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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NP13 (Blaenau Gwent)

See if solar pays off for you in Blaenau Gwent — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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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
13.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£624
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,472
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 South Wales, the current unit rate is 26.83p/kWh with a 51.69p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 933 kWh/kW — 36 below the regional median (968).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 933 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
51.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
933 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: £780, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 746 kWh 1120 kWh £200 £112 £312 £4,069 13.0 yrs £2,175
3 kW 2799 kWh 1120 kWh 1679 kWh £300 £168 £468 £6,104 13.0 yrs £3,262
4 kW 3732 kWh 1493 kWh 2239 kWh £400 £224 £624 £8,138 13.0 yrs £4,350
5 kW 4665 kWh 1866 kWh 2799 kWh £501 £280 £780 £10,173 13.0 yrs £5,437
6 kW 5598 kWh 2239 kWh 3359 kWh £601 £336 £937 £12,207 13.0 yrs £6,524
7 kW 6530 kWh 2612 kWh 3918 kWh £701 £392 £1,093 £14,242 13.0 yrs £7,612
8 kW 7463 kWh 2985 kWh 4478 kWh £801 £448 £1,249 £16,276 13.0 yrs £8,699

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: £937, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1120 kWh 746 kWh £300 £75 £375 £6,169 16.5 yrs £1,331
3 kW 2799 kWh 1679 kWh 1120 kWh £451 £112 £562 £8,204 14.6 yrs £3,046
4 kW 3732 kWh 2239 kWh 1493 kWh £601 £149 £750 £10,238 13.7 yrs £4,762
5 kW 4665 kWh 2799 kWh 1866 kWh £751 £187 £937 £12,273 13.1 yrs £6,477
6 kW 5598 kWh 3359 kWh 2239 kWh £901 £224 £1,125 £14,307 12.7 yrs £8,193
7 kW 6530 kWh 3918 kWh 2612 kWh £1,051 £261 £1,312 £16,342 12.5 yrs £9,908
8 kW 7463 kWh 4478 kWh 2985 kWh £1,201 £299 £1,500 £18,376 12.3 yrs £11,624

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: £1,016, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1306 kWh 560 kWh £350 £56 £406 £7,569 18.6 yrs £559
3 kW 2799 kWh 1959 kWh 840 kWh £526 £84 £610 £9,604 15.8 yrs £2,588
4 kW 3732 kWh 2612 kWh 1120 kWh £701 £112 £813 £11,638 14.3 yrs £4,618
5 kW 4665 kWh 3265 kWh 1399 kWh £876 £140 £1,016 £13,673 13.5 yrs £6,647
6 kW 5598 kWh 3918 kWh 1679 kWh £1,051 £168 £1,219 £15,707 12.9 yrs £8,677
7 kW 6530 kWh 4571 kWh 1959 kWh £1,226 £196 £1,422 £17,742 12.5 yrs £10,706
8 kW 7463 kWh 5224 kWh 2239 kWh £1,402 £224 £1,626 £19,776 12.2 yrs £12,736

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: £1,040, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1362 kWh 504 kWh £365 £50 £416 £9,319 22.4 yrs £-1,003
3 kW 2799 kWh 2043 kWh 756 kWh £548 £76 £624 £11,354 18.2 yrs £1,121
4 kW 3732 kWh 2724 kWh 1008 kWh £731 £101 £832 £13,388 16.1 yrs £3,245
5 kW 4665 kWh 3405 kWh 1259 kWh £914 £126 £1,040 £15,423 14.8 yrs £5,368
6 kW 5598 kWh 4086 kWh 1511 kWh £1,096 £151 £1,247 £17,457 14.0 yrs £7,492
7 kW 6530 kWh 4767 kWh 1763 kWh £1,279 £176 £1,455 £19,492 13.4 yrs £9,616
8 kW 7463 kWh 5448 kWh 2015 kWh £1,462 £202 £1,663 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,739

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: £1,055, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1399 kWh 466 kWh £375 £47 £422 £11,069 26.2 yrs £-2,627
3 kW 2799 kWh 2099 kWh 700 kWh £563 £70 £633 £13,104 20.7 yrs £-441
4 kW 3732 kWh 2799 kWh 933 kWh £751 £93 £844 £15,138 17.9 yrs £1,746
5 kW 4665 kWh 3498 kWh 1166 kWh £939 £117 £1,055 £17,173 16.3 yrs £3,932
6 kW 5598 kWh 4198 kWh 1399 kWh £1,126 £140 £1,266 £19,207 15.2 yrs £6,119
7 kW 6530 kWh 4898 kWh 1633 kWh £1,314 £163 £1,477 £21,242 14.4 yrs £8,305
8 kW 7463 kWh 5598 kWh 1866 kWh £1,502 £187 £1,688 £23,276 13.8 yrs £10,492

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: £1,071, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1437 kWh 429 kWh £385 £43 £428 £13,519 31.6 yrs £-4,951
3 kW 2799 kWh 2155 kWh 644 kWh £578 £64 £643 £15,554 24.2 yrs £-2,702
4 kW 3732 kWh 2873 kWh 858 kWh £771 £86 £857 £17,588 20.5 yrs £-453
5 kW 4665 kWh 3592 kWh 1073 kWh £964 £107 £1,071 £19,623 18.3 yrs £1,796
6 kW 5598 kWh 4310 kWh 1287 kWh £1,156 £129 £1,285 £21,657 16.9 yrs £4,046
7 kW 6530 kWh 5028 kWh 1502 kWh £1,349 £150 £1,499 £23,692 15.8 yrs £6,295
8 kW 7463 kWh 5747 kWh 1717 kWh £1,542 £172 £1,714 £25,726 15.0 yrs £8,544

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 NP13

Figures below are tailored to NP13 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1332 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1618 of 2997
11.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£719 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2392 of 2997
26.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£719 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
933kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~933 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 88% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 6,575 properties

Coverage

Blaenau Gwent (96%)|Caerphilly (4%)

Areas Covered

Abertillery and Six Bells, Cwmtillery, Blaina, Llanhilleth, Crumlin, Nantyglo

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 South Wales

NP3 (Blaenau Gwent)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NP13
NP2 (Caerphilly)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -2% vs NP13
NP24 (Caerphilly)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · -6% vs NP13
NP23 (Blaenau Gwent)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~922 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NP13
NP4 (Torfaen)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~966 kWh/kWp · +4% vs NP13
CF81 (Caerphilly)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NP13

Similar sunshine across the UK

B74 (Birmingham)
~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NP13
SY5 (Shropshire)
~933 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NP13
TS12 (Redcar and Cleveland)
~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NP13