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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NR1 (Norwich)

See if solar pays off for you in Norwich — 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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£504
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,494
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1011 kWh/kW — 2 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1011 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1011 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: £840, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2022 kWh 809 kWh 1213 kWh £215 £121 £336 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,649
3 kW 3033 kWh 1213 kWh 1820 kWh £322 £182 £504 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,974
4 kW 4044 kWh 1618 kWh 2427 kWh £429 £243 £672 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,299
5 kW 5055 kWh 2022 kWh 3033 kWh £536 £303 £840 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,624
6 kW 6066 kWh 2427 kWh 3640 kWh £644 £364 £1,008 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,948
7 kW 7078 kWh 2831 kWh 4247 kWh £751 £425 £1,176 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,273
8 kW 8089 kWh 3235 kWh 4853 kWh £858 £485 £1,344 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,598

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: £1,007, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2022 kWh 1213 kWh 809 kWh £322 £81 £403 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,886
3 kW 3033 kWh 1820 kWh 1213 kWh £483 £121 £604 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,880
4 kW 4044 kWh 2427 kWh 1618 kWh £644 £162 £806 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,873
5 kW 5055 kWh 3033 kWh 2022 kWh £805 £202 £1,007 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,866
6 kW 6066 kWh 3640 kWh 2427 kWh £966 £243 £1,208 £14,307 11.8 yrs £9,859
7 kW 7078 kWh 4247 kWh 2831 kWh £1,127 £283 £1,410 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,853
8 kW 8089 kWh 4853 kWh 3235 kWh £1,288 £324 £1,611 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,846

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: £1,091, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2022 kWh 1416 kWh 607 kWh £376 £61 £436 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,155
3 kW 3033 kWh 2123 kWh 910 kWh £563 £91 £654 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,482
4 kW 4044 kWh 2831 kWh 1213 kWh £751 £121 £872 £11,638 13.3 yrs £5,810
5 kW 5055 kWh 3539 kWh 1517 kWh £939 £152 £1,091 £13,673 12.5 yrs £8,137
6 kW 6066 kWh 4247 kWh 1820 kWh £1,127 £182 £1,309 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,465
7 kW 7078 kWh 4954 kWh 2123 kWh £1,314 £212 £1,527 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,792
8 kW 8089 kWh 5662 kWh 2427 kWh £1,502 £243 £1,745 £19,776 11.3 yrs £15,120

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: £1,116, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2022 kWh 1476 kWh 546 kWh £392 £55 £446 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-394
3 kW 3033 kWh 2214 kWh 819 kWh £587 £82 £669 £11,354 17.0 yrs £2,033
4 kW 4044 kWh 2952 kWh 1092 kWh £783 £109 £892 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,461
5 kW 5055 kWh 3690 kWh 1365 kWh £979 £136 £1,116 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,889
6 kW 6066 kWh 4429 kWh 1638 kWh £1,175 £164 £1,339 £17,457 13.0 yrs £9,317
7 kW 7078 kWh 5167 kWh 1911 kWh £1,371 £191 £1,562 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,744
8 kW 8089 kWh 5905 kWh 2184 kWh £1,567 £218 £1,785 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,172

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: £1,132, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2022 kWh 1517 kWh 506 kWh £402 £51 £453 £11,069 24.4 yrs £-2,011
3 kW 3033 kWh 2275 kWh 758 kWh £604 £76 £679 £13,104 19.3 yrs £484
4 kW 4044 kWh 3033 kWh 1011 kWh £805 £101 £906 £15,138 16.7 yrs £2,978
5 kW 5055 kWh 3792 kWh 1264 kWh £1,006 £126 £1,132 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,473
6 kW 6066 kWh 4550 kWh 1517 kWh £1,207 £152 £1,359 £19,207 14.1 yrs £7,968
7 kW 7078 kWh 5308 kWh 1769 kWh £1,408 £177 £1,585 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,462
8 kW 8089 kWh 6066 kWh 2022 kWh £1,609 £202 £1,812 £23,276 12.8 yrs £12,957

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: £1,149, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2022 kWh 1557 kWh 465 kWh £413 £47 £460 £13,519 29.4 yrs £-4,327
3 kW 3033 kWh 2336 kWh 698 kWh £620 £70 £689 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,766
4 kW 4044 kWh 3114 kWh 930 kWh £826 £93 £919 £17,588 19.1 yrs £796
5 kW 5055 kWh 3893 kWh 1163 kWh £1,033 £116 £1,149 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,357
6 kW 6066 kWh 4671 kWh 1395 kWh £1,239 £140 £1,379 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,919
7 kW 7078 kWh 5450 kWh 1628 kWh £1,446 £163 £1,609 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,480
8 kW 8089 kWh 6228 kWh 1860 kWh £1,652 £186 £1,838 £25,726 14.0 yrs £11,042

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 NR1

Figures below are tailored to NR1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2109 of 2182
3.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #530 of 2997
10.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£772 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2053 of 2997
22.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£772 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1011kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1011 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 35% • Flats: 60% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 10,602 properties

Coverage

Norwich (78%)|Broadland (22%)

Areas Covered

Thorpe Hamlet, Sprowston East, Lakenham, Mancroft, Town Close, Crome, Thorpe St Andrew South East, Poringland + 3 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 Eastern

NR99 (Norwich)
≈0.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,011 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR1
NR2 (Norwich)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,001 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR1
NR3 (Norwich)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,001 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR1
NR7 (Broadland)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,011 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR1
NR4 (Norwich)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR1
NR6 (Broadland)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,004 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR1

Similar sunshine across the UK

SP10 (Test Valley)
~1,011 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR1
TA20 (Somerset)
~1,011 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR1
GU33 (East Hampshire)
~1,011 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR1