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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in S6 (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
13.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£598
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,824
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 927 kWh/kW — 2 below the regional median (929).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 927 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)
927 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: £748, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1855 kWh 742 kWh 1113 kWh £188 £111 £299 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,916
3 kW 2782 kWh 1113 kWh 1669 kWh £282 £167 £449 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,874
4 kW 3710 kWh 1484 kWh 2226 kWh £376 £223 £598 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,832
5 kW 4637 kWh 1855 kWh 2782 kWh £470 £278 £748 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,790
6 kW 5565 kWh 2226 kWh 3339 kWh £564 £334 £898 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,748
7 kW 6492 kWh 2597 kWh 3895 kWh £658 £390 £1,047 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,706
8 kW 7420 kWh 2968 kWh 4452 kWh £752 £445 £1,197 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,664

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: £890, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1855 kWh 1113 kWh 742 kWh £282 £74 £356 £6,169 17.3 yrs £953
3 kW 2782 kWh 1669 kWh 1113 kWh £423 £111 £534 £8,204 15.4 yrs £2,480
4 kW 3710 kWh 2226 kWh 1484 kWh £564 £148 £712 £10,238 14.4 yrs £4,007
5 kW 4637 kWh 2782 kWh 1855 kWh £705 £185 £890 £12,273 13.8 yrs £5,533
6 kW 5565 kWh 3339 kWh 2226 kWh £846 £223 £1,068 £14,307 13.4 yrs £7,060
7 kW 6492 kWh 3895 kWh 2597 kWh £987 £260 £1,246 £16,342 13.1 yrs £8,587
8 kW 7420 kWh 4452 kWh 2968 kWh £1,128 £297 £1,424 £18,376 12.9 yrs £10,113

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: £961, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1855 kWh 1298 kWh 556 kWh £329 £56 £385 £7,569 19.7 yrs £122
3 kW 2782 kWh 1948 kWh 835 kWh £493 £83 £577 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,933
4 kW 3710 kWh 2597 kWh 1113 kWh £658 £111 £769 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,744
5 kW 4637 kWh 3246 kWh 1391 kWh £822 £139 £961 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,555
6 kW 5565 kWh 3895 kWh 1669 kWh £987 £167 £1,154 £15,707 13.6 yrs £7,366
7 kW 6492 kWh 4545 kWh 1948 kWh £1,151 £195 £1,346 £17,742 13.2 yrs £9,177
8 kW 7420 kWh 5194 kWh 2226 kWh £1,316 £223 £1,538 £19,776 12.9 yrs £10,988

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: £983, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1855 kWh 1354 kWh 501 kWh £343 £50 £393 £9,319 23.7 yrs £-1,457
3 kW 2782 kWh 2031 kWh 751 kWh £515 £75 £590 £11,354 19.3 yrs £439
4 kW 3710 kWh 2708 kWh 1002 kWh £686 £100 £786 £13,388 17.0 yrs £2,335
5 kW 4637 kWh 3385 kWh 1252 kWh £858 £125 £983 £15,423 15.7 yrs £4,232
6 kW 5565 kWh 4062 kWh 1503 kWh £1,029 £150 £1,179 £17,457 14.8 yrs £6,128
7 kW 6492 kWh 4739 kWh 1753 kWh £1,201 £175 £1,376 £19,492 14.2 yrs £8,025
8 kW 7420 kWh 5417 kWh 2003 kWh £1,372 £200 £1,572 £21,526 13.7 yrs £9,921

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: £997, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1855 kWh 1391 kWh 464 kWh £352 £46 £399 £11,069 27.8 yrs £-3,094
3 kW 2782 kWh 2087 kWh 696 kWh £529 £70 £598 £13,104 21.9 yrs £-1,140
4 kW 3710 kWh 2782 kWh 927 kWh £705 £93 £798 £15,138 19.0 yrs £813
5 kW 4637 kWh 3478 kWh 1159 kWh £881 £116 £997 £17,173 17.2 yrs £2,766
6 kW 5565 kWh 4174 kWh 1391 kWh £1,057 £139 £1,196 £19,207 16.1 yrs £4,719
7 kW 6492 kWh 4869 kWh 1623 kWh £1,233 £162 £1,396 £21,242 15.2 yrs £6,673
8 kW 7420 kWh 5565 kWh 1855 kWh £1,410 £185 £1,595 £23,276 14.6 yrs £8,626

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: £1,011, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1855 kWh 1428 kWh 427 kWh £362 £43 £404 £13,519 33.4 yrs £-5,430
3 kW 2782 kWh 2143 kWh 640 kWh £543 £64 £607 £15,554 25.6 yrs £-3,420
4 kW 3710 kWh 2857 kWh 853 kWh £724 £85 £809 £17,588 21.7 yrs £-1,410
5 kW 4637 kWh 3571 kWh 1067 kWh £904 £107 £1,011 £19,623 19.4 yrs £601
6 kW 5565 kWh 4285 kWh 1280 kWh £1,085 £128 £1,213 £21,657 17.8 yrs £2,611
7 kW 6492 kWh 4999 kWh 1493 kWh £1,266 £149 £1,416 £23,692 16.7 yrs £4,621
8 kW 7420 kWh 5713 kWh 1707 kWh £1,447 £171 £1,618 £25,726 15.9 yrs £6,631

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 S6

Figures below are tailored to S6 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1737 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2246 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£684 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2676 of 2997
31.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£684 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
927kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~927 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 68% • Flats: 26% • Bungalows: 4% Based on 16,063 properties

Coverage

Sheffield (100%)

Areas Covered

Hillsborough, Stannington, Walkley, Southey, City, Broomhill and Sharrow Vale, West Ecclesfield, Shiregreen and Brightside + 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 Yorkshire

S3 (Sheffield)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~920 kWh/kWp · -1% vs S6
S10 (Sheffield)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · -1% vs S6
S1 (Sheffield)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -1% vs S6
S4 (Sheffield)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~924 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S6
S5 (Sheffield)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~930 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S6
S11 (Sheffield)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~909 kWh/kWp · -2% vs S6

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF41 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
~927 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S6
DH3 (County Durham)
~927 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S6
B69 (Sandwell)
~927 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S6