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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PL9 (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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,077
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,726
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 1073 kWh/kW — 60 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 1073 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)
1073 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: £898, 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 2147 kWh 859 kWh 1288 kWh £230 £129 £359 £4,069 11.3 yrs £3,113
3 kW 3220 kWh 1288 kWh 1932 kWh £345 £193 £539 £6,104 11.3 yrs £4,670
4 kW 4293 kWh 1717 kWh 2576 kWh £461 £258 £718 £8,138 11.3 yrs £6,226
5 kW 5367 kWh 2147 kWh 3220 kWh £576 £322 £898 £10,173 11.3 yrs £7,783
6 kW 6440 kWh 2576 kWh 3864 kWh £691 £386 £1,077 £12,207 11.3 yrs £9,339
7 kW 7514 kWh 3005 kWh 4508 kWh £806 £451 £1,257 £14,242 11.3 yrs £10,896
8 kW 8587 kWh 3435 kWh 5152 kWh £921 £515 £1,436 £16,276 11.3 yrs £12,452

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: £1,078, 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 2147 kWh 1288 kWh 859 kWh £345 £86 £431 £6,169 14.3 yrs £2,457
3 kW 3220 kWh 1932 kWh 1288 kWh £518 £129 £647 £8,204 12.7 yrs £4,736
4 kW 4293 kWh 2576 kWh 1717 kWh £691 £172 £863 £10,238 11.9 yrs £7,015
5 kW 5367 kWh 3220 kWh 2147 kWh £864 £215 £1,078 £12,273 11.4 yrs £9,294
6 kW 6440 kWh 3864 kWh 2576 kWh £1,036 £258 £1,294 £14,307 11.1 yrs £11,572
7 kW 7514 kWh 4508 kWh 3005 kWh £1,209 £301 £1,510 £16,342 10.8 yrs £13,851
8 kW 8587 kWh 5152 kWh 3435 kWh £1,382 £343 £1,725 £18,376 10.7 yrs £16,130

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: £1,169, 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 2147 kWh 1503 kWh 644 kWh £403 £64 £467 £7,569 16.2 yrs £1,780
3 kW 3220 kWh 2254 kWh 966 kWh £605 £97 £701 £9,604 13.7 yrs £4,419
4 kW 4293 kWh 3005 kWh 1288 kWh £806 £129 £935 £11,638 12.4 yrs £7,059
5 kW 5367 kWh 3757 kWh 1610 kWh £1,008 £161 £1,169 £13,673 11.7 yrs £9,699
6 kW 6440 kWh 4508 kWh 1932 kWh £1,209 £193 £1,402 £15,707 11.2 yrs £12,339
7 kW 7514 kWh 5260 kWh 2254 kWh £1,411 £225 £1,636 £17,742 10.8 yrs £14,979
8 kW 8587 kWh 6011 kWh 2576 kWh £1,612 £258 £1,870 £19,776 10.6 yrs £17,618

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: £1,196, 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 2147 kWh 1567 kWh 580 kWh £420 £58 £478 £9,319 19.5 yrs £246
3 kW 3220 kWh 2351 kWh 869 kWh £630 £87 £717 £11,354 15.8 yrs £2,994
4 kW 4293 kWh 3134 kWh 1159 kWh £841 £116 £957 £13,388 14.0 yrs £5,743
5 kW 5367 kWh 3918 kWh 1449 kWh £1,051 £145 £1,196 £15,423 12.9 yrs £8,491
6 kW 6440 kWh 4701 kWh 1739 kWh £1,261 £174 £1,435 £17,457 12.2 yrs £11,239
7 kW 7514 kWh 5485 kWh 2029 kWh £1,471 £203 £1,674 £19,492 11.6 yrs £13,987
8 kW 8587 kWh 6268 kWh 2318 kWh £1,681 £232 £1,913 £21,526 11.3 yrs £16,735

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: £1,214, 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 2147 kWh 1610 kWh 537 kWh £432 £54 £485 £11,069 22.8 yrs £-1,359
3 kW 3220 kWh 2415 kWh 805 kWh £648 £81 £728 £13,104 18.0 yrs £1,461
4 kW 4293 kWh 3220 kWh 1073 kWh £864 £107 £971 £15,138 15.6 yrs £4,281
5 kW 5367 kWh 4025 kWh 1342 kWh £1,080 £134 £1,214 £17,173 14.1 yrs £7,102
6 kW 6440 kWh 4830 kWh 1610 kWh £1,295 £161 £1,456 £19,207 13.2 yrs £9,922
7 kW 7514 kWh 5635 kWh 1878 kWh £1,511 £188 £1,699 £21,242 12.5 yrs £12,742
8 kW 8587 kWh 6440 kWh 2147 kWh £1,727 £215 £1,942 £23,276 12.0 yrs £15,563

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: £1,232, 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 2147 kWh 1653 kWh 494 kWh £443 £49 £493 £13,519 27.4 yrs £-3,665
3 kW 3220 kWh 2479 kWh 741 kWh £665 £74 £739 £15,554 21.0 yrs £-772
4 kW 4293 kWh 3306 kWh 988 kWh £887 £99 £985 £17,588 17.8 yrs £2,120
5 kW 5367 kWh 4132 kWh 1234 kWh £1,108 £123 £1,232 £19,623 15.9 yrs £5,013
6 kW 6440 kWh 4959 kWh 1481 kWh £1,330 £148 £1,478 £21,657 14.7 yrs £7,905
7 kW 7514 kWh 5785 kWh 1728 kWh £1,552 £173 £1,724 £23,692 13.7 yrs £10,798
8 kW 8587 kWh 6612 kWh 1975 kWh £1,773 £198 £1,971 £25,726 13.1 yrs £13,690

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 PL9

Figures below are tailored to PL9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #593 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #129 of 2997
9.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,240 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #549 of 2997
15.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,240 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1073kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1073 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: 70% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 8,962 properties

Coverage

Plymouth (81%)|South Hams (19%)

Areas Covered

Plymstock Radford, Plymstock Dunstone, Wembury & Brixton

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

PL95 (Plymouth)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PL9
PL4 (Plymouth)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL9
PL3 (Plymouth)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL9
PL1 (Plymouth)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,087 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL9
PL7 (Plymouth)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,081 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL9
PL8 (South Hams)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,081 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PL9

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN32 (Rother)
~1,073 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PL9
BH17 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,074 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL9
BH18 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,074 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PL9