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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL10 (Cornwall)

See if solar pays off for you in Cornwall — 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
11.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£897
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,251
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 Southern Western, the current unit rate is 26.82p/kWh with a 54.03p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1072 kWh/kW — 59 above the regional median (1013).

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 1072 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
54.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1072 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: £897, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2145 kWh 858 kWh 1287 kWh £230 £129 £359 £4,069 11.3 yrs £3,106
3 kW 3217 kWh 1287 kWh 1930 kWh £345 £193 £538 £6,104 11.3 yrs £4,660
4 kW 4290 kWh 1716 kWh 2574 kWh £460 £257 £718 £8,138 11.3 yrs £6,213
5 kW 5362 kWh 2145 kWh 3217 kWh £575 £322 £897 £10,173 11.3 yrs £7,766
6 kW 6434 kWh 2574 kWh 3861 kWh £690 £386 £1,076 £12,207 11.3 yrs £9,319
7 kW 7507 kWh 3003 kWh 4504 kWh £805 £450 £1,256 £14,242 11.3 yrs £10,873
8 kW 8579 kWh 3432 kWh 5147 kWh £920 £515 £1,435 £16,276 11.3 yrs £12,426

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: £1,077, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2145 kWh 1287 kWh 858 kWh £345 £86 £431 £6,169 14.3 yrs £2,449
3 kW 3217 kWh 1930 kWh 1287 kWh £518 £129 £646 £8,204 12.7 yrs £4,724
4 kW 4290 kWh 2574 kWh 1716 kWh £690 £172 £862 £10,238 11.9 yrs £6,999
5 kW 5362 kWh 3217 kWh 2145 kWh £863 £214 £1,077 £12,273 11.4 yrs £9,274
6 kW 6434 kWh 3861 kWh 2574 kWh £1,035 £257 £1,293 £14,307 11.1 yrs £11,548
7 kW 7507 kWh 4504 kWh 3003 kWh £1,208 £300 £1,508 £16,342 10.8 yrs £13,823
8 kW 8579 kWh 5147 kWh 3432 kWh £1,381 £343 £1,724 £18,376 10.7 yrs £16,098

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: £1,168, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2145 kWh 1501 kWh 643 kWh £403 £64 £467 £7,569 16.2 yrs £1,771
3 kW 3217 kWh 2252 kWh 965 kWh £604 £97 £701 £9,604 13.7 yrs £4,406
4 kW 4290 kWh 3003 kWh 1287 kWh £805 £129 £934 £11,638 12.5 yrs £7,042
5 kW 5362 kWh 3753 kWh 1609 kWh £1,007 £161 £1,168 £13,673 11.7 yrs £9,677
6 kW 6434 kWh 4504 kWh 1930 kWh £1,208 £193 £1,401 £15,707 11.2 yrs £12,313
7 kW 7507 kWh 5255 kWh 2252 kWh £1,409 £225 £1,635 £17,742 10.9 yrs £14,948
8 kW 8579 kWh 6005 kWh 2574 kWh £1,611 £257 £1,868 £19,776 10.6 yrs £17,584

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: £1,195, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2145 kWh 1566 kWh 579 kWh £420 £58 £478 £9,319 19.5 yrs £237
3 kW 3217 kWh 2349 kWh 869 kWh £630 £87 £717 £11,354 15.8 yrs £2,981
4 kW 4290 kWh 3131 kWh 1158 kWh £840 £116 £956 £13,388 14.0 yrs £5,725
5 kW 5362 kWh 3914 kWh 1448 kWh £1,050 £145 £1,195 £15,423 12.9 yrs £8,469
6 kW 6434 kWh 4697 kWh 1737 kWh £1,260 £174 £1,433 £17,457 12.2 yrs £11,212
7 kW 7507 kWh 5480 kWh 2027 kWh £1,470 £203 £1,672 £19,492 11.7 yrs £13,956
8 kW 8579 kWh 6263 kWh 2316 kWh £1,680 £232 £1,911 £21,526 11.3 yrs £16,700

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: £1,213, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2145 kWh 1609 kWh 536 kWh £431 £54 £485 £11,069 22.8 yrs £-1,368
3 kW 3217 kWh 2413 kWh 804 kWh £647 £80 £728 £13,104 18.0 yrs £1,448
4 kW 4290 kWh 3217 kWh 1072 kWh £863 £107 £970 £15,138 15.6 yrs £4,263
5 kW 5362 kWh 4021 kWh 1340 kWh £1,079 £134 £1,213 £17,173 14.2 yrs £7,079
6 kW 6434 kWh 4826 kWh 1609 kWh £1,294 £161 £1,455 £19,207 13.2 yrs £9,895
7 kW 7507 kWh 5630 kWh 1877 kWh £1,510 £188 £1,698 £21,242 12.5 yrs £12,711
8 kW 8579 kWh 6434 kWh 2145 kWh £1,726 £214 £1,940 £23,276 12.0 yrs £15,527

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: £1,231, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2145 kWh 1651 kWh 493 kWh £443 £49 £492 £13,519 27.5 yrs £-3,674
3 kW 3217 kWh 2477 kWh 740 kWh £664 £74 £738 £15,554 21.1 yrs £-786
4 kW 4290 kWh 3303 kWh 987 kWh £886 £99 £985 £17,588 17.9 yrs £2,102
5 kW 5362 kWh 4129 kWh 1233 kWh £1,107 £123 £1,231 £19,623 15.9 yrs £4,990
6 kW 6434 kWh 4954 kWh 1480 kWh £1,329 £148 £1,477 £21,657 14.7 yrs £7,878
7 kW 7507 kWh 5780 kWh 1727 kWh £1,550 £173 £1,723 £23,692 13.8 yrs £10,766
8 kW 8579 kWh 6606 kWh 1973 kWh £1,772 £197 £1,969 £25,726 13.1 yrs £13,654

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 PL10

Figures below are tailored to PL10 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #584 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #161 of 2997
9.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,032 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1242 of 2997
19.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,032 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1072kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1072 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: 69% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 20% Based on 1,231 properties

Coverage

Cornwall (100%)

Areas Covered

Rame Peninsula & St Germans, Torpoint

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 Southern Western

PL11 (Cornwall)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL10
PL1 (Plymouth)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL10
PL2 (Plymouth)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,076 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL10
PL4 (Plymouth)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL10
PL12 (Cornwall)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,041 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PL10
PL3 (Plymouth)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL10

Similar sunshine across the UK

PO12 (Gosport)
~1,072 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL10
BH15 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL10
TN32 (Rother)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL10