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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE38 (Sunderland)

See if solar pays off for you in Sunderland — 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
13.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£751
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,605
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 929 kWh/kW — 3 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 929 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)
929 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: £751, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1858 kWh 743 kWh 1115 kWh £189 £111 £300 £4,069 13.5 yrs £1,940
3 kW 2787 kWh 1115 kWh 1672 kWh £283 £167 £451 £6,104 13.5 yrs £2,910
4 kW 3716 kWh 1486 kWh 2229 kWh £378 £223 £601 £8,138 13.5 yrs £3,880
5 kW 4645 kWh 1858 kWh 2787 kWh £472 £279 £751 £10,173 13.5 yrs £4,850
6 kW 5573 kWh 2229 kWh 3344 kWh £567 £334 £901 £12,207 13.5 yrs £5,820
7 kW 6502 kWh 2601 kWh 3901 kWh £661 £390 £1,052 £14,242 13.5 yrs £6,790
8 kW 7431 kWh 2973 kWh 4459 kWh £756 £446 £1,202 £16,276 13.5 yrs £7,760

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: £894, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1858 kWh 1115 kWh 743 kWh £283 £74 £358 £6,169 17.2 yrs £987
3 kW 2787 kWh 1672 kWh 1115 kWh £425 £111 £537 £8,204 15.3 yrs £2,530
4 kW 3716 kWh 2229 kWh 1486 kWh £567 £149 £716 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,073
5 kW 4645 kWh 2787 kWh 1858 kWh £709 £186 £894 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,616
6 kW 5573 kWh 3344 kWh 2229 kWh £850 £223 £1,073 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,160
7 kW 6502 kWh 3901 kWh 2601 kWh £992 £260 £1,252 £16,342 13.1 yrs £8,703
8 kW 7431 kWh 4459 kWh 2973 kWh £1,134 £297 £1,431 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,246

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: £966, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1858 kWh 1300 kWh 557 kWh £331 £56 £386 £7,569 19.6 yrs £160
3 kW 2787 kWh 1951 kWh 836 kWh £496 £84 £580 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,990
4 kW 3716 kWh 2601 kWh 1115 kWh £661 £111 £773 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,820
5 kW 4645 kWh 3251 kWh 1393 kWh £827 £139 £966 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,650
6 kW 5573 kWh 3901 kWh 1672 kWh £992 £167 £1,159 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,480
7 kW 6502 kWh 4552 kWh 1951 kWh £1,157 £195 £1,353 £17,742 13.1 yrs £9,310
8 kW 7431 kWh 5202 kWh 2229 kWh £1,323 £223 £1,546 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,140

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: £988, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1858 kWh 1356 kWh 502 kWh £345 £50 £395 £9,319 23.6 yrs £-1,418
3 kW 2787 kWh 2034 kWh 752 kWh £517 £75 £593 £11,354 19.2 yrs £498
4 kW 3716 kWh 2712 kWh 1003 kWh £690 £100 £790 £13,388 16.9 yrs £2,414
5 kW 4645 kWh 3391 kWh 1254 kWh £862 £125 £988 £15,423 15.6 yrs £4,330
6 kW 5573 kWh 4069 kWh 1505 kWh £1,035 £150 £1,185 £17,457 14.7 yrs £6,246
7 kW 6502 kWh 4747 kWh 1756 kWh £1,207 £176 £1,383 £19,492 14.1 yrs £8,162
8 kW 7431 kWh 5425 kWh 2006 kWh £1,380 £201 £1,580 £21,526 13.6 yrs £10,078

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: £1,002, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1858 kWh 1393 kWh 464 kWh £354 £46 £401 £11,069 27.6 yrs £-3,053
3 kW 2787 kWh 2090 kWh 697 kWh £531 £70 £601 £13,104 21.8 yrs £-1,080
4 kW 3716 kWh 2787 kWh 929 kWh £709 £93 £802 £15,138 18.9 yrs £893
5 kW 4645 kWh 3483 kWh 1161 kWh £886 £116 £1,002 £17,173 17.1 yrs £2,866
6 kW 5573 kWh 4180 kWh 1393 kWh £1,063 £139 £1,202 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,840
7 kW 6502 kWh 4877 kWh 1626 kWh £1,240 £163 £1,403 £21,242 15.1 yrs £6,813
8 kW 7431 kWh 5573 kWh 1858 kWh £1,417 £186 £1,603 £23,276 14.5 yrs £8,786

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: £1,016, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1858 kWh 1431 kWh 427 kWh £364 £43 £407 £13,519 33.3 yrs £-5,389
3 kW 2787 kWh 2146 kWh 641 kWh £546 £64 £610 £15,554 25.5 yrs £-3,358
4 kW 3716 kWh 2861 kWh 855 kWh £728 £85 £813 £17,588 21.6 yrs £-1,328
5 kW 4645 kWh 3576 kWh 1068 kWh £909 £107 £1,016 £19,623 19.3 yrs £703
6 kW 5573 kWh 4292 kWh 1282 kWh £1,091 £128 £1,220 £21,657 17.8 yrs £2,734
7 kW 6502 kWh 5007 kWh 1496 kWh £1,273 £150 £1,423 £23,692 16.7 yrs £4,764
8 kW 7431 kWh 5722 kWh 1709 kWh £1,455 £171 £1,626 £25,726 15.8 yrs £6,795

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 NE38

Figures below are tailored to NE38 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1055 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2130 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£859 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2287 of 2997
25.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£859 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
929kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~929 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: 65% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 10,439 properties

Coverage

Sunderland (99%)|County Durham (1%)

Areas Covered

Washington Central, Washington East, Washington South, Washington West, North Lodge, Birtley

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

NE89 (Sunderland)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE38
NE37 (Sunderland)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE38
DH3 (County Durham)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE38
DH4 (Sunderland)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NE38
NE9 (Gateshead)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE38
NE10 (Gateshead)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~925 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE38

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS15 (Leeds)
~929 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE38
S96 (Sheffield)
~929 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE38
DD6 (Fife)
~929 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE38