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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE47 (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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£875
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,677
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 902 kWh/kW — 24 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 902 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)
902 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: £729, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 722 kWh 1083 kWh £184 £108 £292 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,767
3 kW 2706 kWh 1083 kWh 1624 kWh £275 £162 £438 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,650
4 kW 3609 kWh 1443 kWh 2165 kWh £367 £217 £584 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,533
5 kW 4511 kWh 1804 kWh 2706 kWh £459 £271 £729 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,417
6 kW 5413 kWh 2165 kWh 3248 kWh £551 £325 £875 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,300
7 kW 6315 kWh 2526 kWh 3789 kWh £642 £379 £1,021 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,184
8 kW 7217 kWh 2887 kWh 4330 kWh £734 £433 £1,167 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,067

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: £869, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1083 kWh 722 kWh £275 £72 £347 £6,169 17.8 yrs £780
3 kW 2706 kWh 1624 kWh 1083 kWh £413 £108 £521 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,221
4 kW 3609 kWh 2165 kWh 1443 kWh £551 £144 £695 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,661
5 kW 4511 kWh 2706 kWh 1804 kWh £688 £180 £869 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,101
6 kW 5413 kWh 3248 kWh 2165 kWh £826 £217 £1,042 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,541
7 kW 6315 kWh 3789 kWh 2526 kWh £964 £253 £1,216 £16,342 13.4 yrs £7,981
8 kW 7217 kWh 4330 kWh 2887 kWh £1,101 £289 £1,390 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,421

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: £938, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1804 kWh 1263 kWh 541 kWh £321 £54 £375 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-63
3 kW 2706 kWh 1894 kWh 812 kWh £482 £81 £563 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,656
4 kW 3609 kWh 2526 kWh 1083 kWh £642 £108 £751 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,374
5 kW 4511 kWh 3157 kWh 1353 kWh £803 £135 £938 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,093
6 kW 5413 kWh 3789 kWh 1624 kWh £964 £162 £1,126 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,811
7 kW 6315 kWh 4420 kWh 1894 kWh £1,124 £189 £1,314 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,530
8 kW 7217 kWh 5052 kWh 2165 kWh £1,285 £217 £1,501 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,249

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: £959, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1317 kWh 487 kWh £335 £49 £384 £9,319 24.3 yrs £-1,646
3 kW 2706 kWh 1976 kWh 731 kWh £502 £73 £575 £11,354 19.7 yrs £156
4 kW 3609 kWh 2634 kWh 974 kWh £670 £97 £767 £13,388 17.4 yrs £1,958
5 kW 4511 kWh 3293 kWh 1218 kWh £837 £122 £959 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,760
6 kW 5413 kWh 3951 kWh 1461 kWh £1,005 £146 £1,151 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,563
7 kW 6315 kWh 4610 kWh 1705 kWh £1,172 £171 £1,343 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,365
8 kW 7217 kWh 5268 kWh 1949 kWh £1,340 £195 £1,535 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,167

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: £973, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1353 kWh 451 kWh £344 £45 £389 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,284
3 kW 2706 kWh 2030 kWh 677 kWh £516 £68 £584 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,427
4 kW 3609 kWh 2706 kWh 902 kWh £688 £90 £778 £15,138 19.4 yrs £431
5 kW 4511 kWh 3383 kWh 1128 kWh £860 £113 £973 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,289
6 kW 5413 kWh 4060 kWh 1353 kWh £1,032 £135 £1,168 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,147
7 kW 6315 kWh 4736 kWh 1579 kWh £1,204 £158 £1,362 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,004
8 kW 7217 kWh 5413 kWh 1804 kWh £1,376 £180 £1,557 £23,276 15.0 yrs £7,862

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: £987, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1389 kWh 415 kWh £353 £41 £395 £13,519 34.2 yrs £-5,623
3 kW 2706 kWh 2084 kWh 622 kWh £530 £62 £592 £15,554 26.3 yrs £-3,710
4 kW 3609 kWh 2779 kWh 830 kWh £707 £83 £790 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,796
5 kW 4511 kWh 3473 kWh 1037 kWh £883 £104 £987 £19,623 19.9 yrs £117
6 kW 5413 kWh 4168 kWh 1245 kWh £1,060 £124 £1,184 £21,657 18.3 yrs £2,031
7 kW 6315 kWh 4863 kWh 1452 kWh £1,237 £145 £1,382 £23,692 17.1 yrs £3,944
8 kW 7217 kWh 5557 kWh 1660 kWh £1,413 £166 £1,579 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,858

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 NE47

Figures below are tailored to NE47 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #135 of 2182
6.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2518 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,001 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1801 of 2997
21.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£1,001 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
902kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~902 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: 4% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 2,665 properties

Coverage

Northumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

South Tynedale, Haydon & Hadrian, Humshaugh, Haltwhistle, Hexham 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

NE46 (Northumberland)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NE47
NE49 (Northumberland)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~858 kWh/kWp · -5% vs NE47
NE45 (Northumberland)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE47
NE44 (Northumberland)
≈17.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE47
NE43 (Northumberland)
≈22.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~909 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE47
NE48 (Northumberland)
≈24.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~840 kWh/kWp · -7% vs NE47

Similar sunshine across the UK

WA13 (Warrington)
~902 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE47
LD1 (Powys)
~902 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE47
HX1 (Calderdale)
~902 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE47