Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL5 (Plymouth)

See if solar pays off for you in Plymouth — 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
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£720
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,858
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 1076 kWh/kW — 62 above the regional median (1013).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1076 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)
1076 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: £900, 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 2152 kWh 861 kWh 1291 kWh £231 £129 £360 £4,069 11.3 yrs £3,129
3 kW 3227 kWh 1291 kWh 1936 kWh £346 £194 £540 £6,104 11.3 yrs £4,694
4 kW 4303 kWh 1721 kWh 2582 kWh £462 £258 £720 £8,138 11.3 yrs £6,258
5 kW 5379 kWh 2152 kWh 3227 kWh £577 £323 £900 £10,173 11.3 yrs £7,823
6 kW 6455 kWh 2582 kWh 3873 kWh £692 £387 £1,080 £12,207 11.3 yrs £9,388
7 kW 7530 kWh 3012 kWh 4518 kWh £808 £452 £1,260 £14,242 11.3 yrs £10,952
8 kW 8606 kWh 3442 kWh 5164 kWh £923 £516 £1,440 £16,276 11.3 yrs £12,517

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: £1,081, 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 2152 kWh 1291 kWh 861 kWh £346 £86 £432 £6,169 14.3 yrs £2,477
3 kW 3227 kWh 1936 kWh 1291 kWh £519 £129 £648 £8,204 12.7 yrs £4,765
4 kW 4303 kWh 2582 kWh 1721 kWh £692 £172 £865 £10,238 11.8 yrs £7,054
5 kW 5379 kWh 3227 kWh 2152 kWh £866 £215 £1,081 £12,273 11.4 yrs £9,342
6 kW 6455 kWh 3873 kWh 2582 kWh £1,039 £258 £1,297 £14,307 11.0 yrs £11,630
7 kW 7530 kWh 4518 kWh 3012 kWh £1,212 £301 £1,513 £16,342 10.8 yrs £13,919
8 kW 8606 kWh 5164 kWh 3442 kWh £1,385 £344 £1,729 £18,376 10.6 yrs £16,207

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: £1,171, 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 2152 kWh 1506 kWh 645 kWh £404 £65 £468 £7,569 16.2 yrs £1,801
3 kW 3227 kWh 2259 kWh 968 kWh £606 £97 £703 £9,604 13.7 yrs £4,451
4 kW 4303 kWh 3012 kWh 1291 kWh £808 £129 £937 £11,638 12.4 yrs £7,101
5 kW 5379 kWh 3765 kWh 1614 kWh £1,010 £161 £1,171 £13,673 11.7 yrs £9,751
6 kW 6455 kWh 4518 kWh 1936 kWh £1,212 £194 £1,405 £15,707 11.2 yrs £12,402
7 kW 7530 kWh 5271 kWh 2259 kWh £1,414 £226 £1,640 £17,742 10.8 yrs £15,052
8 kW 8606 kWh 6024 kWh 2582 kWh £1,616 £258 £1,874 £19,776 10.6 yrs £17,702

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: £1,198, 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 2152 kWh 1571 kWh 581 kWh £421 £58 £479 £9,319 19.4 yrs £268
3 kW 3227 kWh 2356 kWh 871 kWh £632 £87 £719 £11,354 15.8 yrs £3,027
4 kW 4303 kWh 3141 kWh 1162 kWh £842 £116 £959 £13,388 14.0 yrs £5,785
5 kW 5379 kWh 3927 kWh 1452 kWh £1,053 £145 £1,198 £15,423 12.9 yrs £8,544
6 kW 6455 kWh 4712 kWh 1743 kWh £1,264 £174 £1,438 £17,457 12.1 yrs £11,303
7 kW 7530 kWh 5497 kWh 2033 kWh £1,474 £203 £1,678 £19,492 11.6 yrs £14,062
8 kW 8606 kWh 6283 kWh 2324 kWh £1,685 £232 £1,917 £21,526 11.2 yrs £16,821

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: £1,216, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2152 kWh 1614 kWh 538 kWh £433 £54 £487 £11,069 22.7 yrs £-1,338
3 kW 3227 kWh 2421 kWh 807 kWh £649 £81 £730 £13,104 18.0 yrs £1,494
4 kW 4303 kWh 3227 kWh 1076 kWh £866 £108 £973 £15,138 15.6 yrs £4,325
5 kW 5379 kWh 4034 kWh 1345 kWh £1,082 £134 £1,216 £17,173 14.1 yrs £7,156
6 kW 6455 kWh 4841 kWh 1614 kWh £1,298 £161 £1,460 £19,207 13.2 yrs £9,987
7 kW 7530 kWh 5648 kWh 1883 kWh £1,515 £188 £1,703 £21,242 12.5 yrs £12,819
8 kW 8606 kWh 6455 kWh 2152 kWh £1,731 £215 £1,946 £23,276 12.0 yrs £15,650

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: £1,235, 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 2152 kWh 1657 kWh 495 kWh £444 £49 £494 £13,519 27.4 yrs £-3,643
3 kW 3227 kWh 2485 kWh 742 kWh £666 £74 £741 £15,554 21.0 yrs £-739
4 kW 4303 kWh 3313 kWh 990 kWh £889 £99 £988 £17,588 17.8 yrs £2,164
5 kW 5379 kWh 4142 kWh 1237 kWh £1,111 £124 £1,235 £19,623 15.9 yrs £5,068
6 kW 6455 kWh 4970 kWh 1485 kWh £1,333 £148 £1,481 £21,657 14.6 yrs £7,972
7 kW 7530 kWh 5798 kWh 1732 kWh £1,555 £173 £1,728 £23,692 13.7 yrs £10,875
8 kW 8606 kWh 6627 kWh 1979 kWh £1,777 £198 £1,975 £25,726 13.0 yrs £13,779

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 PL5

Figures below are tailored to PL5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1742 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #126 of 2997
9.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£828 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2123 of 2997
23.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£828 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1076kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1076 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 68% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 11,883 properties

Coverage

Plymouth (99%)|South Hams (1%)

Areas Covered

Honicknowle, St Budeaux, Budshead, Eggbuckland, Ham, Southway, Bickleigh & Cornwood

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

PL2 (Plymouth)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL5
PL6 (Plymouth)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PL5
PL3 (Plymouth)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL5
PL12 (Cornwall)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,041 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PL5
PL4 (Plymouth)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL5
PL1 (Plymouth)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL5

Similar sunshine across the UK

SO31 (Fareham)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL5
TN18 (Tunbridge Wells)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL5
BH10 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,075 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL5