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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in S11 (Sheffield)

See if solar pays off for you in Sheffield — 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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£880
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,785
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 Yorkshire, the current unit rate is 25.33p/kWh with a 58.65p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 909 kWh/kW — 20 below the regional median (929).

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 909 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.3p/kWh
Standing charge
58.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
909 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: £733, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1818 kWh 727 kWh 1091 kWh £184 £109 £293 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,795
3 kW 2726 kWh 1091 kWh 1636 kWh £276 £164 £440 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,693
4 kW 3635 kWh 1454 kWh 2181 kWh £368 £218 £586 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,591
5 kW 4544 kWh 1818 kWh 2726 kWh £460 £273 £733 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,489
6 kW 5453 kWh 2181 kWh 3272 kWh £552 £327 £880 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,386
7 kW 6362 kWh 2545 kWh 3817 kWh £645 £382 £1,026 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,284
8 kW 7271 kWh 2908 kWh 4362 kWh £737 £436 £1,173 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,182

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: £872, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1818 kWh 1091 kWh 727 kWh £276 £73 £349 £6,169 17.7 yrs £810
3 kW 2726 kWh 1636 kWh 1091 kWh £414 £109 £523 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,265
4 kW 3635 kWh 2181 kWh 1454 kWh £552 £145 £698 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,720
5 kW 4544 kWh 2726 kWh 1818 kWh £691 £182 £872 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,175
6 kW 5453 kWh 3272 kWh 2181 kWh £829 £218 £1,047 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,630
7 kW 6362 kWh 3817 kWh 2545 kWh £967 £254 £1,221 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,085
8 kW 7271 kWh 4362 kWh 2908 kWh £1,105 £291 £1,396 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,540

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: £942, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1818 kWh 1272 kWh 545 kWh £322 £55 £377 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-33
3 kW 2726 kWh 1909 kWh 818 kWh £483 £82 £565 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,701
4 kW 3635 kWh 2545 kWh 1091 kWh £645 £109 £754 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,435
5 kW 4544 kWh 3181 kWh 1363 kWh £806 £136 £942 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,168
6 kW 5453 kWh 3817 kWh 1636 kWh £967 £164 £1,130 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,902
7 kW 6362 kWh 4453 kWh 1909 kWh £1,128 £191 £1,319 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,636
8 kW 7271 kWh 5089 kWh 2181 kWh £1,289 £218 £1,507 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,369

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: £963, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1818 kWh 1327 kWh 491 kWh £336 £49 £385 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,615
3 kW 2726 kWh 1990 kWh 736 kWh £504 £74 £578 £11,354 19.7 yrs £202
4 kW 3635 kWh 2654 kWh 982 kWh £672 £98 £770 £13,388 17.4 yrs £2,019
5 kW 4544 kWh 3317 kWh 1227 kWh £840 £123 £963 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,836
6 kW 5453 kWh 3981 kWh 1472 kWh £1,008 £147 £1,156 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,654
7 kW 6362 kWh 4644 kWh 1718 kWh £1,176 £172 £1,348 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,471
8 kW 7271 kWh 5308 kWh 1963 kWh £1,344 £196 £1,541 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,288

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: £977, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1818 kWh 1363 kWh 454 kWh £345 £45 £391 £11,069 28.3 yrs £-3,254
3 kW 2726 kWh 2045 kWh 682 kWh £518 £68 £586 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,381
4 kW 3635 kWh 2726 kWh 909 kWh £691 £91 £782 £15,138 19.4 yrs £492
5 kW 4544 kWh 3408 kWh 1136 kWh £863 £114 £977 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,365
6 kW 5453 kWh 4090 kWh 1363 kWh £1,036 £136 £1,172 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,238
7 kW 6362 kWh 4771 kWh 1590 kWh £1,209 £159 £1,368 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,111
8 kW 7271 kWh 5453 kWh 1818 kWh £1,381 £182 £1,563 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,984

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: £991, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1818 kWh 1400 kWh 418 kWh £355 £42 £396 £13,519 34.1 yrs £-5,593
3 kW 2726 kWh 2099 kWh 627 kWh £532 £63 £594 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,664
4 kW 3635 kWh 2799 kWh 836 kWh £709 £84 £793 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,735
5 kW 4544 kWh 3499 kWh 1045 kWh £886 £105 £991 £19,623 19.8 yrs £194
6 kW 5453 kWh 4199 kWh 1254 kWh £1,064 £125 £1,189 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,122
7 kW 6362 kWh 4899 kWh 1463 kWh £1,241 £146 £1,387 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,051
8 kW 7271 kWh 5598 kWh 1672 kWh £1,418 £167 £1,585 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,980

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 S11

Figures below are tailored to S11 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #789 of 2182
5.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2434 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,005 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1676 of 2997
21.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£1,005 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
909kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~909 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: 61% • Flats: 33% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 9,406 properties

Coverage

Sheffield (99%)

Areas Covered

Ecclesall, Broomhill and Sharrow Vale, Nether Edge and Sharrow, Dore and Totley, Fulwood, Crookes and Crosspool, Hathersage, Alport & South West Parishes

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 Yorkshire

S7 (Sheffield)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~920 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S11
S10 (Sheffield)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S11
S8 (Sheffield)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~919 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S11
S1 (Sheffield)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S11
S3 (Sheffield)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~920 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S11
S2 (Sheffield)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +2% vs S11

Similar sunshine across the UK

NE43 (Northumberland)
~909 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S11
SA45 (Ceredigion)
~909 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S11
WN8 (West Lancashire)
~909 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S11