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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE48 (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
15.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£815
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,173
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 840 kWh/kW — 86 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 840 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)
840 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: £679, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1680 kWh 672 kWh 1008 kWh £171 £101 £272 £4,069 15.0 yrs £1,366
3 kW 2520 kWh 1008 kWh 1512 kWh £256 £151 £408 £6,104 15.0 yrs £2,048
4 kW 3360 kWh 1344 kWh 2016 kWh £342 £202 £543 £8,138 15.0 yrs £2,731
5 kW 4201 kWh 1680 kWh 2520 kWh £427 £252 £679 £10,173 15.0 yrs £3,414
6 kW 5041 kWh 2016 kWh 3024 kWh £513 £302 £815 £12,207 15.0 yrs £4,097
7 kW 5881 kWh 2352 kWh 3529 kWh £598 £353 £951 £14,242 15.0 yrs £4,779
8 kW 6721 kWh 2688 kWh 4033 kWh £684 £403 £1,087 £16,276 15.0 yrs £5,462

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: £809, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1680 kWh 1008 kWh 672 kWh £256 £67 £324 £6,169 19.1 yrs £303
3 kW 2520 kWh 1512 kWh 1008 kWh £385 £101 £485 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,504
4 kW 3360 kWh 2016 kWh 1344 kWh £513 £134 £647 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,705
5 kW 4201 kWh 2520 kWh 1680 kWh £641 £168 £809 £12,273 15.2 yrs £3,906
6 kW 5041 kWh 3024 kWh 2016 kWh £769 £202 £971 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,108
7 kW 5881 kWh 3529 kWh 2352 kWh £897 £235 £1,133 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,309
8 kW 6721 kWh 4033 kWh 2688 kWh £1,025 £269 £1,294 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,510

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: £874, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1680 kWh 1176 kWh 504 kWh £299 £50 £350 £7,569 21.7 yrs £-579
3 kW 2520 kWh 1764 kWh 756 kWh £449 £76 £524 £9,604 18.3 yrs £882
4 kW 3360 kWh 2352 kWh 1008 kWh £598 £101 £699 £11,638 16.6 yrs £2,342
5 kW 4201 kWh 2940 kWh 1260 kWh £748 £126 £874 £13,673 15.6 yrs £3,803
6 kW 5041 kWh 3529 kWh 1512 kWh £897 £151 £1,049 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,263
7 kW 5881 kWh 4117 kWh 1764 kWh £1,047 £176 £1,223 £17,742 14.5 yrs £6,724
8 kW 6721 kWh 4705 kWh 2016 kWh £1,196 £202 £1,398 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,184

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: £893, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1680 kWh 1227 kWh 454 kWh £312 £45 £357 £9,319 26.1 yrs £-2,173
3 kW 2520 kWh 1840 kWh 680 kWh £468 £68 £536 £11,354 21.2 yrs £-635
4 kW 3360 kWh 2453 kWh 907 kWh £624 £91 £715 £13,388 18.7 yrs £903
5 kW 4201 kWh 3066 kWh 1134 kWh £780 £113 £893 £15,423 17.3 yrs £2,442
6 kW 5041 kWh 3680 kWh 1361 kWh £936 £136 £1,072 £17,457 16.3 yrs £3,980
7 kW 5881 kWh 4293 kWh 1588 kWh £1,092 £159 £1,250 £19,492 15.6 yrs £5,518
8 kW 6721 kWh 4906 kWh 1815 kWh £1,248 £181 £1,429 £21,526 15.1 yrs £7,057

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: £906, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1680 kWh 1260 kWh 420 kWh £320 £42 £362 £11,069 30.5 yrs £-3,820
3 kW 2520 kWh 1890 kWh 630 kWh £481 £63 £544 £13,104 24.1 yrs £-2,229
4 kW 3360 kWh 2520 kWh 840 kWh £641 £84 £725 £15,138 20.9 yrs £-639
5 kW 4201 kWh 3150 kWh 1050 kWh £801 £105 £906 £17,173 19.0 yrs £951
6 kW 5041 kWh 3781 kWh 1260 kWh £961 £126 £1,087 £19,207 17.7 yrs £2,541
7 kW 5881 kWh 4411 kWh 1470 kWh £1,122 £147 £1,269 £21,242 16.7 yrs £4,131
8 kW 6721 kWh 5041 kWh 1680 kWh £1,282 £168 £1,450 £23,276 16.1 yrs £5,722

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: £919, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1680 kWh 1294 kWh 386 kWh £329 £39 £368 £13,519 36.8 yrs £-6,166
3 kW 2520 kWh 1941 kWh 580 kWh £494 £58 £551 £15,554 28.2 yrs £-4,524
4 kW 3360 kWh 2588 kWh 773 kWh £658 £77 £735 £17,588 23.9 yrs £-2,882
5 kW 4201 kWh 3234 kWh 966 kWh £823 £97 £919 £19,623 21.3 yrs £-1,240
6 kW 5041 kWh 3881 kWh 1159 kWh £987 £116 £1,103 £21,657 19.6 yrs £402
7 kW 5881 kWh 4528 kWh 1353 kWh £1,152 £135 £1,287 £23,692 18.4 yrs £2,044
8 kW 6721 kWh 5175 kWh 1546 kWh £1,316 £155 £1,471 £25,726 17.5 yrs £3,686

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 NE48

Figures below are tailored to NE48 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #108 of 2182
6.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2856 of 2997
13.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£932 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2105 of 2997
23.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£932 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
840kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~840 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: 68% • Flats: 4% • Bungalows: 28% Based on 1,482 properties

Coverage

Northumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

Bellingham, Humshaugh, Hexham North, Rothbury

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

NE19 (Northumberland)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · +4% vs NE48
NE46 (Northumberland)
≈21.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +6% vs NE48
NE49 (Northumberland)
≈23.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~858 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NE48
NE45 (Northumberland)
≈23.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +9% vs NE48
NE47 (Northumberland)
≈24.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · +7% vs NE48
NE18 (Northumberland)
≈26.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~919 kWh/kWp · +9% vs NE48

Similar sunshine across the UK

G75 (South Lanarkshire)
~840 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE48
FK6 (Falkirk)
~840 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE48
DG13 (Dumfries and Galloway)
~841 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE48