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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in RG8 (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
12.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£979
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,261
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 983 kWh/kW — 18 below the regional median (1001).

Read the full story

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 983 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)
983 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: £816, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1966 kWh 787 kWh 1180 kWh £208 £118 £326 £4,069 12.5 yrs £2,456
3 kW 2949 kWh 1180 kWh 1770 kWh £312 £177 £489 £6,104 12.5 yrs £3,684
4 kW 3933 kWh 1573 kWh 2360 kWh £417 £236 £652 £8,138 12.5 yrs £4,912
5 kW 4916 kWh 1966 kWh 2949 kWh £521 £295 £816 £10,173 12.5 yrs £6,140
6 kW 5899 kWh 2360 kWh 3539 kWh £625 £354 £979 £12,207 12.5 yrs £7,368
7 kW 6882 kWh 2753 kWh 4129 kWh £729 £413 £1,142 £14,242 12.5 yrs £8,596
8 kW 7865 kWh 3146 kWh 4719 kWh £833 £472 £1,305 £16,276 12.5 yrs £9,824

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: £978, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1966 kWh 1180 kWh 787 kWh £312 £79 £391 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,652
3 kW 2949 kWh 1770 kWh 1180 kWh £469 £118 £587 £8,204 14.0 yrs £3,528
4 kW 3933 kWh 2360 kWh 1573 kWh £625 £157 £782 £10,238 13.1 yrs £5,404
5 kW 4916 kWh 2949 kWh 1966 kWh £781 £197 £978 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,280
6 kW 5899 kWh 3539 kWh 2360 kWh £937 £236 £1,173 £14,307 12.2 yrs £9,156
7 kW 6882 kWh 4129 kWh 2753 kWh £1,093 £275 £1,369 £16,342 11.9 yrs £11,032
8 kW 7865 kWh 4719 kWh 3146 kWh £1,250 £315 £1,564 £18,376 11.7 yrs £12,908

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: £1,059, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1966 kWh 1376 kWh 590 kWh £364 £59 £423 £7,569 17.9 yrs £900
3 kW 2949 kWh 2065 kWh 885 kWh £547 £88 £635 £9,604 15.1 yrs £3,100
4 kW 3933 kWh 2753 kWh 1180 kWh £729 £118 £847 £11,638 13.7 yrs £5,300
5 kW 4916 kWh 3441 kWh 1475 kWh £911 £147 £1,059 £13,673 12.9 yrs £7,500
6 kW 5899 kWh 4129 kWh 1770 kWh £1,093 £177 £1,270 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,700
7 kW 6882 kWh 4817 kWh 2065 kWh £1,276 £206 £1,482 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,900
8 kW 7865 kWh 5506 kWh 2360 kWh £1,458 £236 £1,694 £19,776 11.7 yrs £14,101

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: £1,083, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1966 kWh 1435 kWh 531 kWh £380 £53 £433 £9,319 21.5 yrs £-655
3 kW 2949 kWh 2153 kWh 796 kWh £570 £80 £650 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,642
4 kW 3933 kWh 2871 kWh 1062 kWh £760 £106 £866 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,939
5 kW 4916 kWh 3588 kWh 1327 kWh £950 £133 £1,083 £15,423 14.2 yrs £6,236
6 kW 5899 kWh 4306 kWh 1593 kWh £1,140 £159 £1,300 £17,457 13.4 yrs £8,534
7 kW 6882 kWh 5024 kWh 1858 kWh £1,330 £186 £1,516 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,831
8 kW 7865 kWh 5742 kWh 2124 kWh £1,520 £212 £1,733 £21,526 12.4 yrs £13,128

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: £1,099, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1966 kWh 1475 kWh 492 kWh £391 £49 £440 £11,069 25.2 yrs £-2,276
3 kW 2949 kWh 2212 kWh 737 kWh £586 £74 £659 £13,104 19.9 yrs £86
4 kW 3933 kWh 2949 kWh 983 kWh £781 £98 £879 £15,138 17.2 yrs £2,448
5 kW 4916 kWh 3687 kWh 1229 kWh £976 £123 £1,099 £17,173 15.6 yrs £4,810
6 kW 5899 kWh 4424 kWh 1475 kWh £1,172 £147 £1,319 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,173
7 kW 6882 kWh 5161 kWh 1720 kWh £1,367 £172 £1,539 £21,242 13.8 yrs £9,535
8 kW 7865 kWh 5899 kWh 1966 kWh £1,562 £197 £1,759 £23,276 13.2 yrs £11,897

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: £1,115, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1966 kWh 1514 kWh 452 kWh £401 £45 £446 £13,519 30.3 yrs £-4,596
3 kW 2949 kWh 2271 kWh 678 kWh £601 £68 £669 £15,554 23.2 yrs £-2,169
4 kW 3933 kWh 3028 kWh 904 kWh £802 £90 £892 £17,588 19.7 yrs £258
5 kW 4916 kWh 3785 kWh 1131 kWh £1,002 £113 £1,115 £19,623 17.6 yrs £2,685
6 kW 5899 kWh 4542 kWh 1357 kWh £1,203 £136 £1,338 £21,657 16.2 yrs £5,111
7 kW 6882 kWh 5299 kWh 1583 kWh £1,403 £158 £1,561 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,538
8 kW 7865 kWh 6056 kWh 1809 kWh £1,604 £181 £1,785 £25,726 14.4 yrs £9,965

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 RG8

Figures below are tailored to RG8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #87 of 2182
6.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1172 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,125 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #182 of 2997
14.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,125 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
983kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~983 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 73% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 4,718 properties

Coverage

West Berkshire (52%)|South Oxfordshire (48%)

Areas Covered

Pangbourne, Goring, Basildon, Woodcote & Rotherfield, Kidmore End & Whitchurch, Tilehurst & Purley, Bradfield, Cholsey

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

RG31 (West Berkshire)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~999 kWh/kWp · +2% vs RG8
RG3 (Reading)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG8
RG30 (Reading)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG8
RG4 (Reading)
≈9.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG8
RG1 (Reading)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · +1% vs RG8
OX10 (South Oxfordshire)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~983 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG8

Similar sunshine across the UK

OX16 (Cherwell)
~983 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RG8
NG23 (Newark and Sherwood)
~983 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG8
CR5 (Croydon)
~983 kWh/kWp · +0% vs RG8