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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PE21 (Boston)

See if solar pays off for you in Boston — 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
12.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£824
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,419
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1016 kWh/kW — 47 above the regional median (968).

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 1016 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1016 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: £824, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2031 kWh 812 kWh 1219 kWh £208 £122 £329 £4,069 12.4 yrs £2,520
3 kW 3047 kWh 1219 kWh 1828 kWh £311 £183 £494 £6,104 12.4 yrs £3,780
4 kW 4062 kWh 1625 kWh 2437 kWh £415 £244 £659 £8,138 12.4 yrs £5,041
5 kW 5078 kWh 2031 kWh 3047 kWh £519 £305 £824 £10,173 12.4 yrs £6,301
6 kW 6094 kWh 2437 kWh 3656 kWh £623 £366 £988 £12,207 12.4 yrs £7,561
7 kW 7109 kWh 2844 kWh 4266 kWh £727 £427 £1,153 £14,242 12.4 yrs £8,821
8 kW 8125 kWh 3250 kWh 4875 kWh £830 £487 £1,318 £16,276 12.4 yrs £10,081

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: £982, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2031 kWh 1219 kWh 812 kWh £311 £81 £393 £6,169 15.7 yrs £1,684
3 kW 3047 kWh 1828 kWh 1219 kWh £467 £122 £589 £8,204 13.9 yrs £3,576
4 kW 4062 kWh 2437 kWh 1625 kWh £623 £162 £785 £10,238 13.0 yrs £5,467
5 kW 5078 kWh 3047 kWh 2031 kWh £778 £203 £982 £12,273 12.5 yrs £7,359
6 kW 6094 kWh 3656 kWh 2437 kWh £934 £244 £1,178 £14,307 12.1 yrs £9,251
7 kW 7109 kWh 4266 kWh 2844 kWh £1,090 £284 £1,374 £16,342 11.9 yrs £11,143
8 kW 8125 kWh 4875 kWh 3250 kWh £1,246 £325 £1,571 £18,376 11.7 yrs £13,035

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: £1,061, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2031 kWh 1422 kWh 609 kWh £363 £61 £424 £7,569 17.8 yrs £915
3 kW 3047 kWh 2133 kWh 914 kWh £545 £91 £636 £9,604 15.1 yrs £3,123
4 kW 4062 kWh 2844 kWh 1219 kWh £727 £122 £848 £11,638 13.7 yrs £5,331
5 kW 5078 kWh 3555 kWh 1523 kWh £908 £152 £1,061 £13,673 12.9 yrs £7,538
6 kW 6094 kWh 4266 kWh 1828 kWh £1,090 £183 £1,273 £15,707 12.3 yrs £9,746
7 kW 7109 kWh 4976 kWh 2133 kWh £1,271 £213 £1,485 £17,742 11.9 yrs £11,954
8 kW 8125 kWh 5687 kWh 2437 kWh £1,453 £244 £1,697 £19,776 11.7 yrs £14,162

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: £1,084, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2031 kWh 1483 kWh 548 kWh £379 £55 £434 £9,319 21.5 yrs £-645
3 kW 3047 kWh 2224 kWh 823 kWh £568 £82 £651 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,657
4 kW 4062 kWh 2966 kWh 1097 kWh £758 £110 £867 £13,388 15.4 yrs £3,960
5 kW 5078 kWh 3707 kWh 1371 kWh £947 £137 £1,084 £15,423 14.2 yrs £6,262
6 kW 6094 kWh 4448 kWh 1645 kWh £1,137 £165 £1,301 £17,457 13.4 yrs £8,565
7 kW 7109 kWh 5190 kWh 1920 kWh £1,326 £192 £1,518 £19,492 12.8 yrs £10,867
8 kW 8125 kWh 5931 kWh 2194 kWh £1,515 £219 £1,735 £21,526 12.4 yrs £13,170

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: £1,100, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2031 kWh 1523 kWh 508 kWh £389 £51 £440 £11,069 25.2 yrs £-2,269
3 kW 3047 kWh 2285 kWh 762 kWh £584 £76 £660 £13,104 19.9 yrs £97
4 kW 4062 kWh 3047 kWh 1016 kWh £778 £102 £880 £15,138 17.2 yrs £2,462
5 kW 5078 kWh 3809 kWh 1270 kWh £973 £127 £1,100 £17,173 15.6 yrs £4,828
6 kW 6094 kWh 4570 kWh 1523 kWh £1,168 £152 £1,320 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,194
7 kW 7109 kWh 5332 kWh 1777 kWh £1,362 £178 £1,540 £21,242 13.8 yrs £9,559
8 kW 8125 kWh 6094 kWh 2031 kWh £1,557 £203 £1,760 £23,276 13.2 yrs £11,925

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: £1,116, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2031 kWh 1564 kWh 467 kWh £400 £47 £446 £13,519 30.3 yrs £-4,592
3 kW 3047 kWh 2346 kWh 701 kWh £599 £70 £669 £15,554 23.2 yrs £-2,164
4 kW 4062 kWh 3128 kWh 934 kWh £799 £93 £893 £17,588 19.7 yrs £265
5 kW 5078 kWh 3910 kWh 1168 kWh £999 £117 £1,116 £19,623 17.6 yrs £2,694
6 kW 6094 kWh 4692 kWh 1402 kWh £1,199 £140 £1,339 £21,657 16.2 yrs £5,123
7 kW 7109 kWh 5474 kWh 1635 kWh £1,399 £164 £1,562 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,552
8 kW 8125 kWh 6256 kWh 1869 kWh £1,598 £187 £1,785 £25,726 14.4 yrs £9,980

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 PE21

Figures below are tailored to PE21 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1300 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1038 of 2997
10.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£942 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1233 of 2997
19.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£942 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
1016kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1016 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: 65% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 14,783 properties

Coverage

Boston (100%)

Areas Covered

Skirbeck, Trinity, Fishtoft, Witham, Wyberton, Station, St Thomas', Fenside + 4 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 East Midlands

PE20 (Boston)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,019 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PE21
PE22 (East Lindsey)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,010 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PE21
PE12 (South Holland)
≈19.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PE21
PE11 (South Holland)
≈22.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,009 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PE21
PE23 (East Lindsey)
≈23.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,006 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PE21
LN10 (East Lindsey)
≈23.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~980 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PE21

Similar sunshine across the UK

SO22 (Winchester)
~1,016 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PE21
ME2 (Medway)
~1,016 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PE21
TQ1 (Torbay)
~1,016 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PE21