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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL16 (West Devon)

See if solar pays off for you in West Devon — 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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£965
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,928
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 962 kWh/kW — 52 below 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 962 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)
962 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: £805, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1924 kWh 769 kWh 1154 kWh £206 £115 £322 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,367
3 kW 2886 kWh 1154 kWh 1731 kWh £310 £173 £483 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,551
4 kW 3847 kWh 1539 kWh 2308 kWh £413 £231 £644 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,734
5 kW 4809 kWh 1924 kWh 2886 kWh £516 £289 £805 £10,173 12.6 yrs £5,918
6 kW 5771 kWh 2308 kWh 3463 kWh £619 £346 £965 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,101
7 kW 6733 kWh 2693 kWh 4040 kWh £722 £404 £1,126 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,285
8 kW 7695 kWh 3078 kWh 4617 kWh £826 £462 £1,287 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,468

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: £966, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1924 kWh 1154 kWh 769 kWh £310 £77 £387 £6,169 16.0 yrs £1,561
3 kW 2886 kWh 1731 kWh 1154 kWh £464 £115 £580 £8,204 14.1 yrs £3,392
4 kW 3847 kWh 2308 kWh 1539 kWh £619 £154 £773 £10,238 13.2 yrs £5,223
5 kW 4809 kWh 2886 kWh 1924 kWh £774 £192 £966 £12,273 12.7 yrs £7,053
6 kW 5771 kWh 3463 kWh 2308 kWh £929 £231 £1,160 £14,307 12.3 yrs £8,884
7 kW 6733 kWh 4040 kWh 2693 kWh £1,083 £269 £1,353 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,715
8 kW 7695 kWh 4617 kWh 3078 kWh £1,238 £308 £1,546 £18,376 11.9 yrs £12,545

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: £1,047, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1924 kWh 1347 kWh 577 kWh £361 £58 £419 £7,569 18.1 yrs £808
3 kW 2886 kWh 2020 kWh 866 kWh £542 £87 £628 £9,604 15.3 yrs £2,963
4 kW 3847 kWh 2693 kWh 1154 kWh £722 £115 £838 £11,638 13.9 yrs £5,117
5 kW 4809 kWh 3367 kWh 1443 kWh £903 £144 £1,047 £13,673 13.1 yrs £7,271
6 kW 5771 kWh 4040 kWh 1731 kWh £1,083 £173 £1,257 £15,707 12.5 yrs £9,425
7 kW 6733 kWh 4713 kWh 2020 kWh £1,264 £202 £1,466 £17,742 12.1 yrs £11,580
8 kW 7695 kWh 5386 kWh 2308 kWh £1,445 £231 £1,676 £19,776 11.8 yrs £13,734

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: £1,071, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1924 kWh 1404 kWh 519 kWh £377 £52 £429 £9,319 21.7 yrs £-747
3 kW 2886 kWh 2106 kWh 779 kWh £565 £78 £643 £11,354 17.7 yrs £1,504
4 kW 3847 kWh 2809 kWh 1039 kWh £753 £104 £857 £13,388 15.6 yrs £3,755
5 kW 4809 kWh 3511 kWh 1299 kWh £942 £130 £1,071 £15,423 14.4 yrs £6,007
6 kW 5771 kWh 4213 kWh 1558 kWh £1,130 £156 £1,286 £17,457 13.6 yrs £8,258
7 kW 6733 kWh 4915 kWh 1818 kWh £1,318 £182 £1,500 £19,492 13.0 yrs £10,509
8 kW 7695 kWh 5617 kWh 2078 kWh £1,507 £208 £1,714 £21,526 12.6 yrs £12,761

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: £1,088, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1924 kWh 1443 kWh 481 kWh £387 £48 £435 £11,069 25.4 yrs £-2,368
3 kW 2886 kWh 2164 kWh 721 kWh £580 £72 £653 £13,104 20.1 yrs £-52
4 kW 3847 kWh 2886 kWh 962 kWh £774 £96 £870 £15,138 17.4 yrs £2,264
5 kW 4809 kWh 3607 kWh 1202 kWh £967 £120 £1,088 £17,173 15.8 yrs £4,580
6 kW 5771 kWh 4328 kWh 1443 kWh £1,161 £144 £1,305 £19,207 14.7 yrs £6,896
7 kW 6733 kWh 5050 kWh 1683 kWh £1,354 £168 £1,523 £21,242 14.0 yrs £9,212
8 kW 7695 kWh 5771 kWh 1924 kWh £1,548 £192 £1,740 £23,276 13.4 yrs £11,528

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: £1,104, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1924 kWh 1481 kWh 442 kWh £397 £44 £442 £13,519 30.6 yrs £-4,689
3 kW 2886 kWh 2222 kWh 664 kWh £596 £66 £662 £15,554 23.5 yrs £-2,308
4 kW 3847 kWh 2963 kWh 885 kWh £795 £88 £883 £17,588 19.9 yrs £73
5 kW 4809 kWh 3703 kWh 1106 kWh £993 £111 £1,104 £19,623 17.8 yrs £2,454
6 kW 5771 kWh 4444 kWh 1327 kWh £1,192 £133 £1,325 £21,657 16.4 yrs £4,834
7 kW 6733 kWh 5184 kWh 1549 kWh £1,390 £155 £1,545 £23,692 15.3 yrs £7,215
8 kW 7695 kWh 5925 kWh 1770 kWh £1,589 £177 £1,766 £25,726 14.6 yrs £9,596

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 PL16

Figures below are tailored to PL16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #171 of 2182
6.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1256 of 2997
11.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,111 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #931 of 2997
17.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,111 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
962kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~962 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: 76% • Flats: 3% • Bungalows: 21% Based on 638 properties

Coverage

West Devon (78%)|Torridge (14%)|Cornwall (8%)

Areas Covered

Tamarside, Broadheath, Milton Ford, Altarnun & Stoke Climsland, Bridestowe

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

PL15 (Cornwall)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~987 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PL16
PL19 (West Devon)
≈14.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~951 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PL16
PL18 (Cornwall)
≈14.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL16
PL17 (Cornwall)
≈15.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PL16
EX21 (Torridge)
≈18.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~962 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL16
EX22 (Torridge)
≈19.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~976 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL16

Similar sunshine across the UK

CV9 (North Warwickshire)
~962 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL16
B93 (Solihull)
~962 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL16
DE72 (Erewash)
~962 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL16