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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NG17 (Ashfield)

See if solar pays off for you in Ashfield — 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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£760
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,825
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 937 kWh/kW — 31 below the regional median (968).

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 937 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
937 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: £760, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 750 kWh 1124 kWh £192 £112 £304 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,010
3 kW 2811 kWh 1124 kWh 1687 kWh £287 £169 £456 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,015
4 kW 3748 kWh 1499 kWh 2249 kWh £383 £225 £608 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,020
5 kW 4685 kWh 1874 kWh 2811 kWh £479 £281 £760 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,026
6 kW 5622 kWh 2249 kWh 3373 kWh £575 £337 £912 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,031
7 kW 6559 kWh 2624 kWh 3935 kWh £670 £394 £1,064 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,036
8 kW 7496 kWh 2998 kWh 4498 kWh £766 £450 £1,216 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,041

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: £906, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1124 kWh 750 kWh £287 £75 £362 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,076
3 kW 2811 kWh 1687 kWh 1124 kWh £431 £112 £543 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,664
4 kW 3748 kWh 2249 kWh 1499 kWh £575 £150 £724 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,252
5 kW 4685 kWh 2811 kWh 1874 kWh £718 £187 £906 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,840
6 kW 5622 kWh 3373 kWh 2249 kWh £862 £225 £1,087 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,428
7 kW 6559 kWh 3935 kWh 2624 kWh £1,005 £262 £1,268 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,016
8 kW 7496 kWh 4498 kWh 2998 kWh £1,149 £300 £1,449 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,603

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: £978, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1874 kWh 1312 kWh 562 kWh £335 £56 £391 £7,569 19.3 yrs £259
3 kW 2811 kWh 1968 kWh 843 kWh £503 £84 £587 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,138
4 kW 3748 kWh 2624 kWh 1124 kWh £670 £112 £783 £11,638 14.9 yrs £4,017
5 kW 4685 kWh 3280 kWh 1406 kWh £838 £141 £978 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,897
6 kW 5622 kWh 3935 kWh 1687 kWh £1,005 £169 £1,174 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,776
7 kW 6559 kWh 4591 kWh 1968 kWh £1,173 £197 £1,370 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,655
8 kW 7496 kWh 5247 kWh 2249 kWh £1,341 £225 £1,566 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,535

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: £1,000, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1368 kWh 506 kWh £350 £51 £400 £9,319 23.3 yrs £-1,316
3 kW 2811 kWh 2052 kWh 759 kWh £524 £76 £600 £11,354 18.9 yrs £650
4 kW 3748 kWh 2736 kWh 1012 kWh £699 £101 £800 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,617
5 kW 4685 kWh 3420 kWh 1265 kWh £874 £126 £1,000 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,584
6 kW 5622 kWh 4104 kWh 1518 kWh £1,049 £152 £1,200 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,551
7 kW 6559 kWh 4788 kWh 1771 kWh £1,223 £177 £1,400 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,517
8 kW 7496 kWh 5472 kWh 2024 kWh £1,398 £202 £1,601 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,484

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: £1,015, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1874 kWh 1406 kWh 468 kWh £359 £47 £406 £11,069 27.3 yrs £-2,950
3 kW 2811 kWh 2108 kWh 703 kWh £539 £70 £609 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-925
4 kW 3748 kWh 2811 kWh 937 kWh £718 £94 £812 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,100
5 kW 4685 kWh 3514 kWh 1171 kWh £898 £117 £1,015 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,125
6 kW 5622 kWh 4216 kWh 1406 kWh £1,077 £141 £1,218 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,150
7 kW 6559 kWh 4919 kWh 1640 kWh £1,257 £164 £1,421 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,175
8 kW 7496 kWh 5622 kWh 1874 kWh £1,436 £187 £1,624 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,200

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: £1,029, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 1443 kWh 431 kWh £369 £43 £412 £13,519 32.8 yrs £-5,283
3 kW 2811 kWh 2164 kWh 647 kWh £553 £65 £618 £15,554 25.2 yrs £-3,200
4 kW 3748 kWh 2886 kWh 862 kWh £737 £86 £824 £17,588 21.4 yrs £-1,117
5 kW 4685 kWh 3607 kWh 1078 kWh £922 £108 £1,029 £19,623 19.1 yrs £967
6 kW 5622 kWh 4329 kWh 1293 kWh £1,106 £129 £1,235 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,050
7 kW 6559 kWh 5050 kWh 1509 kWh £1,290 £151 £1,441 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,133
8 kW 7496 kWh 5772 kWh 1724 kWh £1,475 £172 £1,647 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,217

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 NG17

Figures below are tailored to NG17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1132 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2008 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£869 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1517 of 2997
20.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£869 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
937kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~937 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: 72% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 21,316 properties

Coverage

Ashfield (100%)

Areas Covered

Sutton Central & New Cross, Greenwood & Summit, Huthwaite & Brierley, Annesley & Kirkby Woodhouse, Skegby, Kirkby Cross & Portland, Sutton St Mary's, Abbey Hill + 4 more

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 East Midlands

NG18 (Mansfield)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NG17
NG19 (Mansfield)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~948 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NG17
NG70 (Mansfield)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~954 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NG17
DE55 (Amber Valley)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~943 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NG17
NG21 (Newark and Sherwood)
≈9.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~963 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NG17
NG15 (Ashfield)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NG17

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL13 (Wrexham)
~937 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NG17
SY12 (Shropshire)
~937 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NG17
TF1 (Telford and Wrekin)
~937 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NG17