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 1003 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.
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: £832, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2007 kWh | 803 kWh | 1204 kWh | £213 | £120 | £333 | £4,069 | 12.2 yrs | £2,590 |
| 3 kW | 3010 kWh | 1204 kWh | 1806 kWh | £319 | £181 | £499 | £6,104 | 12.2 yrs | £3,884 |
| 4 kW | 4013 kWh | 1605 kWh | 2408 kWh | £425 | £241 | £666 | £8,138 | 12.2 yrs | £5,179 |
| 5 kW | 5016 kWh | 2007 kWh | 3010 kWh | £531 | £301 | £832 | £10,173 | 12.2 yrs | £6,474 |
| 6 kW | 6020 kWh | 2408 kWh | 3612 kWh | £638 | £361 | £999 | £12,207 | 12.2 yrs | £7,769 |
| 7 kW | 7023 kWh | 2809 kWh | 4214 kWh | £744 | £421 | £1,165 | £14,242 | 12.2 yrs | £9,063 |
| 8 kW | 8026 kWh | 3210 kWh | 4816 kWh | £850 | £482 | £1,332 | £16,276 | 12.2 yrs | £10,358 |
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: £998, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2007 kWh | 1204 kWh | 803 kWh | £319 | £80 | £399 | £6,169 | 15.5 yrs | £1,812 |
| 3 kW | 3010 kWh | 1806 kWh | 1204 kWh | £478 | £120 | £599 | £8,204 | 13.7 yrs | £3,768 |
| 4 kW | 4013 kWh | 2408 kWh | 1605 kWh | £638 | £161 | £798 | £10,238 | 12.8 yrs | £5,725 |
| 5 kW | 5016 kWh | 3010 kWh | 2007 kWh | £797 | £201 | £998 | £12,273 | 12.3 yrs | £7,681 |
| 6 kW | 6020 kWh | 3612 kWh | 2408 kWh | £956 | £241 | £1,197 | £14,307 | 12.0 yrs | £9,637 |
| 7 kW | 7023 kWh | 4214 kWh | 2809 kWh | £1,116 | £281 | £1,397 | £16,342 | 11.7 yrs | £11,593 |
| 8 kW | 8026 kWh | 4816 kWh | 3210 kWh | £1,275 | £321 | £1,596 | £18,376 | 11.5 yrs | £13,549 |
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: £1,080, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2007 kWh | 1405 kWh | 602 kWh | £372 | £60 | £432 | £7,569 | 17.5 yrs | £1,074 |
| 3 kW | 3010 kWh | 2107 kWh | 903 kWh | £558 | £90 | £648 | £9,604 | 14.8 yrs | £3,360 |
| 4 kW | 4013 kWh | 2809 kWh | 1204 kWh | £744 | £120 | £864 | £11,638 | 13.5 yrs | £5,647 |
| 5 kW | 5016 kWh | 3511 kWh | 1505 kWh | £930 | £150 | £1,080 | £13,673 | 12.7 yrs | £7,934 |
| 6 kW | 6020 kWh | 4214 kWh | 1806 kWh | £1,116 | £181 | £1,296 | £15,707 | 12.1 yrs | £10,221 |
| 7 kW | 7023 kWh | 4916 kWh | 2107 kWh | £1,302 | £211 | £1,512 | £17,742 | 11.7 yrs | £12,508 |
| 8 kW | 8026 kWh | 5618 kWh | 2408 kWh | £1,488 | £241 | £1,729 | £19,776 | 11.4 yrs | £14,795 |
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: £1,105, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2007 kWh | 1465 kWh | 542 kWh | £388 | £54 | £442 | £9,319 | 21.1 yrs | £-478 |
| 3 kW | 3010 kWh | 2197 kWh | 813 kWh | £582 | £81 | £663 | £11,354 | 17.1 yrs | £1,908 |
| 4 kW | 4013 kWh | 2930 kWh | 1084 kWh | £776 | £108 | £884 | £13,388 | 15.1 yrs | £4,294 |
| 5 kW | 5016 kWh | 3662 kWh | 1354 kWh | £970 | £135 | £1,105 | £15,423 | 14.0 yrs | £6,680 |
| 6 kW | 6020 kWh | 4394 kWh | 1625 kWh | £1,164 | £163 | £1,326 | £17,457 | 13.2 yrs | £9,066 |
| 7 kW | 7023 kWh | 5127 kWh | 1896 kWh | £1,358 | £190 | £1,547 | £19,492 | 12.6 yrs | £11,452 |
| 8 kW | 8026 kWh | 5859 kWh | 2167 kWh | £1,552 | £217 | £1,768 | £21,526 | 12.2 yrs | £13,838 |
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: £1,122, Upfront: £17,173, 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 | 2007 kWh | 1505 kWh | 502 kWh | £399 | £50 | £449 | £11,069 | 24.7 yrs | £-2,096 |
| 3 kW | 3010 kWh | 2257 kWh | 752 kWh | £598 | £75 | £673 | £13,104 | 19.5 yrs | £356 |
| 4 kW | 4013 kWh | 3010 kWh | 1003 kWh | £797 | £100 | £897 | £15,138 | 16.9 yrs | £2,809 |
| 5 kW | 5016 kWh | 3762 kWh | 1254 kWh | £996 | £125 | £1,122 | £17,173 | 15.3 yrs | £5,261 |
| 6 kW | 6020 kWh | 4515 kWh | 1505 kWh | £1,196 | £150 | £1,346 | £19,207 | 14.3 yrs | £7,713 |
| 7 kW | 7023 kWh | 5267 kWh | 1756 kWh | £1,395 | £176 | £1,570 | £21,242 | 13.5 yrs | £10,165 |
| 8 kW | 8026 kWh | 6020 kWh | 2007 kWh | £1,594 | £201 | £1,795 | £23,276 | 13.0 yrs | £12,617 |
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: £1,138, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
| System | Annual output | Self-use | Exported | Bill saving | Export income | Annual benefit | Upfront cost | Break-even | 20-year net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 kW | 2007 kWh | 1545 kWh | 462 kWh | £409 | £46 | £455 | £13,519 | 29.7 yrs | £-4,413 |
| 3 kW | 3010 kWh | 2318 kWh | 692 kWh | £614 | £69 | £683 | £15,554 | 22.8 yrs | £-1,895 |
| 4 kW | 4013 kWh | 3090 kWh | 923 kWh | £818 | £92 | £911 | £17,588 | 19.3 yrs | £623 |
| 5 kW | 5016 kWh | 3863 kWh | 1154 kWh | £1,023 | £115 | £1,138 | £19,623 | 17.2 yrs | £3,141 |
| 6 kW | 6020 kWh | 4635 kWh | 1385 kWh | £1,227 | £138 | £1,366 | £21,657 | 15.9 yrs | £5,660 |
| 7 kW | 7023 kWh | 5408 kWh | 1615 kWh | £1,432 | £162 | £1,593 | £23,692 | 14.9 yrs | £8,178 |
| 8 kW | 8026 kWh | 6180 kWh | 1846 kWh | £1,637 | £185 | £1,821 | £25,726 | 14.1 yrs | £10,696 |
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.