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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in S73 (Barnsley)

See if solar pays off for you in Barnsley — 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
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£606
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,005
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 939 kWh/kW — 10 above 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 939 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)
939 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 1877 kWh 751 kWh 1126 kWh £190 £113 £303 £4,069 13.4 yrs £1,988
3 kW 2816 kWh 1126 kWh 1690 kWh £285 £169 £454 £6,104 13.4 yrs £2,982
4 kW 3755 kWh 1502 kWh 2253 kWh £380 £225 £606 £8,138 13.4 yrs £3,977
5 kW 4694 kWh 1877 kWh 2816 kWh £476 £282 £757 £10,173 13.4 yrs £4,971
6 kW 5632 kWh 2253 kWh 3379 kWh £571 £338 £909 £12,207 13.4 yrs £5,965
7 kW 6571 kWh 2628 kWh 3943 kWh £666 £394 £1,060 £14,242 13.4 yrs £6,959
8 kW 7510 kWh 3004 kWh 4506 kWh £761 £451 £1,211 £16,276 13.4 yrs £7,953

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: £901, 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 1877 kWh 1126 kWh 751 kWh £285 £75 £360 £6,169 17.1 yrs £1,040
3 kW 2816 kWh 1690 kWh 1126 kWh £428 £113 £541 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,609
4 kW 3755 kWh 2253 kWh 1502 kWh £571 £150 £721 £10,238 14.2 yrs £4,179
5 kW 4694 kWh 2816 kWh 1877 kWh £713 £188 £901 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,749
6 kW 5632 kWh 3379 kWh 2253 kWh £856 £225 £1,081 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,319
7 kW 6571 kWh 3943 kWh 2628 kWh £999 £263 £1,261 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,888
8 kW 7510 kWh 4506 kWh 3004 kWh £1,141 £300 £1,442 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,458

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: £973, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1877 kWh 1314 kWh 563 kWh £333 £56 £389 £7,569 19.4 yrs £215
3 kW 2816 kWh 1971 kWh 845 kWh £499 £84 £584 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,073
4 kW 3755 kWh 2628 kWh 1126 kWh £666 £113 £778 £11,638 15.0 yrs £3,930
5 kW 4694 kWh 3285 kWh 1408 kWh £832 £141 £973 £13,673 14.1 yrs £5,788
6 kW 5632 kWh 3943 kWh 1690 kWh £999 £169 £1,168 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,645
7 kW 6571 kWh 4600 kWh 1971 kWh £1,165 £197 £1,362 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,503
8 kW 7510 kWh 5257 kWh 2253 kWh £1,332 £225 £1,557 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,361

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: £995, 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 1877 kWh 1371 kWh 507 kWh £347 £51 £398 £9,319 23.4 yrs £-1,362
3 kW 2816 kWh 2056 kWh 760 kWh £521 £76 £597 £11,354 19.0 yrs £582
4 kW 3755 kWh 2741 kWh 1014 kWh £694 £101 £796 £13,388 16.8 yrs £2,526
5 kW 4694 kWh 3426 kWh 1267 kWh £868 £127 £995 £15,423 15.5 yrs £4,470
6 kW 5632 kWh 4112 kWh 1521 kWh £1,041 £152 £1,194 £17,457 14.6 yrs £6,413
7 kW 6571 kWh 4797 kWh 1774 kWh £1,215 £177 £1,392 £19,492 14.0 yrs £8,357
8 kW 7510 kWh 5482 kWh 2028 kWh £1,389 £203 £1,591 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,301

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: £1,009, 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 1877 kWh 1408 kWh 469 kWh £357 £47 £404 £11,069 27.4 yrs £-2,997
3 kW 2816 kWh 2112 kWh 704 kWh £535 £70 £605 £13,104 21.6 yrs £-996
4 kW 3755 kWh 2816 kWh 939 kWh £713 £94 £807 £15,138 18.8 yrs £1,006
5 kW 4694 kWh 3520 kWh 1173 kWh £892 £117 £1,009 £17,173 17.0 yrs £3,007
6 kW 5632 kWh 4224 kWh 1408 kWh £1,070 £141 £1,211 £19,207 15.9 yrs £5,009
7 kW 6571 kWh 4928 kWh 1643 kWh £1,248 £164 £1,413 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,010
8 kW 7510 kWh 5632 kWh 1877 kWh £1,427 £188 £1,614 £23,276 14.4 yrs £9,012

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: £1,023, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1877 kWh 1446 kWh 432 kWh £366 £43 £409 £13,519 33.0 yrs £-5,332
3 kW 2816 kWh 2168 kWh 648 kWh £549 £65 £614 £15,554 25.3 yrs £-3,273
4 kW 3755 kWh 2891 kWh 864 kWh £732 £86 £819 £17,588 21.5 yrs £-1,214
5 kW 4694 kWh 3614 kWh 1080 kWh £915 £108 £1,023 £19,623 19.2 yrs £845
6 kW 5632 kWh 4337 kWh 1295 kWh £1,099 £130 £1,228 £21,657 17.6 yrs £2,904
7 kW 6571 kWh 5060 kWh 1511 kWh £1,282 £151 £1,433 £23,692 16.5 yrs £4,963
8 kW 7510 kWh 5782 kWh 1727 kWh £1,465 £173 £1,637 £25,726 15.7 yrs £7,022

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 S73

Figures below are tailored to S73 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1290 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2149 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£692 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2654 of 2997
30.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£692 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
939kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~939 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: 77% • Flats: 9% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 8,384 properties

Coverage

Barnsley (94%)|Rotherham (6%)

Areas Covered

Wombwell, Darfield, Stairfoot, Hoober, Hoyland Milton

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

S74 (Barnsley)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~932 kWh/kWp · -1% vs S73
S97 (Rotherham)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S73
S63 (Rotherham)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · +1% vs S73
S72 (Barnsley)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~943 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S73
S70 (Barnsley)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~939 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S73
S71 (Barnsley)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S73

Similar sunshine across the UK

DE5 (Amber Valley)
~939 kWh/kWp · -0% vs S73
NP7 (Monmouthshire)
~939 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S73
NE61 (Northumberland)
~939 kWh/kWp · +0% vs S73