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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NP44 (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
12.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£812
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,138
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 971 kWh/kW — 3 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 971 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)
971 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: £812, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1942 kWh 777 kWh 1165 kWh £208 £117 £325 £4,069 12.5 yrs £2,430
3 kW 2913 kWh 1165 kWh 1748 kWh £313 £175 £487 £6,104 12.5 yrs £3,646
4 kW 3884 kWh 1554 kWh 2331 kWh £417 £233 £650 £8,138 12.5 yrs £4,861
5 kW 4856 kWh 1942 kWh 2913 kWh £521 £291 £812 £10,173 12.5 yrs £6,076
6 kW 5827 kWh 2331 kWh 3496 kWh £625 £350 £975 £12,207 12.5 yrs £7,291
7 kW 6798 kWh 2719 kWh 4079 kWh £730 £408 £1,137 £14,242 12.5 yrs £8,506
8 kW 7769 kWh 3108 kWh 4661 kWh £834 £466 £1,300 £16,276 12.5 yrs £9,722

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: £976, 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 1942 kWh 1165 kWh 777 kWh £313 £78 £390 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,638
3 kW 2913 kWh 1748 kWh 1165 kWh £469 £117 £586 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,507
4 kW 3884 kWh 2331 kWh 1554 kWh £625 £155 £781 £10,238 13.1 yrs £5,376
5 kW 4856 kWh 2913 kWh 1942 kWh £782 £194 £976 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,245
6 kW 5827 kWh 3496 kWh 2331 kWh £938 £233 £1,171 £14,307 12.2 yrs £9,114
7 kW 6798 kWh 4079 kWh 2719 kWh £1,094 £272 £1,366 £16,342 12.0 yrs £10,983
8 kW 7769 kWh 4661 kWh 3108 kWh £1,251 £311 £1,561 £18,376 11.8 yrs £12,852

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: £1,058, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1942 kWh 1360 kWh 583 kWh £365 £58 £423 £7,569 17.9 yrs £892
3 kW 2913 kWh 2039 kWh 874 kWh £547 £87 £635 £9,604 15.1 yrs £3,088
4 kW 3884 kWh 2719 kWh 1165 kWh £730 £117 £846 £11,638 13.8 yrs £5,283
5 kW 4856 kWh 3399 kWh 1457 kWh £912 £146 £1,058 £13,673 12.9 yrs £7,479
6 kW 5827 kWh 4079 kWh 1748 kWh £1,094 £175 £1,269 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,675
7 kW 6798 kWh 4758 kWh 2039 kWh £1,277 £204 £1,481 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,871
8 kW 7769 kWh 5438 kWh 2331 kWh £1,459 £233 £1,692 £19,776 11.7 yrs £14,067

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: £1,082, 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 1942 kWh 1418 kWh 524 kWh £380 £52 £433 £9,319 21.5 yrs £-662
3 kW 2913 kWh 2127 kWh 787 kWh £571 £79 £649 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,632
4 kW 3884 kWh 2836 kWh 1049 kWh £761 £105 £866 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,926
5 kW 4856 kWh 3545 kWh 1311 kWh £951 £131 £1,082 £15,423 14.3 yrs £6,220
6 kW 5827 kWh 4253 kWh 1573 kWh £1,141 £157 £1,299 £17,457 13.4 yrs £8,513
7 kW 6798 kWh 4962 kWh 1835 kWh £1,331 £184 £1,515 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,807
8 kW 7769 kWh 5671 kWh 2098 kWh £1,522 £210 £1,731 £21,526 12.4 yrs £13,101

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: £1,098, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1942 kWh 1457 kWh 486 kWh £391 £49 £439 £11,069 25.2 yrs £-2,281
3 kW 2913 kWh 2185 kWh 728 kWh £586 £73 £659 £13,104 19.9 yrs £78
4 kW 3884 kWh 2913 kWh 971 kWh £782 £97 £879 £15,138 17.2 yrs £2,437
5 kW 4856 kWh 3642 kWh 1214 kWh £977 £121 £1,098 £17,173 15.6 yrs £4,796
6 kW 5827 kWh 4370 kWh 1457 kWh £1,172 £146 £1,318 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,156
7 kW 6798 kWh 5098 kWh 1699 kWh £1,368 £170 £1,538 £21,242 13.8 yrs £9,515
8 kW 7769 kWh 5827 kWh 1942 kWh £1,563 £194 £1,758 £23,276 13.2 yrs £11,874

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: £1,115, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1942 kWh 1496 kWh 447 kWh £401 £45 £446 £13,519 30.3 yrs £-4,601
3 kW 2913 kWh 2243 kWh 670 kWh £602 £67 £669 £15,554 23.3 yrs £-2,176
4 kW 3884 kWh 2991 kWh 893 kWh £802 £89 £892 £17,588 19.7 yrs £249
5 kW 4856 kWh 3739 kWh 1117 kWh £1,003 £112 £1,115 £19,623 17.6 yrs £2,673
6 kW 5827 kWh 4487 kWh 1340 kWh £1,204 £134 £1,338 £21,657 16.2 yrs £5,098
7 kW 6798 kWh 5234 kWh 1563 kWh £1,404 £156 £1,561 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,523
8 kW 7769 kWh 5982 kWh 1787 kWh £1,605 £179 £1,784 £25,726 14.4 yrs £9,947

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 NP44

Figures below are tailored to NP44 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1504 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1161 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£935 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1439 of 2997
20.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£935 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
971kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~971 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: 74% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 12,389 properties

Coverage

Torfaen (100%)

Areas Covered

Llantarnam, Pontnewydd, St. Dials, Upper Cwmbran, Croesyceiliog, Two Locks, Fairwater, Llanyrafon + 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

NP4 (Torfaen)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~966 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NP44
NP18 (Newport)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~997 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NP44
NP20 (Newport)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NP44
NPT (Newport)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NP44
NP9 (Newport)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NP44
NP10 (Newport)
≈7.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,002 kWh/kWp · +3% vs NP44

Similar sunshine across the UK

EX32 (North Devon)
~971 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NP44
YO15 (East Riding of Yorkshire)
~971 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NP44
CR8 (Croydon)
~971 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NP44