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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL31 (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
12.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£821
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,357
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 982 kWh/kW — 32 below 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 982 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)
982 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: £821, 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 1964 kWh 785 kWh 1178 kWh £211 £118 £328 £4,069 12.4 yrs £2,500
3 kW 2945 kWh 1178 kWh 1767 kWh £316 £177 £493 £6,104 12.4 yrs £3,750
4 kW 3927 kWh 1571 kWh 2356 kWh £421 £236 £657 £8,138 12.4 yrs £5,001
5 kW 4909 kWh 1964 kWh 2945 kWh £527 £295 £821 £10,173 12.4 yrs £6,251
6 kW 5891 kWh 2356 kWh 3534 kWh £632 £353 £985 £12,207 12.4 yrs £7,501
7 kW 6873 kWh 2749 kWh 4124 kWh £737 £412 £1,150 £14,242 12.4 yrs £8,751
8 kW 7854 kWh 3142 kWh 4713 kWh £843 £471 £1,314 £16,276 12.4 yrs £10,001

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: £986, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1964 kWh 1178 kWh 785 kWh £316 £79 £395 £6,169 15.6 yrs £1,721
3 kW 2945 kWh 1767 kWh 1178 kWh £474 £118 £592 £8,204 13.9 yrs £3,632
4 kW 3927 kWh 2356 kWh 1571 kWh £632 £157 £789 £10,238 13.0 yrs £5,543
5 kW 4909 kWh 2945 kWh 1964 kWh £790 £196 £986 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,454
6 kW 5891 kWh 3534 kWh 2356 kWh £948 £236 £1,184 £14,307 12.1 yrs £9,364
7 kW 6873 kWh 4124 kWh 2749 kWh £1,106 £275 £1,381 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,275
8 kW 7854 kWh 4713 kWh 3142 kWh £1,264 £314 £1,578 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,186

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: £1,069, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1964 kWh 1375 kWh 589 kWh £369 £59 £428 £7,569 17.7 yrs £982
3 kW 2945 kWh 2062 kWh 884 kWh £553 £88 £641 £9,604 15.0 yrs £3,223
4 kW 3927 kWh 2749 kWh 1178 kWh £737 £118 £855 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,464
5 kW 4909 kWh 3436 kWh 1473 kWh £922 £147 £1,069 £13,673 12.8 yrs £7,705
6 kW 5891 kWh 4124 kWh 1767 kWh £1,106 £177 £1,283 £15,707 12.2 yrs £9,946
7 kW 6873 kWh 4811 kWh 2062 kWh £1,290 £206 £1,496 £17,742 11.9 yrs £12,187
8 kW 7854 kWh 5498 kWh 2356 kWh £1,475 £236 £1,710 £19,776 11.6 yrs £14,428

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: £1,094, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1964 kWh 1433 kWh 530 kWh £384 £53 £437 £9,319 21.3 yrs £-570
3 kW 2945 kWh 2150 kWh 795 kWh £577 £80 £656 £11,354 17.3 yrs £1,770
4 kW 3927 kWh 2867 kWh 1060 kWh £769 £106 £875 £13,388 15.3 yrs £4,110
5 kW 4909 kWh 3584 kWh 1325 kWh £961 £133 £1,094 £15,423 14.1 yrs £6,450
6 kW 5891 kWh 4300 kWh 1590 kWh £1,153 £159 £1,312 £17,457 13.3 yrs £8,790
7 kW 6873 kWh 5017 kWh 1856 kWh £1,346 £186 £1,531 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,130
8 kW 7854 kWh 5734 kWh 2121 kWh £1,538 £212 £1,750 £21,526 12.3 yrs £13,471

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: £1,110, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1964 kWh 1473 kWh 491 kWh £395 £49 £444 £11,069 24.9 yrs £-2,188
3 kW 2945 kWh 2209 kWh 736 kWh £592 £74 £666 £13,104 19.7 yrs £218
4 kW 3927 kWh 2945 kWh 982 kWh £790 £98 £888 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,625
5 kW 4909 kWh 3682 kWh 1227 kWh £987 £123 £1,110 £17,173 15.5 yrs £5,031
6 kW 5891 kWh 4418 kWh 1473 kWh £1,185 £147 £1,332 £19,207 14.4 yrs £7,437
7 kW 6873 kWh 5154 kWh 1718 kWh £1,382 £172 £1,554 £21,242 13.7 yrs £9,843
8 kW 7854 kWh 5891 kWh 1964 kWh £1,580 £196 £1,776 £23,276 13.1 yrs £12,249

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: £1,127, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1964 kWh 1512 kWh 452 kWh £406 £45 £451 £13,519 30.0 yrs £-4,506
3 kW 2945 kWh 2268 kWh 677 kWh £608 £68 £676 £15,554 23.0 yrs £-2,033
4 kW 3927 kWh 3024 kWh 903 kWh £811 £90 £901 £17,588 19.5 yrs £439
5 kW 4909 kWh 3780 kWh 1129 kWh £1,014 £113 £1,127 £19,623 17.4 yrs £2,911
6 kW 5891 kWh 4536 kWh 1355 kWh £1,217 £135 £1,352 £21,657 16.0 yrs £5,383
7 kW 6873 kWh 5292 kWh 1581 kWh £1,419 £158 £1,577 £23,692 15.0 yrs £7,855
8 kW 7854 kWh 6048 kWh 1806 kWh £1,622 £181 £1,803 £25,726 14.3 yrs £10,327

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 PL31

Figures below are tailored to PL31 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1335 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1040 of 2997
10.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£945 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1594 of 2997
20.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£945 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
982kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~982 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: 22% • Bungalows: 11% Based on 4,880 properties

Coverage

Cornwall (100%)

Areas Covered

Bodmin St Petroc's, Bodmin St Mary's & St Leonard, Lanivet, Blisland & Bodmin St Lawrence

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

PL30 (Cornwall)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL31
PL22 (Cornwall)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,019 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PL31
PL27 (Cornwall)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL31
PL24 (Cornwall)
≈13.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,049 kWh/kWp · +7% vs PL31
PL26 (Cornwall)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,028 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PL31
PL25 (Cornwall)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PL31

Similar sunshine across the UK

LN12 (East Lindsey)
~982 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL31
SN16 (Wiltshire)
~982 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL31
GL12 (Stroud)
~982 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL31