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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PR2 (Preston)

See if solar pays off for you in Preston — 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
13.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£753
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,648
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 North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 894 kWh/kW — 24 above the regional median (870).

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 894 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
894 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: £753, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1788 kWh 715 kWh 1073 kWh £194 £107 £301 £4,069 13.5 yrs £1,953
3 kW 2682 kWh 1073 kWh 1609 kWh £291 £161 £452 £6,104 13.5 yrs £2,930
4 kW 3575 kWh 1430 kWh 2145 kWh £388 £215 £602 £8,138 13.5 yrs £3,907
5 kW 4469 kWh 1788 kWh 2682 kWh £485 £268 £753 £10,173 13.5 yrs £4,884
6 kW 5363 kWh 2145 kWh 3218 kWh £582 £322 £903 £12,207 13.5 yrs £5,860
7 kW 6257 kWh 2503 kWh 3754 kWh £679 £375 £1,054 £14,242 13.5 yrs £6,837
8 kW 7151 kWh 2860 kWh 4291 kWh £775 £429 £1,204 £16,276 13.5 yrs £7,814

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: £906, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1788 kWh 1073 kWh 715 kWh £291 £72 £362 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,077
3 kW 2682 kWh 1609 kWh 1073 kWh £436 £107 £543 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,665
4 kW 3575 kWh 2145 kWh 1430 kWh £582 £143 £725 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,254
5 kW 4469 kWh 2682 kWh 1788 kWh £727 £179 £906 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,842
6 kW 5363 kWh 3218 kWh 2145 kWh £872 £215 £1,087 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,431
7 kW 6257 kWh 3754 kWh 2503 kWh £1,018 £250 £1,268 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,019
8 kW 7151 kWh 4291 kWh 2860 kWh £1,163 £286 £1,449 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,608

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: £982, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1788 kWh 1251 kWh 536 kWh £339 £54 £393 £7,569 19.3 yrs £289
3 kW 2682 kWh 1877 kWh 804 kWh £509 £80 £589 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,183
4 kW 3575 kWh 2503 kWh 1073 kWh £679 £107 £786 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,077
5 kW 4469 kWh 3129 kWh 1341 kWh £848 £134 £982 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,972
6 kW 5363 kWh 3754 kWh 1609 kWh £1,018 £161 £1,179 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,866
7 kW 6257 kWh 4380 kWh 1877 kWh £1,187 £188 £1,375 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,761
8 kW 7151 kWh 5006 kWh 2145 kWh £1,357 £215 £1,572 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,655

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: £1,005, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1788 kWh 1305 kWh 483 kWh £354 £48 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,278
3 kW 2682 kWh 1958 kWh 724 kWh £531 £72 £603 £11,354 18.8 yrs £708
4 kW 3575 kWh 2610 kWh 965 kWh £708 £97 £804 £13,388 16.6 yrs £2,695
5 kW 4469 kWh 3263 kWh 1207 kWh £884 £121 £1,005 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,681
6 kW 5363 kWh 3915 kWh 1448 kWh £1,061 £145 £1,206 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,667
7 kW 6257 kWh 4568 kWh 1689 kWh £1,238 £169 £1,407 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,653
8 kW 7151 kWh 5220 kWh 1931 kWh £1,415 £193 £1,608 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,639

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: £1,020, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1788 kWh 1341 kWh 447 kWh £363 £45 £408 £11,069 27.1 yrs £-2,905
3 kW 2682 kWh 2011 kWh 670 kWh £545 £67 £612 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-858
4 kW 3575 kWh 2682 kWh 894 kWh £727 £89 £816 £15,138 18.5 yrs £1,189
5 kW 4469 kWh 3352 kWh 1117 kWh £909 £112 £1,020 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,237
6 kW 5363 kWh 4022 kWh 1341 kWh £1,090 £134 £1,225 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,284
7 kW 6257 kWh 4693 kWh 1564 kWh £1,272 £156 £1,429 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,331
8 kW 7151 kWh 5363 kWh 1788 kWh £1,454 £179 £1,633 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,378

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: £1,036, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1788 kWh 1377 kWh 411 kWh £373 £41 £414 £13,519 32.6 yrs £-5,233
3 kW 2682 kWh 2065 kWh 617 kWh £560 £62 £621 £15,554 25.0 yrs £-3,125
4 kW 3575 kWh 2753 kWh 822 kWh £746 £82 £829 £17,588 21.2 yrs £-1,016
5 kW 4469 kWh 3441 kWh 1028 kWh £933 £103 £1,036 £19,623 18.9 yrs £1,092
6 kW 5363 kWh 4130 kWh 1234 kWh £1,120 £123 £1,243 £21,657 17.4 yrs £3,201
7 kW 6257 kWh 4818 kWh 1439 kWh £1,306 £144 £1,450 £23,692 16.3 yrs £5,309
8 kW 7151 kWh 5506 kWh 1645 kWh £1,493 £164 £1,657 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,418

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 PR2

Figures below are tailored to PR2 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1228 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2012 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£868 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1706 of 2997
21.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£868 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
894kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~894 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: 72% • Flats: 18% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 21,100 properties

Coverage

Preston (100%)

Areas Covered

City Centre, Sharoe Green, Garrison, Ashton, Greyfriars, Cadley, Ribbleton, Lea & Larches + 4 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 North West

PR1 (Preston)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~891 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PR2
PR11 (Preston)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PR2
PR0 (Preston)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PR2
PR5 (South Ribble)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~860 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PR2
PR4 (Fylde)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~893 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PR2
PR25 (South Ribble)
≈9.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PR2

Similar sunshine across the UK

BD20 (Bradford)
~894 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PR2
AB42 (Aberdeenshire)
~894 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PR2
EH10 (City of Edinburgh)
~894 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PR2