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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in OL7 (Tameside)

See if solar pays off for you in Tameside — 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
14.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£569
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,096
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 845 kWh/kW — 25 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 845 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)
845 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: £712, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1690 kWh 676 kWh 1014 kWh £183 £101 £285 £4,069 14.3 yrs £1,625
3 kW 2535 kWh 1014 kWh 1521 kWh £275 £152 £427 £6,104 14.3 yrs £2,437
4 kW 3380 kWh 1352 kWh 2028 kWh £367 £203 £569 £8,138 14.3 yrs £3,249
5 kW 4225 kWh 1690 kWh 2535 kWh £458 £254 £712 £10,173 14.3 yrs £4,062
6 kW 5070 kWh 2028 kWh 3042 kWh £550 £304 £854 £12,207 14.3 yrs £4,874
7 kW 5915 kWh 2366 kWh 3549 kWh £641 £355 £996 £14,242 14.3 yrs £5,686
8 kW 6760 kWh 2704 kWh 4056 kWh £733 £406 £1,139 £16,276 14.3 yrs £6,499

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: £856, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1690 kWh 1014 kWh 676 kWh £275 £68 £343 £6,169 18.0 yrs £681
3 kW 2535 kWh 1521 kWh 1014 kWh £412 £101 £514 £8,204 16.0 yrs £2,072
4 kW 3380 kWh 2028 kWh 1352 kWh £550 £135 £685 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,463
5 kW 4225 kWh 2535 kWh 1690 kWh £687 £169 £856 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,853
6 kW 5070 kWh 3042 kWh 2028 kWh £825 £203 £1,028 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,244
7 kW 5915 kWh 3549 kWh 2366 kWh £962 £237 £1,199 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,635
8 kW 6760 kWh 4056 kWh 2704 kWh £1,100 £270 £1,370 £18,376 13.4 yrs £9,025

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: £929, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1183 kWh 507 kWh £321 £51 £371 £7,569 20.4 yrs £-140
3 kW 2535 kWh 1775 kWh 761 kWh £481 £76 £557 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,540
4 kW 3380 kWh 2366 kWh 1014 kWh £641 £101 £743 £11,638 15.7 yrs £3,219
5 kW 4225 kWh 2958 kWh 1268 kWh £802 £127 £929 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,899
6 kW 5070 kWh 3549 kWh 1521 kWh £962 £152 £1,114 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,579
7 kW 5915 kWh 4141 kWh 1775 kWh £1,123 £177 £1,300 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,259
8 kW 6760 kWh 4732 kWh 2028 kWh £1,283 £203 £1,486 £19,776 13.3 yrs £9,939

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: £950, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1234 kWh 456 kWh £334 £46 £380 £9,319 24.5 yrs £-1,717
3 kW 2535 kWh 1851 kWh 684 kWh £502 £68 £570 £11,354 19.9 yrs £50
4 kW 3380 kWh 2468 kWh 913 kWh £669 £91 £760 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,816
5 kW 4225 kWh 3084 kWh 1141 kWh £836 £114 £950 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,583
6 kW 5070 kWh 3701 kWh 1369 kWh £1,003 £137 £1,140 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,350
7 kW 5915 kWh 4318 kWh 1597 kWh £1,171 £160 £1,330 £19,492 14.7 yrs £7,116
8 kW 6760 kWh 4935 kWh 1825 kWh £1,338 £183 £1,520 £21,526 14.2 yrs £8,883

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: £965, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1268 kWh 423 kWh £344 £42 £386 £11,069 28.7 yrs £-3,351
3 kW 2535 kWh 1901 kWh 634 kWh £515 £63 £579 £13,104 22.6 yrs £-1,527
4 kW 3380 kWh 2535 kWh 845 kWh £687 £85 £772 £15,138 19.6 yrs £298
5 kW 4225 kWh 3169 kWh 1056 kWh £859 £106 £965 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,122
6 kW 5070 kWh 3803 kWh 1268 kWh £1,031 £127 £1,158 £19,207 16.6 yrs £3,947
7 kW 5915 kWh 4437 kWh 1479 kWh £1,203 £148 £1,351 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,771
8 kW 6760 kWh 5070 kWh 1690 kWh £1,375 £169 £1,544 £23,276 15.1 yrs £7,596

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: £979, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1301 kWh 389 kWh £353 £39 £392 £13,519 34.5 yrs £-5,685
3 kW 2535 kWh 1952 kWh 583 kWh £529 £58 £588 £15,554 26.5 yrs £-3,803
4 kW 3380 kWh 2603 kWh 777 kWh £706 £78 £783 £17,588 22.5 yrs £-1,921
5 kW 4225 kWh 3253 kWh 972 kWh £882 £97 £979 £19,623 20.0 yrs £-39
6 kW 5070 kWh 3904 kWh 1166 kWh £1,058 £117 £1,175 £21,657 18.4 yrs £1,844
7 kW 5915 kWh 4555 kWh 1361 kWh £1,235 £136 £1,371 £23,692 17.3 yrs £3,726
8 kW 6760 kWh 5206 kWh 1555 kWh £1,411 £155 £1,567 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,608

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 OL7

Figures below are tailored to OL7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1976 of 2182
4.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2622 of 2997
12.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£656 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2596 of 2997
28.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£656 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
845kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~845 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: 69% • Flats: 27% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 4,714 properties

Coverage

Tameside (100%)

Areas Covered

St Peter's, Ashton Waterloo, Audenshaw, Droylsden East

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

OL6 (Tameside)
≈1.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~842 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL7
SK16 (Tameside)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~842 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL7
M43 (Tameside)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~845 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL7
SK15 (Tameside)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~841 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL7
M35 (Oldham)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL7
M34 (Tameside)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~845 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL7

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH53 (West Lothian)
~845 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL7
PA7 (Renfrewshire)
~845 kWh/kWp · -0% vs OL7
FK12 (Clackmannanshire)
~845 kWh/kWp · +0% vs OL7