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 1011 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.
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 | 2021 kWh | 809 kWh | 1213 kWh | £215 | £121 | £336 | £4,069 | 12.1 yrs | £2,647 |
| 3 kW | 3032 kWh | 1213 kWh | 1819 kWh | £322 | £182 | £504 | £6,104 | 12.1 yrs | £3,970 |
| 4 kW | 4043 kWh | 1617 kWh | 2426 kWh | £429 | £243 | £672 | £8,138 | 12.1 yrs | £5,294 |
| 5 kW | 5054 kWh | 2021 kWh | 3032 kWh | £536 | £303 | £839 | £10,173 | 12.1 yrs | £6,617 |
| 6 kW | 6064 kWh | 2426 kWh | 3639 kWh | £644 | £364 | £1,007 | £12,207 | 12.1 yrs | £7,941 |
| 7 kW | 7075 kWh | 2830 kWh | 4245 kWh | £751 | £424 | £1,175 | £14,242 | 12.1 yrs | £9,264 |
| 8 kW | 8086 kWh | 3234 kWh | 4851 kWh | £858 | £485 | £1,343 | £16,276 | 12.1 yrs | £10,588 |
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: £1,007, 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 | 2021 kWh | 1213 kWh | 809 kWh | £322 | £81 | £403 | £6,169 | 15.3 yrs | £1,884 |
| 3 kW | 3032 kWh | 1819 kWh | 1213 kWh | £483 | £121 | £604 | £8,204 | 13.6 yrs | £3,875 |
| 4 kW | 4043 kWh | 2426 kWh | 1617 kWh | £644 | £162 | £805 | £10,238 | 12.7 yrs | £5,867 |
| 5 kW | 5054 kWh | 3032 kWh | 2021 kWh | £804 | £202 | £1,007 | £12,273 | 12.2 yrs | £7,859 |
| 6 kW | 6064 kWh | 3639 kWh | 2426 kWh | £965 | £243 | £1,208 | £14,307 | 11.8 yrs | £9,851 |
| 7 kW | 7075 kWh | 4245 kWh | 2830 kWh | £1,126 | £283 | £1,409 | £16,342 | 11.6 yrs | £11,842 |
| 8 kW | 8086 kWh | 4851 kWh | 3234 kWh | £1,287 | £323 | £1,611 | £18,376 | 11.4 yrs | £13,834 |
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: £1,090, Upfront: £13,673, 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 | 2021 kWh | 1415 kWh | 606 kWh | £375 | £61 | £436 | £7,569 | 17.4 yrs | £1,152 |
| 3 kW | 3032 kWh | 2122 kWh | 910 kWh | £563 | £91 | £654 | £9,604 | 14.7 yrs | £3,478 |
| 4 kW | 4043 kWh | 2830 kWh | 1213 kWh | £751 | £121 | £872 | £11,638 | 13.3 yrs | £5,804 |
| 5 kW | 5054 kWh | 3537 kWh | 1516 kWh | £938 | £152 | £1,090 | £13,673 | 12.5 yrs | £8,129 |
| 6 kW | 6064 kWh | 4245 kWh | 1819 kWh | £1,126 | £182 | £1,308 | £15,707 | 12.0 yrs | £10,455 |
| 7 kW | 7075 kWh | 4952 kWh | 2122 kWh | £1,314 | £212 | £1,526 | £17,742 | 11.6 yrs | £12,781 |
| 8 kW | 8086 kWh | 5660 kWh | 2426 kWh | £1,502 | £243 | £1,744 | £19,776 | 11.3 yrs | £15,107 |
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: £1,115, 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 | 2021 kWh | 1476 kWh | 546 kWh | £391 | £55 | £446 | £9,319 | 20.9 yrs | £-398 |
| 3 kW | 3032 kWh | 2213 kWh | 819 kWh | £587 | £82 | £669 | £11,354 | 17.0 yrs | £2,028 |
| 4 kW | 4043 kWh | 2951 kWh | 1092 kWh | £783 | £109 | £892 | £13,388 | 15.0 yrs | £4,455 |
| 5 kW | 5054 kWh | 3689 kWh | 1364 kWh | £979 | £136 | £1,115 | £15,423 | 13.8 yrs | £6,881 |
| 6 kW | 6064 kWh | 4427 kWh | 1637 kWh | £1,174 | £164 | £1,338 | £17,457 | 13.0 yrs | £9,307 |
| 7 kW | 7075 kWh | 5165 kWh | 1910 kWh | £1,370 | £191 | £1,561 | £19,492 | 12.5 yrs | £11,733 |
| 8 kW | 8086 kWh | 5903 kWh | 2183 kWh | £1,566 | £218 | £1,784 | £21,526 | 12.1 yrs | £14,159 |
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: £1,132, 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 | 2021 kWh | 1516 kWh | 505 kWh | £402 | £51 | £453 | £11,069 | 24.4 yrs | £-2,014 |
| 3 kW | 3032 kWh | 2274 kWh | 758 kWh | £603 | £76 | £679 | £13,104 | 19.3 yrs | £479 |
| 4 kW | 4043 kWh | 3032 kWh | 1011 kWh | £804 | £101 | £905 | £15,138 | 16.7 yrs | £2,972 |
| 5 kW | 5054 kWh | 3790 kWh | 1263 kWh | £1,006 | £126 | £1,132 | £17,173 | 15.2 yrs | £5,465 |
| 6 kW | 6064 kWh | 4548 kWh | 1516 kWh | £1,207 | £152 | £1,358 | £19,207 | 14.1 yrs | £7,958 |
| 7 kW | 7075 kWh | 5306 kWh | 1769 kWh | £1,408 | £177 | £1,585 | £21,242 | 13.4 yrs | £10,451 |
| 8 kW | 8086 kWh | 6064 kWh | 2021 kWh | £1,609 | £202 | £1,811 | £23,276 | 12.9 yrs | £12,944 |
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: £1,149, 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 | 2021 kWh | 1556 kWh | 465 kWh | £413 | £46 | £459 | £13,519 | 29.4 yrs | £-4,330 |
| 3 kW | 3032 kWh | 2335 kWh | 697 kWh | £619 | £70 | £689 | £15,554 | 22.6 yrs | £-1,771 |
| 4 kW | 4043 kWh | 3113 kWh | 930 kWh | £826 | £93 | £919 | £17,588 | 19.1 yrs | £789 |
| 5 kW | 5054 kWh | 3891 kWh | 1162 kWh | £1,032 | £116 | £1,149 | £19,623 | 17.1 yrs | £3,349 |
| 6 kW | 6064 kWh | 4669 kWh | 1395 kWh | £1,239 | £139 | £1,378 | £21,657 | 15.7 yrs | £5,909 |
| 7 kW | 7075 kWh | 5448 kWh | 1627 kWh | £1,445 | £163 | £1,608 | £23,692 | 14.7 yrs | £8,469 |
| 8 kW | 8086 kWh | 6226 kWh | 1860 kWh | £1,652 | £186 | £1,838 | £25,726 | 14.0 yrs | £11,028 |
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.