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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in S40 (Chesterfield)

See if solar pays off for you in Chesterfield — 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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£757
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,748
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 East Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.55p/kWh with a 49.09p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 933 kWh/kW — 35 below the regional median (968).

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 933 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
49.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
933 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: £757, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 747 kWh 1120 kWh £191 £112 £303 £4,069 13.4 yrs £1,986
3 kW 2800 kWh 1120 kWh 1680 kWh £286 £168 £454 £6,104 13.4 yrs £2,978
4 kW 3733 kWh 1493 kWh 2240 kWh £381 £224 £605 £8,138 13.4 yrs £3,971
5 kW 4666 kWh 1866 kWh 2800 kWh £477 £280 £757 £10,173 13.4 yrs £4,964
6 kW 5599 kWh 2240 kWh 3360 kWh £572 £336 £908 £12,207 13.4 yrs £5,957
7 kW 6532 kWh 2613 kWh 3919 kWh £668 £392 £1,060 £14,242 13.4 yrs £6,950
8 kW 7466 kWh 2986 kWh 4479 kWh £763 £448 £1,211 £16,276 13.4 yrs £7,942

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: £902, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1120 kWh 747 kWh £286 £75 £361 £6,169 17.1 yrs £1,046
3 kW 2800 kWh 1680 kWh 1120 kWh £429 £112 £541 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,620
4 kW 3733 kWh 2240 kWh 1493 kWh £572 £149 £722 £10,238 14.2 yrs £4,193
5 kW 4666 kWh 2800 kWh 1866 kWh £715 £187 £902 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,766
6 kW 5599 kWh 3360 kWh 2240 kWh £858 £224 £1,082 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,339
7 kW 6532 kWh 3919 kWh 2613 kWh £1,001 £261 £1,263 £16,342 12.9 yrs £8,913
8 kW 7466 kWh 4479 kWh 2986 kWh £1,144 £299 £1,443 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,486

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: £974, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1866 kWh 1306 kWh 560 kWh £334 £56 £390 £7,569 19.4 yrs £227
3 kW 2800 kWh 1960 kWh 840 kWh £501 £84 £585 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,090
4 kW 3733 kWh 2613 kWh 1120 kWh £668 £112 £780 £11,638 14.9 yrs £3,954
5 kW 4666 kWh 3266 kWh 1400 kWh £835 £140 £974 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,817
6 kW 5599 kWh 3919 kWh 1680 kWh £1,001 £168 £1,169 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,681
7 kW 6532 kWh 4573 kWh 1960 kWh £1,168 £196 £1,364 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,544
8 kW 7466 kWh 5226 kWh 2240 kWh £1,335 £224 £1,559 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,408

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: £996, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1362 kWh 504 kWh £348 £50 £399 £9,319 23.4 yrs £-1,349
3 kW 2800 kWh 2044 kWh 756 kWh £522 £76 £598 £11,354 19.0 yrs £602
4 kW 3733 kWh 2725 kWh 1008 kWh £696 £101 £797 £13,388 16.8 yrs £2,552
5 kW 4666 kWh 3406 kWh 1260 kWh £870 £126 £996 £15,423 15.5 yrs £4,503
6 kW 5599 kWh 4087 kWh 1512 kWh £1,044 £151 £1,196 £17,457 14.6 yrs £6,453
7 kW 6532 kWh 4769 kWh 1764 kWh £1,218 £176 £1,395 £19,492 14.0 yrs £8,404
8 kW 7466 kWh 5450 kWh 2016 kWh £1,392 £202 £1,594 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,354

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: £1,011, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1400 kWh 467 kWh £358 £47 £404 £11,069 27.4 yrs £-2,983
3 kW 2800 kWh 2100 kWh 700 kWh £536 £70 £606 £13,104 21.6 yrs £-974
4 kW 3733 kWh 2800 kWh 933 kWh £715 £93 £809 £15,138 18.7 yrs £1,034
5 kW 4666 kWh 3500 kWh 1166 kWh £894 £117 £1,011 £17,173 17.0 yrs £3,043
6 kW 5599 kWh 4199 kWh 1400 kWh £1,073 £140 £1,213 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,051
7 kW 6532 kWh 4899 kWh 1633 kWh £1,252 £163 £1,415 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,060
8 kW 7466 kWh 5599 kWh 1866 kWh £1,431 £187 £1,617 £23,276 14.4 yrs £9,069

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: £1,025, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1866 kWh 1437 kWh 429 kWh £367 £43 £410 £13,519 33.0 yrs £-5,317
3 kW 2800 kWh 2156 kWh 644 kWh £551 £64 £615 £15,554 25.3 yrs £-3,250
4 kW 3733 kWh 2874 kWh 859 kWh £734 £86 £820 £17,588 21.4 yrs £-1,184
5 kW 4666 kWh 3593 kWh 1073 kWh £918 £107 £1,025 £19,623 19.1 yrs £883
6 kW 5599 kWh 4311 kWh 1288 kWh £1,102 £129 £1,230 £21,657 17.6 yrs £2,950
7 kW 6532 kWh 5030 kWh 1502 kWh £1,285 £150 £1,435 £23,692 16.5 yrs £5,016
8 kW 7466 kWh 5749 kWh 1717 kWh £1,469 £172 £1,640 £25,726 15.7 yrs £7,083

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 S40

Figures below are tailored to S40 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1549 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2143 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£866 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1537 of 2997
20.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£179 fixed • ~£866 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.55p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
49.09p/day
Local Sunshine
933kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~933 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: 62% • Flats: 24% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 10,143 properties

Coverage

Chesterfield (100%)

Areas Covered

Spire, Brampton West & Loundsley Green, Brampton East & Boythorpe, Rother, Walton, Brockwell, Linacre, Brimington South + 4 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 East Midlands

S49 (Chesterfield)
≈0.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
S41 (Chesterfield)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
S42 (North East Derbyshire)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
S43 (Chesterfield)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
S45 (North East Derbyshire)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~934 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
S44 (Bolsover)
≈9.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL76 (Isle of Anglesey)
~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
B67 (Sandwell)
~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40
B66 (Sandwell)
~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S40