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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NE49 (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
14.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£694
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,177
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 858 kWh/kW — 68 below 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 858 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)
858 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: £694, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1716 kWh 687 kWh 1030 kWh £175 £103 £278 £4,069 14.7 yrs £1,483
3 kW 2575 kWh 1030 kWh 1545 kWh £262 £154 £416 £6,104 14.7 yrs £2,224
4 kW 3433 kWh 1373 kWh 2060 kWh £349 £206 £555 £8,138 14.7 yrs £2,965
5 kW 4291 kWh 1716 kWh 2575 kWh £436 £257 £694 £10,173 14.7 yrs £3,707
6 kW 5149 kWh 2060 kWh 3090 kWh £524 £309 £833 £12,207 14.7 yrs £4,448
7 kW 6008 kWh 2403 kWh 3605 kWh £611 £360 £972 £14,242 14.7 yrs £5,189
8 kW 6866 kWh 2746 kWh 4120 kWh £698 £412 £1,110 £16,276 14.7 yrs £5,931

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: £826, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1716 kWh 1030 kWh 687 kWh £262 £69 £331 £6,169 18.7 yrs £442
3 kW 2575 kWh 1545 kWh 1030 kWh £393 £103 £496 £8,204 16.5 yrs £1,713
4 kW 3433 kWh 2060 kWh 1373 kWh £524 £137 £661 £10,238 15.5 yrs £2,984
5 kW 4291 kWh 2575 kWh 1716 kWh £655 £172 £826 £12,273 14.9 yrs £4,255
6 kW 5149 kWh 3090 kWh 2060 kWh £786 £206 £992 £14,307 14.4 yrs £5,526
7 kW 6008 kWh 3605 kWh 2403 kWh £917 £240 £1,157 £16,342 14.1 yrs £6,797
8 kW 6866 kWh 4120 kWh 2746 kWh £1,048 £275 £1,322 £18,376 13.9 yrs £8,068

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: £893, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1716 kWh 1202 kWh 515 kWh £306 £51 £357 £7,569 21.2 yrs £-428
3 kW 2575 kWh 1802 kWh 772 kWh £458 £77 £536 £9,604 17.9 yrs £1,108
4 kW 3433 kWh 2403 kWh 1030 kWh £611 £103 £714 £11,638 16.3 yrs £2,644
5 kW 4291 kWh 3004 kWh 1287 kWh £764 £129 £893 £13,673 15.3 yrs £4,179
6 kW 5149 kWh 3605 kWh 1545 kWh £917 £154 £1,071 £15,707 14.7 yrs £5,715
7 kW 6008 kWh 4205 kWh 1802 kWh £1,069 £180 £1,250 £17,742 14.2 yrs £7,251
8 kW 6866 kWh 4806 kWh 2060 kWh £1,222 £206 £1,428 £19,776 13.8 yrs £8,787

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: £912, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1716 kWh 1253 kWh 463 kWh £319 £46 £365 £9,319 25.5 yrs £-2,019
3 kW 2575 kWh 1880 kWh 695 kWh £478 £70 £547 £11,354 20.7 yrs £-404
4 kW 3433 kWh 2506 kWh 927 kWh £637 £93 £730 £13,388 18.3 yrs £1,211
5 kW 4291 kWh 3133 kWh 1159 kWh £797 £116 £912 £15,423 16.9 yrs £2,827
6 kW 5149 kWh 3759 kWh 1390 kWh £956 £139 £1,095 £17,457 15.9 yrs £4,442
7 kW 6008 kWh 4386 kWh 1622 kWh £1,115 £162 £1,277 £19,492 15.3 yrs £6,057
8 kW 6866 kWh 5012 kWh 1854 kWh £1,275 £185 £1,460 £21,526 14.7 yrs £7,673

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: £926, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1716 kWh 1287 kWh 429 kWh £327 £43 £370 £11,069 29.9 yrs £-3,663
3 kW 2575 kWh 1931 kWh 644 kWh £491 £64 £555 £13,104 23.6 yrs £-1,995
4 kW 3433 kWh 2575 kWh 858 kWh £655 £86 £741 £15,138 20.4 yrs £-327
5 kW 4291 kWh 3218 kWh 1073 kWh £818 £107 £926 £17,173 18.6 yrs £1,342
6 kW 5149 kWh 3862 kWh 1287 kWh £982 £129 £1,111 £19,207 17.3 yrs £3,010
7 kW 6008 kWh 4506 kWh 1502 kWh £1,146 £150 £1,296 £21,242 16.4 yrs £4,678
8 kW 6866 kWh 5149 kWh 1716 kWh £1,309 £172 £1,481 £23,276 15.7 yrs £6,347

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: £939, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1716 kWh 1322 kWh 395 kWh £336 £39 £376 £13,519 36.0 yrs £-6,007
3 kW 2575 kWh 1983 kWh 592 kWh £504 £59 £563 £15,554 27.6 yrs £-4,286
4 kW 3433 kWh 2643 kWh 790 kWh £672 £79 £751 £17,588 23.4 yrs £-2,565
5 kW 4291 kWh 3304 kWh 987 kWh £840 £99 £939 £19,623 20.9 yrs £-844
6 kW 5149 kWh 3965 kWh 1184 kWh £1,008 £118 £1,127 £21,657 19.2 yrs £878
7 kW 6008 kWh 4626 kWh 1382 kWh £1,176 £138 £1,315 £23,692 18.0 yrs £2,599
8 kW 6866 kWh 5287 kWh 1579 kWh £1,344 £158 £1,502 £25,726 17.1 yrs £4,320

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 NE49

Figures below are tailored to NE49 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #691 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2744 of 2997
12.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£793 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2475 of 2997
27.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£793 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
858kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~858 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: 66% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 1,105 properties

Coverage

Northumberland (100%)

Areas Covered

Haltwhistle, Haydon & Hadrian

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

NE47 (Northumberland)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · +5% vs NE49
NE46 (Northumberland)
≈22.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +4% vs NE49
NE48 (Northumberland)
≈23.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~840 kWh/kWp · -2% vs NE49
NE45 (Northumberland)
≈28.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +6% vs NE49
NE44 (Northumberland)
≈31.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · +5% vs NE49
NE19 (Northumberland)
≈34.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~871 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NE49

Similar sunshine across the UK

FK7 (Stirling)
~858 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NE49
LL55 (Gwynedd)
~859 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE49
SK4 (Stockport)
~859 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NE49