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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in RG31 (West Berkshire)

See if solar pays off for you in West Berkshire — 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
12.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£828
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,537
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 999 kWh/kW — 3 below 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 999 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)
999 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: £828, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1997 kWh 799 kWh 1198 kWh £212 £120 £331 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,558
3 kW 2996 kWh 1198 kWh 1797 kWh £317 £180 £497 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,837
4 kW 3994 kWh 1598 kWh 2396 kWh £423 £240 £663 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,116
5 kW 4993 kWh 1997 kWh 2996 kWh £529 £300 £828 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,395
6 kW 5991 kWh 2396 kWh 3595 kWh £635 £359 £994 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,674
7 kW 6990 kWh 2796 kWh 4194 kWh £740 £419 £1,160 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,953
8 kW 7988 kWh 3195 kWh 4793 kWh £846 £479 £1,325 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,232

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: £993, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1997 kWh 1198 kWh 799 kWh £317 £80 £397 £6,169 15.5 yrs £1,774
3 kW 2996 kWh 1797 kWh 1198 kWh £476 £120 £596 £8,204 13.8 yrs £3,712
4 kW 3994 kWh 2396 kWh 1598 kWh £635 £160 £794 £10,238 12.9 yrs £5,649
5 kW 4993 kWh 2996 kWh 1997 kWh £793 £200 £993 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,586
6 kW 5991 kWh 3595 kWh 2396 kWh £952 £240 £1,192 £14,307 12.0 yrs £9,523
7 kW 6990 kWh 4194 kWh 2796 kWh £1,111 £280 £1,390 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,461
8 kW 7988 kWh 4793 kWh 3195 kWh £1,269 £320 £1,589 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,398

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: £1,075, 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 1997 kWh 1398 kWh 599 kWh £370 £60 £430 £7,569 17.6 yrs £1,033
3 kW 2996 kWh 2097 kWh 899 kWh £555 £90 £645 £9,604 14.9 yrs £3,299
4 kW 3994 kWh 2796 kWh 1198 kWh £740 £120 £860 £11,638 13.5 yrs £5,565
5 kW 4993 kWh 3495 kWh 1498 kWh £925 £150 £1,075 £13,673 12.7 yrs £7,832
6 kW 5991 kWh 4194 kWh 1797 kWh £1,111 £180 £1,290 £15,707 12.2 yrs £10,098
7 kW 6990 kWh 4893 kWh 2097 kWh £1,296 £210 £1,505 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,365
8 kW 7988 kWh 5592 kWh 2396 kWh £1,481 £240 £1,720 £19,776 11.5 yrs £14,631

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: £1,100, 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 1997 kWh 1458 kWh 539 kWh £386 £54 £440 £9,319 21.2 yrs £-520
3 kW 2996 kWh 2187 kWh 809 kWh £579 £81 £660 £11,354 17.2 yrs £1,845
4 kW 3994 kWh 2916 kWh 1078 kWh £772 £108 £880 £13,388 15.2 yrs £4,210
5 kW 4993 kWh 3645 kWh 1348 kWh £965 £135 £1,100 £15,423 14.0 yrs £6,575
6 kW 5991 kWh 4374 kWh 1618 kWh £1,158 £162 £1,320 £17,457 13.2 yrs £8,941
7 kW 6990 kWh 5102 kWh 1887 kWh £1,351 £189 £1,540 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,306
8 kW 7988 kWh 5831 kWh 2157 kWh £1,544 £216 £1,760 £21,526 12.2 yrs £13,671

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: £1,116, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1997 kWh 1498 kWh 499 kWh £397 £50 £447 £11,069 24.8 yrs £-2,138
3 kW 2996 kWh 2247 kWh 749 kWh £595 £75 £670 £13,104 19.6 yrs £293
4 kW 3994 kWh 2996 kWh 999 kWh £793 £100 £893 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,724
5 kW 4993 kWh 3744 kWh 1248 kWh £992 £125 £1,116 £17,173 15.4 yrs £5,155
6 kW 5991 kWh 4493 kWh 1498 kWh £1,190 £150 £1,340 £19,207 14.3 yrs £7,585
7 kW 6990 kWh 5242 kWh 1747 kWh £1,388 £175 £1,563 £21,242 13.6 yrs £10,016
8 kW 7988 kWh 5991 kWh 1997 kWh £1,586 £200 £1,786 £23,276 13.0 yrs £12,447

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: £1,133, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1997 kWh 1538 kWh 459 kWh £407 £46 £453 £13,519 29.8 yrs £-4,457
3 kW 2996 kWh 2307 kWh 689 kWh £611 £69 £680 £15,554 22.9 yrs £-1,960
4 kW 3994 kWh 3075 kWh 919 kWh £814 £92 £906 £17,588 19.4 yrs £537
5 kW 4993 kWh 3844 kWh 1148 kWh £1,018 £115 £1,133 £19,623 17.3 yrs £3,034
6 kW 5991 kWh 4613 kWh 1378 kWh £1,222 £138 £1,359 £21,657 15.9 yrs £5,530
7 kW 6990 kWh 5382 kWh 1608 kWh £1,425 £161 £1,586 £23,692 14.9 yrs £8,027
8 kW 7988 kWh 6151 kWh 1837 kWh £1,629 £184 £1,812 £25,726 14.2 yrs £10,524

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 RG31

Figures below are tailored to RG31 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1034 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #852 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£952 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #737 of 2997
17.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£952 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
999kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~999 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: 74% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 5,523 properties

Coverage

West Berkshire (65%)|Reading (35%)

Areas Covered

Tilehurst Birch Copse, Tilehurst South & Holybrook, Tilehurst & Purley, Tilehurst, Kentwood, Battle

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

RG3 (Reading)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -1% vs RG31
RG30 (Reading)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -1% vs RG31
RG1 (Reading)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -1% vs RG31
RG4 (Reading)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -1% vs RG31
RG8 (West Berkshire)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~983 kWh/kWp · -2% vs RG31
RG2 (Reading)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RG31

Similar sunshine across the UK

PE33 (King's Lynn and West Norfolk)
~999 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG31
SM4 (Merton)
~999 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG31
NP26 (Monmouthshire)
~998 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RG31