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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL35 (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
12.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£978
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,237
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 974 kWh/kW — 39 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 974 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)
974 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: £815, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1948 kWh 779 kWh 1169 kWh £209 £117 £326 £4,069 12.5 yrs £2,449
3 kW 2923 kWh 1169 kWh 1754 kWh £314 £175 £489 £6,104 12.5 yrs £3,674
4 kW 3897 kWh 1559 kWh 2338 kWh £418 £234 £652 £8,138 12.5 yrs £4,899
5 kW 4871 kWh 1948 kWh 2923 kWh £523 £292 £815 £10,173 12.5 yrs £6,124
6 kW 5845 kWh 2338 kWh 3507 kWh £627 £351 £978 £12,207 12.5 yrs £7,348
7 kW 6819 kWh 2728 kWh 4092 kWh £732 £409 £1,141 £14,242 12.5 yrs £8,573
8 kW 7793 kWh 3117 kWh 4676 kWh £836 £468 £1,304 £16,276 12.5 yrs £9,798

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: £979, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1948 kWh 1169 kWh 779 kWh £314 £78 £391 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,660
3 kW 2923 kWh 1754 kWh 1169 kWh £470 £117 £587 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,540
4 kW 3897 kWh 2338 kWh 1559 kWh £627 £156 £783 £10,238 13.1 yrs £5,421
5 kW 4871 kWh 2923 kWh 1948 kWh £784 £195 £979 £12,273 12.5 yrs £7,301
6 kW 5845 kWh 3507 kWh 2338 kWh £941 £234 £1,174 £14,307 12.2 yrs £9,181
7 kW 6819 kWh 4092 kWh 2728 kWh £1,097 £273 £1,370 £16,342 11.9 yrs £11,061
8 kW 7793 kWh 4676 kWh 3117 kWh £1,254 £312 £1,566 £18,376 11.7 yrs £12,941

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: £1,061, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1948 kWh 1364 kWh 585 kWh £366 £58 £424 £7,569 17.8 yrs £916
3 kW 2923 kWh 2046 kWh 877 kWh £549 £88 £636 £9,604 15.1 yrs £3,124
4 kW 3897 kWh 2728 kWh 1169 kWh £732 £117 £848 £11,638 13.7 yrs £5,331
5 kW 4871 kWh 3410 kWh 1461 kWh £914 £146 £1,061 £13,673 12.9 yrs £7,539
6 kW 5845 kWh 4092 kWh 1754 kWh £1,097 £175 £1,273 £15,707 12.3 yrs £9,747
7 kW 6819 kWh 4773 kWh 2046 kWh £1,280 £205 £1,485 £17,742 11.9 yrs £11,955
8 kW 7793 kWh 5455 kWh 2338 kWh £1,463 £234 £1,697 £19,776 11.7 yrs £14,163

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: £1,085, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1948 kWh 1422 kWh 526 kWh £381 £53 £434 £9,319 21.5 yrs £-638
3 kW 2923 kWh 2133 kWh 789 kWh £572 £79 £651 £11,354 17.4 yrs £1,668
4 kW 3897 kWh 2845 kWh 1052 kWh £763 £105 £868 £13,388 15.4 yrs £3,975
5 kW 4871 kWh 3556 kWh 1315 kWh £954 £132 £1,085 £15,423 14.2 yrs £6,281
6 kW 5845 kWh 4267 kWh 1578 kWh £1,144 £158 £1,302 £17,457 13.4 yrs £8,587
7 kW 6819 kWh 4978 kWh 1841 kWh £1,335 £184 £1,519 £19,492 12.8 yrs £10,893
8 kW 7793 kWh 5689 kWh 2104 kWh £1,526 £210 £1,736 £21,526 12.4 yrs £13,199

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: £1,102, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1948 kWh 1461 kWh 487 kWh £392 £49 £441 £11,069 25.1 yrs £-2,257
3 kW 2923 kWh 2192 kWh 731 kWh £588 £73 £661 £13,104 19.8 yrs £115
4 kW 3897 kWh 2923 kWh 974 kWh £784 £97 £881 £15,138 17.2 yrs £2,487
5 kW 4871 kWh 3653 kWh 1218 kWh £980 £122 £1,102 £17,173 15.6 yrs £4,859
6 kW 5845 kWh 4384 kWh 1461 kWh £1,176 £146 £1,322 £19,207 14.5 yrs £7,230
7 kW 6819 kWh 5114 kWh 1705 kWh £1,372 £170 £1,542 £21,242 13.8 yrs £9,602
8 kW 7793 kWh 5845 kWh 1948 kWh £1,568 £195 £1,762 £23,276 13.2 yrs £11,974

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: £1,118, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1948 kWh 1500 kWh 448 kWh £402 £45 £447 £13,519 30.2 yrs £-4,576
3 kW 2923 kWh 2250 kWh 672 kWh £604 £67 £671 £15,554 23.2 yrs £-2,138
4 kW 3897 kWh 3000 kWh 896 kWh £805 £90 £894 £17,588 19.7 yrs £299
5 kW 4871 kWh 3751 kWh 1120 kWh £1,006 £112 £1,118 £19,623 17.6 yrs £2,736
6 kW 5845 kWh 4501 kWh 1344 kWh £1,207 £134 £1,342 £21,657 16.1 yrs £5,173
7 kW 6819 kWh 5251 kWh 1568 kWh £1,408 £157 £1,565 £23,692 15.1 yrs £7,611
8 kW 7793 kWh 6001 kWh 1792 kWh £1,609 £179 £1,789 £25,726 14.4 yrs £10,048

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 PL35

Figures below are tailored to PL35 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #200 of 2182
6.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1041 of 2997
10.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,125 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #878 of 2997
17.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,125 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
974kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~974 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: 64% • Flats: 7% • Bungalows: 28% Based on 426 properties

Coverage

Cornwall (100%)

Areas Covered

Camelford & Boscastle

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

PL34 (Cornwall)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~964 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PL35
PL32 (Cornwall)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PL35
PL33 (Cornwall)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PL35
PL29 (Cornwall)
≈14.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~983 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL35
EX23 (Cornwall)
≈19.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,008 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PL35
PL30 (Cornwall)
≈21.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PL35

Similar sunshine across the UK

CV35 (Stratford-on-Avon)
~975 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL35
WR13 (Malvern Hills)
~975 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL35
NG24 (Newark and Sherwood)
~975 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL35