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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NP4 (Torfaen)

See if solar pays off for you in Torfaen — 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
£808
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,029
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 966 kWh/kW — 3 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 966 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)
966 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: £808, 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 1932 kWh 773 kWh 1159 kWh £207 £116 £323 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,395
3 kW 2898 kWh 1159 kWh 1739 kWh £311 £174 £485 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,593
4 kW 3864 kWh 1545 kWh 2318 kWh £415 £232 £646 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,791
5 kW 4829 kWh 1932 kWh 2898 kWh £518 £290 £808 £10,173 12.6 yrs £5,989
6 kW 5795 kWh 2318 kWh 3477 kWh £622 £348 £970 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,186
7 kW 6761 kWh 2704 kWh 4057 kWh £726 £406 £1,131 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,384
8 kW 7727 kWh 3091 kWh 4636 kWh £829 £464 £1,293 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,582

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: £971, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1932 kWh 1159 kWh 773 kWh £311 £77 £388 £6,169 15.9 yrs £1,596
3 kW 2898 kWh 1739 kWh 1159 kWh £466 £116 £582 £8,204 14.1 yrs £3,444
4 kW 3864 kWh 2318 kWh 1545 kWh £622 £155 £776 £10,238 13.2 yrs £5,292
5 kW 4829 kWh 2898 kWh 1932 kWh £777 £193 £971 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,140
6 kW 5795 kWh 3477 kWh 2318 kWh £933 £232 £1,165 £14,307 12.3 yrs £8,988
7 kW 6761 kWh 4057 kWh 2704 kWh £1,088 £270 £1,359 £16,342 12.0 yrs £10,836
8 kW 7727 kWh 4636 kWh 3091 kWh £1,244 £309 £1,553 £18,376 11.8 yrs £12,684

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: £1,052, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1932 kWh 1352 kWh 580 kWh £363 £58 £421 £7,569 18.0 yrs £846
3 kW 2898 kWh 2028 kWh 869 kWh £544 £87 £631 £9,604 15.2 yrs £3,019
4 kW 3864 kWh 2704 kWh 1159 kWh £726 £116 £842 £11,638 13.8 yrs £5,192
5 kW 4829 kWh 3381 kWh 1449 kWh £907 £145 £1,052 £13,673 13.0 yrs £7,366
6 kW 5795 kWh 4057 kWh 1739 kWh £1,088 £174 £1,262 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,539
7 kW 6761 kWh 4733 kWh 2028 kWh £1,270 £203 £1,473 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,712
8 kW 7727 kWh 5409 kWh 2318 kWh £1,451 £232 £1,683 £19,776 11.8 yrs £13,885

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: £1,076, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1410 kWh 522 kWh £378 £52 £431 £9,319 21.6 yrs £-709
3 kW 2898 kWh 2115 kWh 782 kWh £568 £78 £646 £11,354 17.6 yrs £1,562
4 kW 3864 kWh 2820 kWh 1043 kWh £757 £104 £861 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,833
5 kW 4829 kWh 3525 kWh 1304 kWh £946 £130 £1,076 £15,423 14.3 yrs £6,103
6 kW 5795 kWh 4231 kWh 1565 kWh £1,135 £156 £1,292 £17,457 13.5 yrs £8,374
7 kW 6761 kWh 4936 kWh 1826 kWh £1,324 £183 £1,507 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,644
8 kW 7727 kWh 5641 kWh 2086 kWh £1,513 £209 £1,722 £21,526 12.5 yrs £12,915

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: £1,093, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1449 kWh 483 kWh £389 £48 £437 £11,069 25.3 yrs £-2,329
3 kW 2898 kWh 2173 kWh 724 kWh £583 £72 £656 £13,104 20.0 yrs £7
4 kW 3864 kWh 2898 kWh 966 kWh £777 £97 £874 £15,138 17.3 yrs £2,343
5 kW 4829 kWh 3622 kWh 1207 kWh £972 £121 £1,093 £17,173 15.7 yrs £4,678
6 kW 5795 kWh 4347 kWh 1449 kWh £1,166 £145 £1,311 £19,207 14.7 yrs £7,014
7 kW 6761 kWh 5071 kWh 1690 kWh £1,361 £169 £1,530 £21,242 13.9 yrs £9,350
8 kW 7727 kWh 5795 kWh 1932 kWh £1,555 £193 £1,748 £23,276 13.3 yrs £11,685

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: £1,109, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1932 kWh 1487 kWh 444 kWh £399 £44 £444 £13,519 30.5 yrs £-4,649
3 kW 2898 kWh 2231 kWh 666 kWh £599 £67 £665 £15,554 23.4 yrs £-2,248
4 kW 3864 kWh 2975 kWh 889 kWh £798 £89 £887 £17,588 19.8 yrs £153
5 kW 4829 kWh 3719 kWh 1111 kWh £998 £111 £1,109 £19,623 17.7 yrs £2,553
6 kW 5795 kWh 4462 kWh 1333 kWh £1,197 £133 £1,331 £21,657 16.3 yrs £4,954
7 kW 6761 kWh 5206 kWh 1555 kWh £1,397 £156 £1,552 £23,692 15.3 yrs £7,355
8 kW 7727 kWh 5950 kWh 1777 kWh £1,596 £178 £1,774 £25,726 14.5 yrs £9,755

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 NP4

Figures below are tailored to NP4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1210 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1160 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£930 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1454 of 2997
20.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£930 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
966kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~966 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: 20% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 10,518 properties

Coverage

Torfaen (95%)|Monmouthshire (5%)

Areas Covered

Pontypool Fawr, Pontnewynydd and Snatchwood, Abersychan, Pontnewydd, Llanfrechfa and Ponthir, New Inn, Blaenavon, Fairwater + 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 South Wales

NP44 (Torfaen)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~971 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NP4
NP13 (Blaenau Gwent)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -3% vs NP4
NP11 (Caerphilly)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~930 kWh/kWp · -4% vs NP4
NP15 (Monmouthshire)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~964 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NP4
NP18 (Newport)
≈11.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~997 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NP4
NP12 (Caerphilly)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~926 kWh/kWp · -4% vs NP4

Similar sunshine across the UK

WR3 (Worcester)
~966 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NP4
LL77 (Isle of Anglesey)
~966 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NP4
LE87 (Leicester)
~966 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NP4