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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PO5 (Portsmouth)

See if solar pays off for you in Portsmouth — 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
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£540
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,386
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 1084 kWh/kW — 83 above the regional median (1001).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1084 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)
1084 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: £899, 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 2168 kWh 867 kWh 1301 kWh £230 £130 £360 £4,069 11.3 yrs £3,125
3 kW 3252 kWh 1301 kWh 1951 kWh £344 £195 £540 £6,104 11.3 yrs £4,688
4 kW 4336 kWh 1734 kWh 2602 kWh £459 £260 £719 £8,138 11.3 yrs £6,251
5 kW 5420 kWh 2168 kWh 3252 kWh £574 £325 £899 £10,173 11.3 yrs £7,814
6 kW 6504 kWh 2602 kWh 3903 kWh £689 £390 £1,079 £12,207 11.3 yrs £9,376
7 kW 7588 kWh 3035 kWh 4553 kWh £804 £455 £1,259 £14,242 11.3 yrs £10,939
8 kW 8672 kWh 3469 kWh 5203 kWh £919 £520 £1,439 £16,276 11.3 yrs £12,502

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 2168 kWh 1301 kWh 867 kWh £344 £87 £431 £6,169 14.3 yrs £2,455
3 kW 3252 kWh 1951 kWh 1301 kWh £517 £130 £647 £8,204 12.7 yrs £4,732
4 kW 4336 kWh 2602 kWh 1734 kWh £689 £173 £862 £10,238 11.9 yrs £7,009
5 kW 5420 kWh 3252 kWh 2168 kWh £861 £217 £1,078 £12,273 11.4 yrs £9,287
6 kW 6504 kWh 3903 kWh 2602 kWh £1,033 £260 £1,294 £14,307 11.1 yrs £11,564
7 kW 7588 kWh 4553 kWh 3035 kWh £1,206 £304 £1,509 £16,342 10.8 yrs £13,841
8 kW 8672 kWh 5203 kWh 3469 kWh £1,378 £347 £1,725 £18,376 10.7 yrs £16,119

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: £1,167, 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 2168 kWh 1518 kWh 650 kWh £402 £65 £467 £7,569 16.2 yrs £1,769
3 kW 3252 kWh 2276 kWh 976 kWh £603 £98 £700 £9,604 13.7 yrs £4,404
4 kW 4336 kWh 3035 kWh 1301 kWh £804 £130 £934 £11,638 12.5 yrs £7,038
5 kW 5420 kWh 3794 kWh 1626 kWh £1,005 £163 £1,167 £13,673 11.7 yrs £9,673
6 kW 6504 kWh 4553 kWh 1951 kWh £1,206 £195 £1,401 £15,707 11.2 yrs £12,308
7 kW 7588 kWh 5312 kWh 2276 kWh £1,407 £228 £1,634 £17,742 10.9 yrs £14,942
8 kW 8672 kWh 6071 kWh 2602 kWh £1,607 £260 £1,868 £19,776 10.6 yrs £17,577

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: £1,194, 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 2168 kWh 1583 kWh 585 kWh £419 £59 £478 £9,319 19.5 yrs £234
3 kW 3252 kWh 2374 kWh 878 kWh £629 £88 £716 £11,354 15.8 yrs £2,975
4 kW 4336 kWh 3165 kWh 1171 kWh £838 £117 £955 £13,388 14.0 yrs £5,717
5 kW 5420 kWh 3957 kWh 1463 kWh £1,048 £146 £1,194 £15,423 12.9 yrs £8,459
6 kW 6504 kWh 4748 kWh 1756 kWh £1,257 £176 £1,433 £17,457 12.2 yrs £11,201
7 kW 7588 kWh 5539 kWh 2049 kWh £1,467 £205 £1,672 £19,492 11.7 yrs £13,943
8 kW 8672 kWh 6331 kWh 2342 kWh £1,676 £234 £1,911 £21,526 11.3 yrs £16,685

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: £1,212, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2168 kWh 1626 kWh 542 kWh £431 £54 £485 £11,069 22.8 yrs £-1,373
3 kW 3252 kWh 2439 kWh 813 kWh £646 £81 £727 £13,104 18.0 yrs £1,440
4 kW 4336 kWh 3252 kWh 1084 kWh £861 £108 £970 £15,138 15.6 yrs £4,253
5 kW 5420 kWh 4065 kWh 1355 kWh £1,076 £136 £1,212 £17,173 14.2 yrs £7,066
6 kW 6504 kWh 4878 kWh 1626 kWh £1,292 £163 £1,454 £19,207 13.2 yrs £9,880
7 kW 7588 kWh 5691 kWh 1897 kWh £1,507 £190 £1,697 £21,242 12.5 yrs £12,693
8 kW 8672 kWh 6504 kWh 2168 kWh £1,722 £217 £1,939 £23,276 12.0 yrs £15,506

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: £1,230, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2168 kWh 1669 kWh 499 kWh £442 £50 £492 £13,519 27.5 yrs £-3,681
3 kW 3252 kWh 2504 kWh 748 kWh £663 £75 £738 £15,554 21.1 yrs £-796
4 kW 4336 kWh 3339 kWh 997 kWh £884 £100 £984 £17,588 17.9 yrs £2,089
5 kW 5420 kWh 4174 kWh 1247 kWh £1,105 £125 £1,230 £19,623 16.0 yrs £4,974
6 kW 6504 kWh 5008 kWh 1496 kWh £1,326 £150 £1,476 £21,657 14.7 yrs £7,858
7 kW 7588 kWh 5843 kWh 1745 kWh £1,547 £175 £1,722 £23,692 13.8 yrs £10,743
8 kW 8672 kWh 6678 kWh 1995 kWh £1,768 £199 £1,968 £25,726 13.1 yrs £13,628

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 PO5

Figures below are tailored to PO5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2143 of 2182
3.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~8 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #135 of 2997
9.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,240 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #23 of 2997
13.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,240 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1084kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1084 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For eligible homes in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 25% • Flats: 67% • Bungalows: 0% Based on 10,833 properties

Coverage

Portsmouth (100%)

Areas Covered

St Jude, St Thomas, Charles Dickens, Central Southsea, Eastney and Craneswater

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

PO1 (Portsmouth)
≈1.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,084 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO5
PO4 (Portsmouth)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,084 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO5
PO2 (Portsmouth)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,096 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO5
PO3 (Portsmouth)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,096 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO5
PO12 (Gosport)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,072 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PO5
PO6 (Portsmouth)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,090 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PO5

Similar sunshine across the UK

BN6 (Mid Sussex)
~1,084 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PO5
TR19 (Cornwall)
~1,083 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO5
SS5 (Rochford)
~1,083 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PO5