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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NN9 (North Northamptonshire)

See if solar pays off for you in North Northamptonshire — 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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£807
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,008
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 995 kWh/kW — 27 above 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 995 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)
995 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: £807, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1991 kWh 796 kWh 1194 kWh £203 £119 £323 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,389
3 kW 2986 kWh 1194 kWh 1792 kWh £305 £179 £484 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,583
4 kW 3981 kWh 1593 kWh 2389 kWh £407 £239 £646 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,777
5 kW 4977 kWh 1991 kWh 2986 kWh £509 £299 £807 £10,173 12.6 yrs £5,972
6 kW 5972 kWh 2389 kWh 3583 kWh £610 £358 £969 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,166
7 kW 6967 kWh 2787 kWh 4180 kWh £712 £418 £1,130 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,361
8 kW 7963 kWh 3185 kWh 4778 kWh £814 £478 £1,292 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,555

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: £962, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1991 kWh 1194 kWh 796 kWh £305 £80 £385 £6,169 16.0 yrs £1,527
3 kW 2986 kWh 1792 kWh 1194 kWh £458 £119 £577 £8,204 14.2 yrs £3,340
4 kW 3981 kWh 2389 kWh 1593 kWh £610 £159 £770 £10,238 13.3 yrs £5,154
5 kW 4977 kWh 2986 kWh 1991 kWh £763 £199 £962 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,967
6 kW 5972 kWh 3583 kWh 2389 kWh £916 £239 £1,154 £14,307 12.4 yrs £8,781
7 kW 6967 kWh 4180 kWh 2787 kWh £1,068 £279 £1,347 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,594
8 kW 7963 kWh 4778 kWh 3185 kWh £1,221 £319 £1,539 £18,376 11.9 yrs £12,408

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: £1,039, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1991 kWh 1393 kWh 597 kWh £356 £60 £416 £7,569 18.2 yrs £746
3 kW 2986 kWh 2090 kWh 896 kWh £534 £90 £624 £9,604 15.4 yrs £2,869
4 kW 3981 kWh 2787 kWh 1194 kWh £712 £119 £832 £11,638 14.0 yrs £4,992
5 kW 4977 kWh 3484 kWh 1493 kWh £890 £149 £1,039 £13,673 13.2 yrs £7,115
6 kW 5972 kWh 4180 kWh 1792 kWh £1,068 £179 £1,247 £15,707 12.6 yrs £9,238
7 kW 6967 kWh 4877 kWh 2090 kWh £1,246 £209 £1,455 £17,742 12.2 yrs £11,361
8 kW 7963 kWh 5574 kWh 2389 kWh £1,424 £239 £1,663 £19,776 11.9 yrs £13,484

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: £1,063, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1991 kWh 1453 kWh 537 kWh £371 £54 £425 £9,319 21.9 yrs £-818
3 kW 2986 kWh 2180 kWh 806 kWh £557 £81 £638 £11,354 17.8 yrs £1,398
4 kW 3981 kWh 2906 kWh 1075 kWh £743 £107 £850 £13,388 15.7 yrs £3,614
5 kW 4977 kWh 3633 kWh 1344 kWh £928 £134 £1,063 £15,423 14.5 yrs £5,829
6 kW 5972 kWh 4360 kWh 1612 kWh £1,114 £161 £1,275 £17,457 13.7 yrs £8,045
7 kW 6967 kWh 5086 kWh 1881 kWh £1,300 £188 £1,488 £19,492 13.1 yrs £10,261
8 kW 7963 kWh 5813 kWh 2150 kWh £1,485 £215 £1,700 £21,526 12.7 yrs £12,477

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: £1,078, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1991 kWh 1493 kWh 498 kWh £381 £50 £431 £11,069 25.7 yrs £-2,444
3 kW 2986 kWh 2240 kWh 747 kWh £572 £75 £647 £13,104 20.3 yrs £-167
4 kW 3981 kWh 2986 kWh 995 kWh £763 £100 £862 £15,138 17.6 yrs £2,111
5 kW 4977 kWh 3733 kWh 1244 kWh £954 £124 £1,078 £17,173 15.9 yrs £4,389
6 kW 5972 kWh 4479 kWh 1493 kWh £1,144 £149 £1,294 £19,207 14.8 yrs £6,667
7 kW 6967 kWh 5226 kWh 1742 kWh £1,335 £174 £1,509 £21,242 14.1 yrs £8,945
8 kW 7963 kWh 5972 kWh 1991 kWh £1,526 £199 £1,725 £23,276 13.5 yrs £11,222

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: £1,094, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1991 kWh 1533 kWh 458 kWh £392 £46 £437 £13,519 30.9 yrs £-4,771
3 kW 2986 kWh 2299 kWh 687 kWh £587 £69 £656 £15,554 23.7 yrs £-2,431
4 kW 3981 kWh 3066 kWh 916 kWh £783 £92 £875 £17,588 20.1 yrs £-91
5 kW 4977 kWh 3832 kWh 1145 kWh £979 £114 £1,094 £19,623 17.9 yrs £2,249
6 kW 5972 kWh 4598 kWh 1374 kWh £1,175 £137 £1,312 £21,657 16.5 yrs £4,588
7 kW 6967 kWh 5365 kWh 1602 kWh £1,371 £160 £1,531 £23,692 15.5 yrs £6,928
8 kW 7963 kWh 6131 kWh 1831 kWh £1,567 £183 £1,750 £25,726 14.7 yrs £9,268

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 NN9

Figures below are tailored to NN9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1040 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1251 of 2997
11.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£923 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1285 of 2997
19.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£923 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
995kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~995 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: 77% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 11% Based on 7,869 properties

Coverage

North Northamptonshire (98%)|Bedford (1%)

Areas Covered

Raunds, Irchester, Irthlingborough, Higham Ferrers, Finedon, Victoria, Earls Barton, Harrold + 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

NN10 (North Northamptonshire)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,003 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NN9
NN8 (North Northamptonshire)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NN9
NN29 (North Northamptonshire)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NN9
NN15 (North Northamptonshire)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~997 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NN9
NN16 (North Northamptonshire)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NN9
NN14 (North Northamptonshire)
≈13.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~997 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NN9

Similar sunshine across the UK

HA4 (Hillingdon)
~995 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NN9
W6 (Hammersmith and Fulham)
~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NN9
KT14 (Woking)
~995 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NN9