Northumberland)
≈23.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NE19
NE61 (Northumberland)
≈24.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · +8% vs NE19
NE20 (Northumberland)
≈24.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +7% vs NE19

Similar sunshine across the UK

BT37 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
~871 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE19
BL2 (Bolton)
~871 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE19
LL34 (Conwy)
~871 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE19