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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in NR18 (South Norfolk)

See if solar pays off for you in South Norfolk — 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
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£839
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,793
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 1010 kWh/kW — 1 above the regional median (1009).

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 1010 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)
1010 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: £839, 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 2019 kWh 808 kWh 1212 kWh £214 £121 £335 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,640
3 kW 3029 kWh 1212 kWh 1817 kWh £321 £182 £503 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,960
4 kW 4039 kWh 1615 kWh 2423 kWh £429 £242 £671 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,280
5 kW 5048 kWh 2019 kWh 3029 kWh £536 £303 £839 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,600
6 kW 6058 kWh 2423 kWh 3635 kWh £643 £363 £1,006 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,920
7 kW 7068 kWh 2827 kWh 4241 kWh £750 £424 £1,174 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,240
8 kW 8077 kWh 3231 kWh 4846 kWh £857 £485 £1,342 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,560

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: £1,006, 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 2019 kWh 1212 kWh 808 kWh £321 £81 £402 £6,169 15.3 yrs £1,875
3 kW 3029 kWh 1817 kWh 1212 kWh £482 £121 £603 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,863
4 kW 4039 kWh 2423 kWh 1615 kWh £643 £162 £804 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,850
5 kW 5048 kWh 3029 kWh 2019 kWh £804 £202 £1,006 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,838
6 kW 6058 kWh 3635 kWh 2423 kWh £964 £242 £1,207 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,825
7 kW 7068 kWh 4241 kWh 2827 kWh £1,125 £283 £1,408 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,813
8 kW 8077 kWh 4846 kWh 3231 kWh £1,286 £323 £1,609 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,800

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: £1,089, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2019 kWh 1414 kWh 606 kWh £375 £61 £436 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,143
3 kW 3029 kWh 2120 kWh 909 kWh £563 £91 £653 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,464
4 kW 4039 kWh 2827 kWh 1212 kWh £750 £121 £871 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,785
5 kW 5048 kWh 3534 kWh 1514 kWh £938 £151 £1,089 £13,673 12.6 yrs £8,107
6 kW 6058 kWh 4241 kWh 1817 kWh £1,125 £182 £1,307 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,428
7 kW 7068 kWh 4947 kWh 2120 kWh £1,313 £212 £1,525 £17,742 11.6 yrs £12,749
8 kW 8077 kWh 5654 kWh 2423 kWh £1,500 £242 £1,742 £19,776 11.4 yrs £15,071

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: £1,114, 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 2019 kWh 1474 kWh 545 kWh £391 £55 £446 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-407
3 kW 3029 kWh 2211 kWh 818 kWh £587 £82 £668 £11,354 17.0 yrs £2,014
4 kW 4039 kWh 2948 kWh 1090 kWh £782 £109 £891 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,436
5 kW 5048 kWh 3685 kWh 1363 kWh £978 £136 £1,114 £15,423 13.8 yrs £6,857
6 kW 6058 kWh 4422 kWh 1636 kWh £1,173 £164 £1,337 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,279
7 kW 7068 kWh 5159 kWh 1908 kWh £1,369 £191 £1,560 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,700
8 kW 8077 kWh 5896 kWh 2181 kWh £1,564 £218 £1,782 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,122

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: £1,131, 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 2019 kWh 1514 kWh 505 kWh £402 £50 £452 £11,069 24.5 yrs £-2,024
3 kW 3029 kWh 2272 kWh 757 kWh £603 £76 £678 £13,104 19.3 yrs £465
4 kW 4039 kWh 3029 kWh 1010 kWh £804 £101 £905 £15,138 16.7 yrs £2,953
5 kW 5048 kWh 3786 kWh 1262 kWh £1,004 £126 £1,131 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,441
6 kW 6058 kWh 4543 kWh 1514 kWh £1,205 £151 £1,357 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,929
7 kW 7068 kWh 5301 kWh 1767 kWh £1,406 £177 £1,583 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,418
8 kW 8077 kWh 6058 kWh 2019 kWh £1,607 £202 £1,809 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,906

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: £1,147, 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 2019 kWh 1555 kWh 464 kWh £413 £46 £459 £13,519 29.5 yrs £-4,340
3 kW 3029 kWh 2332 kWh 697 kWh £619 £70 £688 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,785
4 kW 4039 kWh 3110 kWh 929 kWh £825 £93 £918 £17,588 19.2 yrs £770
5 kW 5048 kWh 3887 kWh 1161 kWh £1,031 £116 £1,147 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,325
6 kW 6058 kWh 4665 kWh 1393 kWh £1,238 £139 £1,377 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,880
7 kW 7068 kWh 5442 kWh 1626 kWh £1,444 £163 £1,606 £23,692 14.7 yrs £8,435
8 kW 8077 kWh 6219 kWh 1858 kWh £1,650 £186 £1,836 £25,726 14.0 yrs £10,990

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 NR18

Figures below are tailored to NR18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #808 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #682 of 2997
10.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£964 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1097 of 2997
18.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£964 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1010kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1010 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: 9% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 6,349 properties

Coverage

South Norfolk (100%)

Areas Covered

Central Wymondham, South Wymondham, North Wymondham, Wicklewood, Hingham & Deopham, Mulbarton & Stoke Holy Cross, Sprowston East, Bunwell

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

NR9 (South Norfolk)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,001 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR18
NR17 (Breckland)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,012 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR18
NR4 (Norwich)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR18
NR5 (Norwich)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · -1% vs NR18
NR16 (Breckland)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,014 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR18
NR15 (South Norfolk)
≈12.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +2% vs NR18

Similar sunshine across the UK

PE6 (Peterborough)
~1,010 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR18
GU34 (East Hampshire)
~1,010 kWh/kWp · -0% vs NR18
PE22 (East Lindsey)
~1,010 kWh/kWp · +0% vs NR18