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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL13 (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
11.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,050
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,043
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 1046 kWh/kW — 33 above the regional median (1013).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1046 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)
1046 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: £875, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2092 kWh 837 kWh 1255 kWh £224 £126 £350 £4,069 11.6 yrs £2,931
3 kW 3138 kWh 1255 kWh 1883 kWh £337 £188 £525 £6,104 11.6 yrs £4,396
4 kW 4185 kWh 1674 kWh 2511 kWh £449 £251 £700 £8,138 11.6 yrs £5,862
5 kW 5231 kWh 2092 kWh 3138 kWh £561 £314 £875 £10,173 11.6 yrs £7,327
6 kW 6277 kWh 2511 kWh 3766 kWh £673 £377 £1,050 £12,207 11.6 yrs £8,793
7 kW 7323 kWh 2929 kWh 4394 kWh £786 £439 £1,225 £14,242 11.6 yrs £10,258
8 kW 8369 kWh 3348 kWh 5021 kWh £898 £502 £1,400 £16,276 11.6 yrs £11,724

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: £1,051, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2092 kWh 1255 kWh 837 kWh £337 £84 £420 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,239
3 kW 3138 kWh 1883 kWh 1255 kWh £505 £126 £631 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,408
4 kW 4185 kWh 2511 kWh 1674 kWh £673 £167 £841 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,577
5 kW 5231 kWh 3138 kWh 2092 kWh £842 £209 £1,051 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,746
6 kW 6277 kWh 3766 kWh 2511 kWh £1,010 £251 £1,261 £14,307 11.3 yrs £10,916
7 kW 7323 kWh 4394 kWh 2929 kWh £1,178 £293 £1,471 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,085
8 kW 8369 kWh 5021 kWh 3348 kWh £1,347 £335 £1,682 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,254

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: £1,139, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2092 kWh 1465 kWh 628 kWh £393 £63 £456 £7,569 16.6 yrs £1,542
3 kW 3138 kWh 2197 kWh 942 kWh £589 £94 £683 £9,604 14.1 yrs £4,064
4 kW 4185 kWh 2929 kWh 1255 kWh £786 £126 £911 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,585
5 kW 5231 kWh 3661 kWh 1569 kWh £982 £157 £1,139 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,106
6 kW 6277 kWh 4394 kWh 1883 kWh £1,178 £188 £1,367 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,627
7 kW 7323 kWh 5126 kWh 2197 kWh £1,375 £220 £1,595 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,149
8 kW 8369 kWh 5858 kWh 2511 kWh £1,571 £251 £1,822 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,670

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: £1,165, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2092 kWh 1527 kWh 565 kWh £410 £56 £466 £9,319 20.0 yrs £4
3 kW 3138 kWh 2291 kWh 847 kWh £614 £85 £699 £11,354 16.2 yrs £2,630
4 kW 4185 kWh 3055 kWh 1130 kWh £819 £113 £932 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,257
5 kW 5231 kWh 3818 kWh 1412 kWh £1,024 £141 £1,165 £15,423 13.2 yrs £7,884
6 kW 6277 kWh 4582 kWh 1695 kWh £1,229 £169 £1,398 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,511
7 kW 7323 kWh 5346 kWh 1977 kWh £1,434 £198 £1,631 £19,492 11.9 yrs £13,138
8 kW 8369 kWh 6109 kWh 2260 kWh £1,639 £226 £1,865 £21,526 11.5 yrs £15,764

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: £1,183, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2092 kWh 1569 kWh 523 kWh £421 £52 £473 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,606
3 kW 3138 kWh 2354 kWh 785 kWh £631 £78 £710 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,092
4 kW 4185 kWh 3138 kWh 1046 kWh £842 £105 £946 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,789
5 kW 5231 kWh 3923 kWh 1308 kWh £1,052 £131 £1,183 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,486
6 kW 6277 kWh 4708 kWh 1569 kWh £1,263 £157 £1,420 £19,207 13.5 yrs £9,183
7 kW 7323 kWh 5492 kWh 1831 kWh £1,473 £183 £1,656 £21,242 12.8 yrs £11,880
8 kW 8369 kWh 6277 kWh 2092 kWh £1,683 £209 £1,893 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,577

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: £1,201, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2092 kWh 1611 kWh 481 kWh £432 £48 £480 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,915
3 kW 3138 kWh 2417 kWh 722 kWh £648 £72 £720 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,147
4 kW 4185 kWh 3222 kWh 962 kWh £864 £96 £960 £17,588 18.3 yrs £1,620
5 kW 5231 kWh 4028 kWh 1203 kWh £1,080 £120 £1,201 £19,623 16.3 yrs £4,388
6 kW 6277 kWh 4833 kWh 1444 kWh £1,296 £144 £1,441 £21,657 15.0 yrs £7,155
7 kW 7323 kWh 5639 kWh 1684 kWh £1,512 £168 £1,681 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,923
8 kW 8369 kWh 6444 kWh 1925 kWh £1,728 £192 £1,921 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,691

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 PL13

Figures below are tailored to PL13 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #646 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #233 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,208 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #593 of 2997
16.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,208 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1046kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1046 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 55% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 26% Based on 3,462 properties

Coverage

Cornwall (100%)

Areas Covered

Looe East & Deviock, Looe West, Pelynt, Lansallos & Lanteglos, Lostwithiel & Lanreath, Liskeard South & Dobwalls

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

PL14 (Cornwall)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,026 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PL13
PL23 (Cornwall)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,041 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL13
PL22 (Cornwall)
≈15.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,019 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PL13
PL11 (Cornwall)
≈16.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PL13
PL12 (Cornwall)
≈16.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,041 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PL13
PL10 (Cornwall)
≈17.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,072 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PL13

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN17 (Tunbridge Wells)
~1,046 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL13
CO3 (Colchester)
~1,047 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL13
SS6 (Rochford)
~1,047 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL13