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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE41 (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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£884
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,882
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 6.0 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: £736, 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 1821 kWh 728 kWh 1093 kWh £185 £109 £295 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,821
3 kW 2732 kWh 1093 kWh 1639 kWh £278 £164 £442 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,732
4 kW 3642 kWh 1457 kWh 2185 kWh £370 £219 £589 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,643
5 kW 4553 kWh 1821 kWh 2732 kWh £463 £273 £736 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,553
6 kW 5463 kWh 2185 kWh 3278 kWh £556 £328 £884 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,464
7 kW 6374 kWh 2550 kWh 3824 kWh £648 £382 £1,031 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,375
8 kW 7285 kWh 2914 kWh 4371 kWh £741 £437 £1,178 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,285

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 1821 kWh 1093 kWh 728 kWh £278 £73 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £845
3 kW 2732 kWh 1639 kWh 1093 kWh £417 £109 £526 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,318
4 kW 3642 kWh 2185 kWh 1457 kWh £556 £146 £701 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,791
5 kW 4553 kWh 2732 kWh 1821 kWh £695 £182 £877 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,263
6 kW 5463 kWh 3278 kWh 2185 kWh £834 £219 £1,052 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,736
7 kW 6374 kWh 3824 kWh 2550 kWh £973 £255 £1,228 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,209
8 kW 7285 kWh 4371 kWh 2914 kWh £1,111 £291 £1,403 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,681

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: £947, 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 1821 kWh 1275 kWh 546 kWh £324 £55 £379 £7,569 20.0 yrs £7
3 kW 2732 kWh 1912 kWh 820 kWh £486 £82 £568 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,761
4 kW 3642 kWh 2550 kWh 1093 kWh £648 £109 £758 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,515
5 kW 4553 kWh 3187 kWh 1366 kWh £810 £137 £947 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,268
6 kW 5463 kWh 3824 kWh 1639 kWh £973 £164 £1,136 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,022
7 kW 6374 kWh 4462 kWh 1912 kWh £1,135 £191 £1,326 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,776
8 kW 7285 kWh 5099 kWh 2185 kWh £1,297 £219 £1,515 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,529

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: £968, 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 1821 kWh 1329 kWh 492 kWh £338 £49 £387 £9,319 24.1 yrs £-1,574
3 kW 2732 kWh 1994 kWh 738 kWh £507 £74 £581 £11,354 19.5 yrs £264
4 kW 3642 kWh 2659 kWh 983 kWh £676 £98 £774 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,102
5 kW 4553 kWh 3324 kWh 1229 kWh £845 £123 £968 £15,423 15.9 yrs £3,940
6 kW 5463 kWh 3988 kWh 1475 kWh £1,014 £148 £1,162 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,778
7 kW 6374 kWh 4653 kWh 1721 kWh £1,183 £172 £1,355 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,616
8 kW 7285 kWh 5318 kWh 1967 kWh £1,352 £197 £1,549 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,454

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: £982, 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 1821 kWh 1366 kWh 455 kWh £347 £46 £393 £11,069 28.2 yrs £-3,212
3 kW 2732 kWh 2049 kWh 683 kWh £521 £68 £589 £13,104 22.2 yrs £-1,317
4 kW 3642 kWh 2732 kWh 911 kWh £695 £91 £786 £15,138 19.3 yrs £577
5 kW 4553 kWh 3415 kWh 1138 kWh £868 £114 £982 £17,173 17.5 yrs £2,471
6 kW 5463 kWh 4098 kWh 1366 kWh £1,042 £137 £1,179 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,365
7 kW 6374 kWh 4781 kWh 1594 kWh £1,216 £159 £1,375 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,259
8 kW 7285 kWh 5463 kWh 1821 kWh £1,389 £182 £1,571 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,153

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: £996, 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 1821 kWh 1402 kWh 419 kWh £357 £42 £398 £13,519 33.9 yrs £-5,549
3 kW 2732 kWh 2103 kWh 628 kWh £535 £63 £598 £15,554 26.0 yrs £-3,599
4 kW 3642 kWh 2805 kWh 838 kWh £713 £84 £797 £17,588 22.1 yrs £-1,648
5 kW 4553 kWh 3506 kWh 1047 kWh £892 £105 £996 £19,623 19.7 yrs £302
6 kW 5463 kWh 4207 kWh 1257 kWh £1,070 £126 £1,195 £21,657 18.1 yrs £2,252
7 kW 6374 kWh 4908 kWh 1466 kWh £1,248 £147 £1,395 £23,692 17.0 yrs £4,203
8 kW 7285 kWh 5609 kWh 1675 kWh £1,426 £168 £1,594 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,153

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 NE41

Figures below are tailored to NE41 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #93 of 2182
6.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2421 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,010 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1729 of 2997
21.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£1,010 /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
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 74% • Flats: 12% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 457 properties

Coverage

Northumberland (90%)|Gateshead (10%)

Areas Covered

Prudhoe North & Wylam, Crawcrook and Greenside

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

NE42 (Northumberland)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE41
NE40 (Gateshead)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE41
NE43 (Northumberland)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~909 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE41
NE17 (Gateshead)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE41
NE21 (Gateshead)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~925 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NE41
NE15 (Newcastle upon Tyne)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~920 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE41

Similar sunshine across the UK

DD1 (Dundee City)
~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE41
BD10 (Bradford)
~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE41
WA10 (St. Helens)
~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE41