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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE36 (South Tyneside)

See if solar pays off for you in South Tyneside — 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
13.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£774
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,174
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 957 kWh/kW — 31 above the regional median (926).

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 957 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)
957 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: £774, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1914 kWh 766 kWh 1148 kWh £195 £115 £310 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,122
3 kW 2871 kWh 1148 kWh 1723 kWh £292 £172 £464 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,183
4 kW 3828 kWh 1531 kWh 2297 kWh £389 £230 £619 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,244
5 kW 4785 kWh 1914 kWh 2871 kWh £487 £287 £774 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,305
6 kW 5742 kWh 2297 kWh 3445 kWh £584 £345 £929 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,365
7 kW 6699 kWh 2680 kWh 4020 kWh £681 £402 £1,083 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,426
8 kW 7656 kWh 3062 kWh 4594 kWh £779 £459 £1,238 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,487

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: £922, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1914 kWh 1148 kWh 766 kWh £292 £77 £369 £6,169 16.7 yrs £1,203
3 kW 2871 kWh 1723 kWh 1148 kWh £438 £115 £553 £8,204 14.8 yrs £2,855
4 kW 3828 kWh 2297 kWh 1531 kWh £584 £153 £737 £10,238 13.9 yrs £4,506
5 kW 4785 kWh 2871 kWh 1914 kWh £730 £191 £922 £12,273 13.3 yrs £6,158
6 kW 5742 kWh 3445 kWh 2297 kWh £876 £230 £1,106 £14,307 12.9 yrs £7,810
7 kW 6699 kWh 4020 kWh 2680 kWh £1,022 £268 £1,290 £16,342 12.7 yrs £9,461
8 kW 7656 kWh 4594 kWh 3062 kWh £1,168 £306 £1,474 £18,376 12.5 yrs £11,113

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: £995, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1914 kWh 1340 kWh 574 kWh £341 £57 £398 £7,569 19.0 yrs £394
3 kW 2871 kWh 2010 kWh 861 kWh £511 £86 £597 £9,604 16.1 yrs £2,341
4 kW 3828 kWh 2680 kWh 1148 kWh £681 £115 £796 £11,638 14.6 yrs £4,288
5 kW 4785 kWh 3350 kWh 1436 kWh £852 £144 £995 £13,673 13.7 yrs £6,235
6 kW 5742 kWh 4020 kWh 1723 kWh £1,022 £172 £1,194 £15,707 13.2 yrs £8,182
7 kW 6699 kWh 4689 kWh 2010 kWh £1,193 £201 £1,394 £17,742 12.7 yrs £10,128
8 kW 7656 kWh 5359 kWh 2297 kWh £1,363 £230 £1,593 £19,776 12.4 yrs £12,075

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: £1,018, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1914 kWh 1397 kWh 517 kWh £355 £52 £407 £9,319 22.9 yrs £-1,179
3 kW 2871 kWh 2096 kWh 775 kWh £533 £78 £611 £11,354 18.6 yrs £857
4 kW 3828 kWh 2795 kWh 1034 kWh £711 £103 £814 £13,388 16.4 yrs £2,892
5 kW 4785 kWh 3493 kWh 1292 kWh £888 £129 £1,018 £15,423 15.2 yrs £4,928
6 kW 5742 kWh 4192 kWh 1550 kWh £1,066 £155 £1,221 £17,457 14.3 yrs £6,963
7 kW 6699 kWh 4890 kWh 1809 kWh £1,244 £181 £1,425 £19,492 13.7 yrs £8,999
8 kW 7656 kWh 5589 kWh 2067 kWh £1,421 £207 £1,628 £21,526 13.2 yrs £11,034

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: £1,032, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1914 kWh 1436 kWh 479 kWh £365 £48 £413 £11,069 26.8 yrs £-2,811
3 kW 2871 kWh 2153 kWh 718 kWh £548 £72 £619 £13,104 21.2 yrs £-716
4 kW 3828 kWh 2871 kWh 957 kWh £730 £96 £826 £15,138 18.3 yrs £1,378
5 kW 4785 kWh 3589 kWh 1196 kWh £913 £120 £1,032 £17,173 16.6 yrs £3,473
6 kW 5742 kWh 4307 kWh 1436 kWh £1,095 £144 £1,239 £19,207 15.5 yrs £5,568
7 kW 6699 kWh 5024 kWh 1675 kWh £1,278 £167 £1,445 £21,242 14.7 yrs £7,662
8 kW 7656 kWh 5742 kWh 1914 kWh £1,460 £191 £1,652 £23,276 14.1 yrs £9,757

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: £1,047, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1914 kWh 1474 kWh 440 kWh £375 £44 £419 £13,519 32.3 yrs £-5,143
3 kW 2871 kWh 2211 kWh 660 kWh £562 £66 £628 £15,554 24.8 yrs £-2,989
4 kW 3828 kWh 2948 kWh 880 kWh £750 £88 £838 £17,588 21.0 yrs £-835
5 kW 4785 kWh 3685 kWh 1101 kWh £937 £110 £1,047 £19,623 18.7 yrs £1,318
6 kW 5742 kWh 4421 kWh 1321 kWh £1,124 £132 £1,256 £21,657 17.2 yrs £3,472
7 kW 6699 kWh 5158 kWh 1541 kWh £1,312 £154 £1,466 £23,692 16.2 yrs £5,626
8 kW 7656 kWh 5895 kWh 1761 kWh £1,499 £176 £1,675 £25,726 15.4 yrs £7,779

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 NE36

Figures below are tailored to NE36 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #644 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1788 of 2997
11.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£885 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2189 of 2997
24.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£885 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
957kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~957 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: 68% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 1,485 properties

Coverage

South Tyneside (100%)

Areas Covered

Cleadon and East Boldon, Boldon Colliery, Primrose, Fellgate and Hedworth, Washington North

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

NE35 (South Tyneside)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NE36
SR5 (Sunderland)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -4% vs NE36
SR9 (Sunderland)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -6% vs NE36
NE34 (South Tyneside)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · -3% vs NE36
SR43 (Sunderland)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · -2% vs NE36
NE32 (South Tyneside)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~952 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NE36

Similar sunshine across the UK

DY13 (Wyre Forest)
~957 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE36
DE73 (Derby)
~957 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE36
B92 (Solihull)
~957 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE36