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 789 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.
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: £664, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1578 kWh | 631 kWh | 947 kWh | £171 | £95 | £266 | £4,069 | 15.3 yrs | £1,242 |
| 3 kW | 2368 kWh | 947 kWh | 1421 kWh | £256 | £142 | £398 | £6,104 | 15.3 yrs | £1,863 |
| 4 kW | 3157 kWh | 1263 kWh | 1894 kWh | £342 | £189 | £531 | £8,138 | 15.3 yrs | £2,484 |
| 5 kW | 3946 kWh | 1578 kWh | 2368 kWh | £427 | £237 | £664 | £10,173 | 15.3 yrs | £3,104 |
| 6 kW | 4735 kWh | 1894 kWh | 2841 kWh | £513 | £284 | £797 | £12,207 | 15.3 yrs | £3,725 |
| 7 kW | 5524 kWh | 2210 kWh | 3315 kWh | £598 | £331 | £929 | £14,242 | 15.3 yrs | £4,346 |
| 8 kW | 6313 kWh | 2525 kWh | 3788 kWh | £683 | £379 | £1,062 | £16,276 | 15.3 yrs | £4,967 |
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: £798, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1578 kWh | 947 kWh | 631 kWh | £256 | £63 | £319 | £6,169 | 19.3 yrs | £219 |
| 3 kW | 2368 kWh | 1421 kWh | 947 kWh | £384 | £95 | £479 | £8,204 | 17.1 yrs | £1,378 |
| 4 kW | 3157 kWh | 1894 kWh | 1263 kWh | £513 | £126 | £639 | £10,238 | 16.0 yrs | £2,538 |
| 5 kW | 3946 kWh | 2368 kWh | 1578 kWh | £641 | £158 | £798 | £12,273 | 15.4 yrs | £3,697 |
| 6 kW | 4735 kWh | 2841 kWh | 1894 kWh | £769 | £189 | £958 | £14,307 | 14.9 yrs | £4,857 |
| 7 kW | 5524 kWh | 3315 kWh | 2210 kWh | £897 | £221 | £1,118 | £16,342 | 14.6 yrs | £6,016 |
| 8 kW | 6313 kWh | 3788 kWh | 2525 kWh | £1,025 | £253 | £1,278 | £18,376 | 14.4 yrs | £7,175 |
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: £866, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1578 kWh | 1105 kWh | 474 kWh | £299 | £47 | £346 | £7,569 | 21.9 yrs | £-643 |
| 3 kW | 2368 kWh | 1657 kWh | 710 kWh | £448 | £71 | £519 | £9,604 | 18.5 yrs | £786 |
| 4 kW | 3157 kWh | 2210 kWh | 947 kWh | £598 | £95 | £693 | £11,638 | 16.8 yrs | £2,215 |
| 5 kW | 3946 kWh | 2762 kWh | 1184 kWh | £747 | £118 | £866 | £13,673 | 15.8 yrs | £3,643 |
| 6 kW | 4735 kWh | 3315 kWh | 1421 kWh | £897 | £142 | £1,039 | £15,707 | 15.1 yrs | £5,072 |
| 7 kW | 5524 kWh | 3867 kWh | 1657 kWh | £1,046 | £166 | £1,212 | £17,742 | 14.6 yrs | £6,501 |
| 8 kW | 6313 kWh | 4419 kWh | 1894 kWh | £1,196 | £189 | £1,385 | £19,776 | 14.3 yrs | £7,929 |
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: £886, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1578 kWh | 1152 kWh | 426 kWh | £312 | £43 | £354 | £9,319 | 26.3 yrs | £-2,231 |
| 3 kW | 2368 kWh | 1728 kWh | 639 kWh | £468 | £64 | £532 | £11,354 | 21.4 yrs | £-722 |
| 4 kW | 3157 kWh | 2304 kWh | 852 kWh | £624 | £85 | £709 | £13,388 | 18.9 yrs | £788 |
| 5 kW | 3946 kWh | 2880 kWh | 1065 kWh | £779 | £107 | £886 | £15,423 | 17.4 yrs | £2,297 |
| 6 kW | 4735 kWh | 3457 kWh | 1278 kWh | £935 | £128 | £1,063 | £17,457 | 16.4 yrs | £3,807 |
| 7 kW | 5524 kWh | 4033 kWh | 1492 kWh | £1,091 | £149 | £1,240 | £19,492 | 15.7 yrs | £5,316 |
| 8 kW | 6313 kWh | 4609 kWh | 1705 kWh | £1,247 | £170 | £1,418 | £21,526 | 15.2 yrs | £6,826 |
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: £899, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1578 kWh | 1184 kWh | 395 kWh | £320 | £39 | £360 | £11,069 | 30.8 yrs | £-3,873 |
| 3 kW | 2368 kWh | 1776 kWh | 592 kWh | £480 | £59 | £540 | £13,104 | 24.3 yrs | £-2,310 |
| 4 kW | 3157 kWh | 2368 kWh | 789 kWh | £641 | £79 | £720 | £15,138 | 21.0 yrs | £-747 |
| 5 kW | 3946 kWh | 2959 kWh | 986 kWh | £801 | £99 | £899 | £17,173 | 19.1 yrs | £817 |
| 6 kW | 4735 kWh | 3551 kWh | 1184 kWh | £961 | £118 | £1,079 | £19,207 | 17.8 yrs | £2,380 |
| 7 kW | 5524 kWh | 4143 kWh | 1381 kWh | £1,121 | £138 | £1,259 | £21,242 | 16.9 yrs | £3,943 |
| 8 kW | 6313 kWh | 4735 kWh | 1578 kWh | £1,281 | £158 | £1,439 | £23,276 | 16.2 yrs | £5,507 |
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: £913, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.5 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 1578 kWh | 1215 kWh | 363 kWh | £329 | £36 | £365 | £13,519 | 37.0 yrs | £-6,216 |
| 3 kW | 2368 kWh | 1823 kWh | 545 kWh | £493 | £54 | £548 | £15,554 | 28.4 yrs | £-4,598 |
| 4 kW | 3157 kWh | 2431 kWh | 726 kWh | £658 | £73 | £730 | £17,588 | 24.1 yrs | £-2,981 |
| 5 kW | 3946 kWh | 3038 kWh | 908 kWh | £822 | £91 | £913 | £19,623 | 21.5 yrs | £-1,364 |
| 6 kW | 4735 kWh | 3646 kWh | 1089 kWh | £987 | £109 | £1,096 | £21,657 | 19.8 yrs | £253 |
| 7 kW | 5524 kWh | 4254 kWh | 1271 kWh | £1,151 | £127 | £1,278 | £23,692 | 18.5 yrs | £1,870 |
| 8 kW | 6313 kWh | 4861 kWh | 1452 kWh | £1,315 | £145 | £1,461 | £25,726 | 17.6 yrs | £3,487 |
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.