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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PO31 (Isle of Wight)

See if solar pays off for you in Isle of Wight — 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
11.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£885
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,958
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 1067 kWh/kW — 66 above the regional median (1001).

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 1067 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)
1067 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: £885, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2134 kWh 854 kWh 1280 kWh £226 £128 £354 £4,069 11.5 yrs £3,013
3 kW 3201 kWh 1280 kWh 1921 kWh £339 £192 £531 £6,104 11.5 yrs £4,519
4 kW 4268 kWh 1707 kWh 2561 kWh £452 £256 £708 £8,138 11.5 yrs £6,026
5 kW 5335 kWh 2134 kWh 3201 kWh £565 £320 £885 £10,173 11.5 yrs £7,532
6 kW 6402 kWh 2561 kWh 3841 kWh £678 £384 £1,062 £12,207 11.5 yrs £9,039
7 kW 7469 kWh 2988 kWh 4482 kWh £791 £448 £1,239 £14,242 11.5 yrs £10,545
8 kW 8537 kWh 3415 kWh 5122 kWh £904 £512 £1,416 £16,276 11.5 yrs £12,052

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: £1,061, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2134 kWh 1280 kWh 854 kWh £339 £85 £424 £6,169 14.5 yrs £2,320
3 kW 3201 kWh 1921 kWh 1280 kWh £509 £128 £637 £8,204 12.9 yrs £4,530
4 kW 4268 kWh 2561 kWh 1707 kWh £678 £171 £849 £10,238 12.1 yrs £6,739
5 kW 5335 kWh 3201 kWh 2134 kWh £848 £213 £1,061 £12,273 11.6 yrs £8,949
6 kW 6402 kWh 3841 kWh 2561 kWh £1,017 £256 £1,273 £14,307 11.2 yrs £11,159
7 kW 7469 kWh 4482 kWh 2988 kWh £1,187 £299 £1,486 £16,342 11.0 yrs £13,369
8 kW 8537 kWh 5122 kWh 3415 kWh £1,356 £341 £1,698 £18,376 10.8 yrs £15,579

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: £1,149, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2134 kWh 1494 kWh 640 kWh £396 £64 £460 £7,569 16.5 yrs £1,623
3 kW 3201 kWh 2241 kWh 960 kWh £593 £96 £689 £9,604 13.9 yrs £4,185
4 kW 4268 kWh 2988 kWh 1280 kWh £791 £128 £919 £11,638 12.7 yrs £6,746
5 kW 5335 kWh 3735 kWh 1601 kWh £989 £160 £1,149 £13,673 11.9 yrs £9,308
6 kW 6402 kWh 4482 kWh 1921 kWh £1,187 £192 £1,379 £15,707 11.4 yrs £11,869
7 kW 7469 kWh 5229 kWh 2241 kWh £1,385 £224 £1,609 £17,742 11.0 yrs £14,431
8 kW 8537 kWh 5976 kWh 2561 kWh £1,582 £256 £1,838 £19,776 10.8 yrs £16,993

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: £1,175, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2134 kWh 1558 kWh 576 kWh £413 £58 £470 £9,319 19.8 yrs £84
3 kW 3201 kWh 2337 kWh 864 kWh £619 £86 £705 £11,354 16.1 yrs £2,751
4 kW 4268 kWh 3116 kWh 1152 kWh £825 £115 £940 £13,388 14.2 yrs £5,418
5 kW 5335 kWh 3895 kWh 1441 kWh £1,031 £144 £1,175 £15,423 13.1 yrs £8,085
6 kW 6402 kWh 4674 kWh 1729 kWh £1,238 £173 £1,410 £17,457 12.4 yrs £10,753
7 kW 7469 kWh 5453 kWh 2017 kWh £1,444 £202 £1,646 £19,492 11.8 yrs £13,420
8 kW 8537 kWh 6232 kWh 2305 kWh £1,650 £230 £1,881 £21,526 11.4 yrs £16,087

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: £1,193, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2134 kWh 1601 kWh 534 kWh £424 £53 £477 £11,069 23.2 yrs £-1,525
3 kW 3201 kWh 2401 kWh 800 kWh £636 £80 £716 £13,104 18.3 yrs £1,212
4 kW 4268 kWh 3201 kWh 1067 kWh £848 £107 £954 £15,138 15.9 yrs £3,950
5 kW 5335 kWh 4002 kWh 1334 kWh £1,060 £133 £1,193 £17,173 14.4 yrs £6,687
6 kW 6402 kWh 4802 kWh 1601 kWh £1,272 £160 £1,432 £19,207 13.4 yrs £9,425
7 kW 7469 kWh 5602 kWh 1867 kWh £1,483 £187 £1,670 £21,242 12.7 yrs £12,162
8 kW 8537 kWh 6402 kWh 2134 kWh £1,695 £213 £1,909 £23,276 12.2 yrs £14,899

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: £1,211, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2134 kWh 1643 kWh 491 kWh £435 £49 £484 £13,519 27.9 yrs £-3,834
3 kW 3201 kWh 2465 kWh 736 kWh £653 £74 £726 £15,554 21.4 yrs £-1,027
4 kW 4268 kWh 3287 kWh 982 kWh £870 £98 £968 £17,588 18.2 yrs £1,781
5 kW 5335 kWh 4108 kWh 1227 kWh £1,088 £123 £1,211 £19,623 16.2 yrs £4,589
6 kW 6402 kWh 4930 kWh 1473 kWh £1,305 £147 £1,453 £21,657 14.9 yrs £7,397
7 kW 7469 kWh 5752 kWh 1718 kWh £1,523 £172 £1,695 £23,692 14.0 yrs £10,204
8 kW 8537 kWh 6573 kWh 1963 kWh £1,741 £196 £1,937 £25,726 13.3 yrs £13,012

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 PO31

Figures below are tailored to PO31 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #882 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #190 of 2997
10.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,017 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #553 of 2997
16.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,017 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1067kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1067 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: 60% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 4,617 properties

Coverage

Isle of Wight (100%)

Areas Covered

Cowes North, Cowes West & Gurnard, Cowes Medina, Cowes South & Northwood, Newport Central, Brighstone, Calbourne & Shalfleet, Parkhurst & Hunnyhill

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

PO32 (Isle of Wight)
≈1.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,062 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO31
PO30 (Isle of Wight)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,133 kWh/kWp · +6% vs PO31
PO33 (Isle of Wight)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,088 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PO31
PO13 (Gosport)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,085 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PO31
PO14 (Fareham)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,078 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO31
PO12 (Gosport)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,072 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO31

Similar sunshine across the UK

TR20 (Cornwall)
~1,067 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO31
TR17 (Cornwall)
~1,067 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO31
TR27 (Cornwall)
~1,067 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO31