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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in OL10 (Rochdale)

See if solar pays off for you in Rochdale — 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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£574
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,204
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 North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 851 kWh/kW — 19 below the regional median (870).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 851 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
851 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: £717, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 681 kWh 1022 kWh £185 £102 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,668
3 kW 2554 kWh 1022 kWh 1533 kWh £277 £153 £430 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,502
4 kW 3406 kWh 1362 kWh 2044 kWh £369 £204 £574 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,336
5 kW 4257 kWh 1703 kWh 2554 kWh £462 £255 £717 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,169
6 kW 5109 kWh 2044 kWh 3065 kWh £554 £307 £861 £12,207 14.2 yrs £5,003
7 kW 5960 kWh 2384 kWh 3576 kWh £646 £358 £1,004 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,837
8 kW 6812 kWh 2725 kWh 4087 kWh £739 £409 £1,147 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,671

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: £863, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1022 kWh 681 kWh £277 £68 £345 £6,169 17.9 yrs £733
3 kW 2554 kWh 1533 kWh 1022 kWh £415 £102 £518 £8,204 15.8 yrs £2,150
4 kW 3406 kWh 2044 kWh 1362 kWh £554 £136 £690 £10,238 14.8 yrs £3,567
5 kW 4257 kWh 2554 kWh 1703 kWh £692 £170 £863 £12,273 14.2 yrs £4,983
6 kW 5109 kWh 3065 kWh 2044 kWh £831 £204 £1,035 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,400
7 kW 5960 kWh 3576 kWh 2384 kWh £969 £238 £1,208 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,816
8 kW 6812 kWh 4087 kWh 2725 kWh £1,108 £272 £1,380 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,233

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: £936, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1192 kWh 511 kWh £323 £51 £374 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-84
3 kW 2554 kWh 1788 kWh 766 kWh £485 £77 £561 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,624
4 kW 3406 kWh 2384 kWh 1022 kWh £646 £102 £749 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,332
5 kW 4257 kWh 2980 kWh 1277 kWh £808 £128 £936 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,040
6 kW 5109 kWh 3576 kWh 1533 kWh £969 £153 £1,123 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,748
7 kW 5960 kWh 4172 kWh 1788 kWh £1,131 £179 £1,310 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,456
8 kW 6812 kWh 4768 kWh 2044 kWh £1,293 £204 £1,497 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,164

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: £957, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1243 kWh 460 kWh £337 £46 £383 £9,319 24.3 yrs £-1,659
3 kW 2554 kWh 1865 kWh 690 kWh £506 £69 £574 £11,354 19.8 yrs £136
4 kW 3406 kWh 2486 kWh 920 kWh £674 £92 £766 £13,388 17.5 yrs £1,932
5 kW 4257 kWh 3108 kWh 1149 kWh £843 £115 £957 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,727
6 kW 5109 kWh 3729 kWh 1379 kWh £1,011 £138 £1,149 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,522
7 kW 5960 kWh 4351 kWh 1609 kWh £1,180 £161 £1,340 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,318
8 kW 6812 kWh 4973 kWh 1839 kWh £1,348 £184 £1,532 £21,526 14.1 yrs £9,113

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: £972, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1703 kWh 1277 kWh 426 kWh £346 £43 £389 £11,069 28.5 yrs £-3,293
3 kW 2554 kWh 1916 kWh 639 kWh £519 £64 £583 £13,104 22.5 yrs £-1,439
4 kW 3406 kWh 2554 kWh 851 kWh £692 £85 £778 £15,138 19.5 yrs £415
5 kW 4257 kWh 3193 kWh 1064 kWh £866 £106 £972 £17,173 17.7 yrs £2,268
6 kW 5109 kWh 3832 kWh 1277 kWh £1,039 £128 £1,166 £19,207 16.5 yrs £4,122
7 kW 5960 kWh 4470 kWh 1490 kWh £1,212 £149 £1,361 £21,242 15.6 yrs £5,976
8 kW 6812 kWh 5109 kWh 1703 kWh £1,385 £170 £1,555 £23,276 15.0 yrs £7,829

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: £987, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1311 kWh 392 kWh £355 £39 £395 £13,519 34.3 yrs £-5,626
3 kW 2554 kWh 1967 kWh 588 kWh £533 £59 £592 £15,554 26.3 yrs £-3,714
4 kW 3406 kWh 2622 kWh 783 kWh £711 £78 £789 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,802
5 kW 4257 kWh 3278 kWh 979 kWh £889 £98 £987 £19,623 19.9 yrs £110
6 kW 5109 kWh 3934 kWh 1175 kWh £1,066 £118 £1,184 £21,657 18.3 yrs £2,022
7 kW 5960 kWh 4589 kWh 1371 kWh £1,244 £137 £1,381 £23,692 17.2 yrs £3,934
8 kW 6812 kWh 5245 kWh 1567 kWh £1,422 £157 £1,579 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,846

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 OL10

Figures below are tailored to OL10 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1821 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2573 of 2997
12.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£661 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2583 of 2997
28.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£661 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
851kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~851 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 77% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 8,316 properties

Coverage

Rochdale (100%)

Areas Covered

North Heywood, West Heywood, Hopwood Hall, Bamford, West Middleton, Norden

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 North West

OL11 (Rochdale)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · -2% vs OL10
M24 (Rochdale)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~846 kWh/kWp · -1% vs OL10
BL9 (Bury)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · +1% vs OL10
OL12 (Rochdale)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~843 kWh/kWp · -1% vs OL10
OL16 (Rochdale)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · -2% vs OL10
BL8 (Bury)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · +2% vs OL10

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH99 (City of Edinburgh)
~851 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL10
FK9 (Stirling)
~852 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL10
AB44 (Aberdeenshire)
~852 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL10