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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NR16 (Breckland)

See if solar pays off for you in Breckland — 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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,011
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,056
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 1014 kWh/kW — 5 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1014 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)
1014 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: £842, 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 2028 kWh 811 kWh 1217 kWh £215 £122 £337 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,668
3 kW 3041 kWh 1217 kWh 1825 kWh £323 £182 £505 £6,104 12.1 yrs £4,002
4 kW 4055 kWh 1622 kWh 2433 kWh £430 £243 £674 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,335
5 kW 5069 kWh 2028 kWh 3041 kWh £538 £304 £842 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,669
6 kW 6083 kWh 2433 kWh 3650 kWh £646 £365 £1,011 £12,207 12.1 yrs £8,003
7 kW 7097 kWh 2839 kWh 4258 kWh £753 £426 £1,179 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,337
8 kW 8111 kWh 3244 kWh 4866 kWh £861 £487 £1,347 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,671

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: £1,010, 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 2028 kWh 1217 kWh 811 kWh £323 £81 £404 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,908
3 kW 3041 kWh 1825 kWh 1217 kWh £484 £122 £606 £8,204 13.5 yrs £3,913
4 kW 4055 kWh 2433 kWh 1622 kWh £646 £162 £808 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,917
5 kW 5069 kWh 3041 kWh 2028 kWh £807 £203 £1,010 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,921
6 kW 6083 kWh 3650 kWh 2433 kWh £968 £243 £1,212 £14,307 11.8 yrs £9,925
7 kW 7097 kWh 4258 kWh 2839 kWh £1,130 £284 £1,414 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,929
8 kW 8111 kWh 4866 kWh 3244 kWh £1,291 £324 £1,615 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,933

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: £1,093, 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 2028 kWh 1419 kWh 608 kWh £377 £61 £437 £7,569 17.3 yrs £1,179
3 kW 3041 kWh 2129 kWh 912 kWh £565 £91 £656 £9,604 14.6 yrs £3,518
4 kW 4055 kWh 2839 kWh 1217 kWh £753 £122 £875 £11,638 13.3 yrs £5,857
5 kW 5069 kWh 3548 kWh 1521 kWh £941 £152 £1,093 £13,673 12.5 yrs £8,197
6 kW 6083 kWh 4258 kWh 1825 kWh £1,130 £182 £1,312 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,536
7 kW 7097 kWh 4968 kWh 2129 kWh £1,318 £213 £1,531 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,875
8 kW 8111 kWh 5677 kWh 2433 kWh £1,506 £243 £1,750 £19,776 11.3 yrs £15,215

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: £1,119, 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 2028 kWh 1480 kWh 547 kWh £393 £55 £447 £9,319 20.8 yrs £-370
3 kW 3041 kWh 2220 kWh 821 kWh £589 £82 £671 £11,354 16.9 yrs £2,070
4 kW 4055 kWh 2960 kWh 1095 kWh £785 £109 £895 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,510
5 kW 5069 kWh 3700 kWh 1369 kWh £982 £137 £1,119 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,950
6 kW 6083 kWh 4441 kWh 1642 kWh £1,178 £164 £1,342 £17,457 13.0 yrs £9,389
7 kW 7097 kWh 5181 kWh 1916 kWh £1,374 £192 £1,566 £19,492 12.4 yrs £11,829
8 kW 8111 kWh 5921 kWh 2190 kWh £1,571 £219 £1,790 £21,526 12.0 yrs £14,269

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: £1,135, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2028 kWh 1521 kWh 507 kWh £403 £51 £454 £11,069 24.4 yrs £-1,986
3 kW 3041 kWh 2281 kWh 760 kWh £605 £76 £681 £13,104 19.2 yrs £521
4 kW 4055 kWh 3041 kWh 1014 kWh £807 £101 £908 £15,138 16.7 yrs £3,028
5 kW 5069 kWh 3802 kWh 1267 kWh £1,009 £127 £1,135 £17,173 15.1 yrs £5,535
6 kW 6083 kWh 4562 kWh 1521 kWh £1,210 £152 £1,362 £19,207 14.1 yrs £8,042
7 kW 7097 kWh 5323 kWh 1774 kWh £1,412 £177 £1,590 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,549
8 kW 8111 kWh 6083 kWh 2028 kWh £1,614 £203 £1,817 £23,276 12.8 yrs £13,056

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: £1,152, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2028 kWh 1561 kWh 466 kWh £414 £47 £461 £13,519 29.3 yrs £-4,302
3 kW 3041 kWh 2342 kWh 700 kWh £621 £70 £691 £15,554 22.5 yrs £-1,728
4 kW 4055 kWh 3123 kWh 933 kWh £828 £93 £922 £17,588 19.1 yrs £846
5 kW 5069 kWh 3903 kWh 1166 kWh £1,036 £117 £1,152 £19,623 17.0 yrs £3,420
6 kW 6083 kWh 4684 kWh 1399 kWh £1,243 £140 £1,383 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,994
7 kW 7097 kWh 5465 kWh 1632 kWh £1,450 £163 £1,613 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,568
8 kW 8111 kWh 6245 kWh 1865 kWh £1,657 £187 £1,843 £25,726 14.0 yrs £11,142

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 NR16

Figures below are tailored to NR16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #88 of 2182
6.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #532 of 2997
10.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,161 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #356 of 2997
15.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,161 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1014kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1014 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 72% • Flats: 1% • Bungalows: 26% Based on 3,228 properties

Coverage

Breckland (54%)|South Norfolk (46%)|Broadland (1%)

Areas Covered

Harling & Heathlands, Forncett, Bunwell, The Buckenhams & Banham, Mulbarton & Stoke Holy Cross, All Saints & Wayland, Bressingham & Burston, Guiltcross + 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

NR17 (Breckland)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,012 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR16
IP22 (South Norfolk)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR16
IP98 (South Norfolk)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NR16
NR18 (South Norfolk)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,010 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR16
NR15 (South Norfolk)
≈12.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NR16
IP21 (Mid Suffolk)
≈16.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +1% vs NR16

Similar sunshine across the UK

TA11 (Somerset)
~1,014 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR16
RH7 (Tandridge)
~1,014 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR16
SA69 (Pembrokeshire)
~1,014 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR16