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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PO18 (Chichester)

See if solar pays off for you in Chichester — 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
11.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,103
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,358
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, the current unit rate is 26.48p/kWh with a 44.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1108 kWh/kW — 106 above the regional median (1001).

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 1108 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1108 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: £919, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2215 kWh 886 kWh 1329 kWh £235 £133 £368 £4,069 11.1 yrs £3,282
3 kW 3323 kWh 1329 kWh 1994 kWh £352 £199 £551 £6,104 11.1 yrs £4,922
4 kW 4430 kWh 1772 kWh 2658 kWh £469 £266 £735 £8,138 11.1 yrs £6,563
5 kW 5538 kWh 2215 kWh 3323 kWh £587 £332 £919 £10,173 11.1 yrs £8,204
6 kW 6645 kWh 2658 kWh 3987 kWh £704 £399 £1,103 £12,207 11.1 yrs £9,845
7 kW 7753 kWh 3101 kWh 4652 kWh £821 £465 £1,286 £14,242 11.1 yrs £11,486
8 kW 8860 kWh 3544 kWh 5316 kWh £939 £532 £1,470 £16,276 11.1 yrs £13,127

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: £1,101, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2215 kWh 1329 kWh 886 kWh £352 £89 £441 £6,169 14.0 yrs £2,642
3 kW 3323 kWh 1994 kWh 1329 kWh £528 £133 £661 £8,204 12.4 yrs £5,013
4 kW 4430 kWh 2658 kWh 1772 kWh £704 £177 £881 £10,238 11.6 yrs £7,384
5 kW 5538 kWh 3323 kWh 2215 kWh £880 £222 £1,101 £12,273 11.1 yrs £9,755
6 kW 6645 kWh 3987 kWh 2658 kWh £1,056 £266 £1,322 £14,307 10.8 yrs £12,126
7 kW 7753 kWh 4652 kWh 3101 kWh £1,232 £310 £1,542 £16,342 10.6 yrs £14,496
8 kW 8860 kWh 5316 kWh 3544 kWh £1,408 £354 £1,762 £18,376 10.4 yrs £16,867

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: £1,193, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2215 kWh 1551 kWh 665 kWh £411 £66 £477 £7,569 15.9 yrs £1,972
3 kW 3323 kWh 2326 kWh 997 kWh £616 £100 £716 £9,604 13.4 yrs £4,708
4 kW 4430 kWh 3101 kWh 1329 kWh £821 £133 £954 £11,638 12.2 yrs £7,444
5 kW 5538 kWh 3876 kWh 1661 kWh £1,026 £166 £1,193 £13,673 11.5 yrs £10,180
6 kW 6645 kWh 4652 kWh 1994 kWh £1,232 £199 £1,431 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,916
7 kW 7753 kWh 5427 kWh 2326 kWh £1,437 £233 £1,670 £17,742 10.6 yrs £15,652
8 kW 8860 kWh 6202 kWh 2658 kWh £1,642 £266 £1,908 £19,776 10.4 yrs £18,388

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: £1,220, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2215 kWh 1617 kWh 598 kWh £428 £60 £488 £9,319 19.1 yrs £441
3 kW 3323 kWh 2426 kWh 897 kWh £642 £90 £732 £11,354 15.5 yrs £3,286
4 kW 4430 kWh 3234 kWh 1196 kWh £856 £120 £976 £13,388 13.7 yrs £6,132
5 kW 5538 kWh 4043 kWh 1495 kWh £1,070 £150 £1,220 £15,423 12.6 yrs £8,977
6 kW 6645 kWh 4851 kWh 1794 kWh £1,285 £179 £1,464 £17,457 11.9 yrs £11,823
7 kW 7753 kWh 5660 kWh 2093 kWh £1,499 £209 £1,708 £19,492 11.4 yrs £14,668
8 kW 8860 kWh 6468 kWh 2392 kWh £1,713 £239 £1,952 £21,526 11.0 yrs £17,514

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: £1,238, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2215 kWh 1661 kWh 554 kWh £440 £55 £495 £11,069 22.3 yrs £-1,163
3 kW 3323 kWh 2492 kWh 831 kWh £660 £83 £743 £13,104 17.6 yrs £1,755
4 kW 4430 kWh 3323 kWh 1108 kWh £880 £111 £991 £15,138 15.3 yrs £4,674
5 kW 5538 kWh 4153 kWh 1384 kWh £1,100 £138 £1,238 £17,173 13.9 yrs £7,592
6 kW 6645 kWh 4984 kWh 1661 kWh £1,320 £166 £1,486 £19,207 12.9 yrs £10,511
7 kW 7753 kWh 5815 kWh 1938 kWh £1,540 £194 £1,734 £21,242 12.3 yrs £13,429
8 kW 8860 kWh 6645 kWh 2215 kWh £1,760 £222 £1,981 £23,276 11.7 yrs £16,348

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: £1,257, Upfront: £19,623, 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 2215 kWh 1706 kWh 509 kWh £452 £51 £503 £13,519 26.9 yrs £-3,467
3 kW 3323 kWh 2558 kWh 764 kWh £677 £76 £754 £15,554 20.6 yrs £-475
4 kW 4430 kWh 3411 kWh 1019 kWh £903 £102 £1,005 £17,588 17.5 yrs £2,516
5 kW 5538 kWh 4264 kWh 1274 kWh £1,129 £127 £1,257 £19,623 15.6 yrs £5,508
6 kW 6645 kWh 5117 kWh 1528 kWh £1,355 £153 £1,508 £21,657 14.4 yrs £8,499
7 kW 7753 kWh 5970 kWh 1783 kWh £1,581 £178 £1,759 £23,692 13.5 yrs £11,491
8 kW 8860 kWh 6823 kWh 2038 kWh £1,807 £204 £2,010 £25,726 12.8 yrs £14,482

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 PO18

Figures below are tailored to PO18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #431 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #62 of 2997
9.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,267 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #12 of 2997
12.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,267 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1108kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1108 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: 77% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 4,279 properties

Coverage

Chichester (99%)|Arun (1%)

Areas Covered

Harbour Villages, Goodwood, Lavant, Chichester Central, Westbourne, Southbourne, Arundel & Walberton, Harting + 3 more

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

PO19 (Chichester)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,138 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PO18
PO20 (Chichester)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,122 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO18
PO10 (Havant)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,133 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PO18
PO9 (Havant)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,096 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PO18
PO21 (Arun)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,111 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO18
PO11 (Havant)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,096 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PO18

Similar sunshine across the UK

BN43 (Adur)
~1,109 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO18
CT3 (Dover)
~1,106 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO18
CT15 (Dover)
~1,110 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO18