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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in RH20 (Horsham)

See if solar pays off for you in Horsham — 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
11.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,059
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,264
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 South East, the current unit rate is 26.92p/kWh with a 47.60p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1052 kWh/kW — 23 above the regional median (1029).

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 1052 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.9p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1052 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: £882, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2105 kWh 842 kWh 1263 kWh £227 £126 £353 £4,069 11.5 yrs £2,990
3 kW 3157 kWh 1263 kWh 1894 kWh £340 £189 £529 £6,104 11.5 yrs £4,485
4 kW 4210 kWh 1684 kWh 2526 kWh £453 £253 £706 £8,138 11.5 yrs £5,980
5 kW 5262 kWh 2105 kWh 3157 kWh £567 £316 £882 £10,173 11.5 yrs £7,475
6 kW 6315 kWh 2526 kWh 3789 kWh £680 £379 £1,059 £12,207 11.5 yrs £8,970
7 kW 7367 kWh 2947 kWh 4420 kWh £793 £442 £1,235 £14,242 11.5 yrs £10,465
8 kW 8420 kWh 3368 kWh 5052 kWh £907 £505 £1,412 £16,276 11.5 yrs £11,960

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: £1,060, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2105 kWh 1263 kWh 842 kWh £340 £84 £424 £6,169 14.5 yrs £2,314
3 kW 3157 kWh 1894 kWh 1263 kWh £510 £126 £636 £8,204 12.9 yrs £4,522
4 kW 4210 kWh 2526 kWh 1684 kWh £680 £168 £848 £10,238 12.1 yrs £6,729
5 kW 5262 kWh 3157 kWh 2105 kWh £850 £210 £1,060 £12,273 11.6 yrs £8,936
6 kW 6315 kWh 3789 kWh 2526 kWh £1,020 £253 £1,273 £14,307 11.2 yrs £11,143
7 kW 7367 kWh 4420 kWh 2947 kWh £1,190 £295 £1,485 £16,342 11.0 yrs £13,351
8 kW 8420 kWh 5052 kWh 3368 kWh £1,360 £337 £1,697 £18,376 10.8 yrs £15,558

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: £1,149, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2105 kWh 1473 kWh 631 kWh £397 £63 £460 £7,569 16.5 yrs £1,627
3 kW 3157 kWh 2210 kWh 947 kWh £595 £95 £690 £9,604 13.9 yrs £4,190
4 kW 4210 kWh 2947 kWh 1263 kWh £793 £126 £920 £11,638 12.7 yrs £6,754
5 kW 5262 kWh 3684 kWh 1579 kWh £992 £158 £1,149 £13,673 11.9 yrs £9,317
6 kW 6315 kWh 4420 kWh 1894 kWh £1,190 £189 £1,379 £15,707 11.4 yrs £11,880
7 kW 7367 kWh 5157 kWh 2210 kWh £1,388 £221 £1,609 £17,742 11.0 yrs £14,444
8 kW 8420 kWh 5894 kWh 2526 kWh £1,587 £253 £1,839 £19,776 10.8 yrs £17,007

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: £1,176, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2105 kWh 1537 kWh 568 kWh £414 £57 £470 £9,319 19.8 yrs £90
3 kW 3157 kWh 2305 kWh 852 kWh £620 £85 £706 £11,354 16.1 yrs £2,761
4 kW 4210 kWh 3073 kWh 1137 kWh £827 £114 £941 £13,388 14.2 yrs £5,431
5 kW 5262 kWh 3841 kWh 1421 kWh £1,034 £142 £1,176 £15,423 13.1 yrs £8,101
6 kW 6315 kWh 4610 kWh 1705 kWh £1,241 £170 £1,411 £17,457 12.4 yrs £10,771
7 kW 7367 kWh 5378 kWh 1989 kWh £1,448 £199 £1,647 £19,492 11.8 yrs £13,442
8 kW 8420 kWh 6146 kWh 2273 kWh £1,655 £227 £1,882 £21,526 11.4 yrs £16,112

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: £1,194, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2105 kWh 1579 kWh 526 kWh £425 £53 £478 £11,069 23.2 yrs £-1,517
3 kW 3157 kWh 2368 kWh 789 kWh £637 £79 £716 £13,104 18.3 yrs £1,224
4 kW 4210 kWh 3157 kWh 1052 kWh £850 £105 £955 £15,138 15.8 yrs £3,966
5 kW 5262 kWh 3947 kWh 1316 kWh £1,062 £132 £1,194 £17,173 14.4 yrs £6,707
6 kW 6315 kWh 4736 kWh 1579 kWh £1,275 £158 £1,433 £19,207 13.4 yrs £9,449
7 kW 7367 kWh 5525 kWh 1842 kWh £1,487 £184 £1,672 £21,242 12.7 yrs £12,190
8 kW 8420 kWh 6315 kWh 2105 kWh £1,700 £210 £1,910 £23,276 12.2 yrs £14,932

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: £1,212, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2105 kWh 1621 kWh 484 kWh £436 £48 £485 £13,519 27.9 yrs £-3,825
3 kW 3157 kWh 2431 kWh 726 kWh £654 £73 £727 £15,554 21.4 yrs £-1,012
4 kW 4210 kWh 3242 kWh 968 kWh £873 £97 £969 £17,588 18.1 yrs £1,801
5 kW 5262 kWh 4052 kWh 1210 kWh £1,091 £121 £1,212 £19,623 16.2 yrs £4,613
6 kW 6315 kWh 4862 kWh 1452 kWh £1,309 £145 £1,454 £21,657 14.9 yrs £7,426
7 kW 7367 kWh 5673 kWh 1694 kWh £1,527 £169 £1,697 £23,692 14.0 yrs £10,239
8 kW 8420 kWh 6483 kWh 1936 kWh £1,745 £194 £1,939 £25,726 13.3 yrs £13,052

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 RH20

Figures below are tailored to RH20 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #143 of 2182
6.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #192 of 2997
10.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,219 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #144 of 2997
14.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,219 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1052kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1052 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: 64% • Flats: 15% • Bungalows: 19% Based on 6,903 properties

Coverage

Horsham (92%)|Chichester (8%)

Areas Covered

Storrington & Washington, Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley, West Chiltington, Thakeham & Ashington, Fittleworth, Loxwood, Petworth + 1 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 South East

BN44 (Horsham)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,086 kWh/kWp · +3% vs RH20
BN13 (Worthing)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · +6% vs RH20
BN5 (Horsham)
≈13.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,083 kWh/kWp · +3% vs RH20
BN14 (Worthing)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,119 kWh/kWp · +6% vs RH20
BN16 (Arun)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,128 kWh/kWp · +7% vs RH20
BN12 (Worthing)
≈13.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,123 kWh/kWp · +7% vs RH20

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF35 (Bridgend)
~1,052 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RH20
SO45 (New Forest)
~1,052 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RH20
IP16 (East Suffolk)
~1,051 kWh/kWp · -0% vs RH20