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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SA19 (Carmarthenshire)

See if solar pays off for you in Carmarthenshire — 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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£897
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,222
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 Wales, the current unit rate is 26.83p/kWh with a 51.69p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 894 kWh/kW — 75 below the regional median (968).

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 894 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
51.7p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
894 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 1787 kWh 715 kWh 1072 kWh £192 £107 £299 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,912
3 kW 2681 kWh 1072 kWh 1609 kWh £288 £161 £449 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,868
4 kW 3575 kWh 1430 kWh 2145 kWh £384 £214 £598 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,824
5 kW 4468 kWh 1787 kWh 2681 kWh £480 £268 £748 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,780
6 kW 5362 kWh 2145 kWh 3217 kWh £575 £322 £897 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,736
7 kW 6256 kWh 2502 kWh 3753 kWh £671 £375 £1,047 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,692
8 kW 7149 kWh 2860 kWh 4290 kWh £767 £429 £1,196 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,649

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: £898, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1072 kWh 715 kWh £288 £71 £359 £6,169 17.2 yrs £1,015
3 kW 2681 kWh 1609 kWh 1072 kWh £432 £107 £539 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,573
4 kW 3575 kWh 2145 kWh 1430 kWh £575 £143 £718 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,131
5 kW 4468 kWh 2681 kWh 1787 kWh £719 £179 £898 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,688
6 kW 5362 kWh 3217 kWh 2145 kWh £863 £214 £1,078 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,246
7 kW 6256 kWh 3753 kWh 2502 kWh £1,007 £250 £1,257 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,804
8 kW 7149 kWh 4290 kWh 2860 kWh £1,151 £286 £1,437 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,361

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: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1251 kWh 536 kWh £336 £54 £389 £7,569 19.4 yrs £217
3 kW 2681 kWh 1877 kWh 804 kWh £504 £80 £584 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,075
4 kW 3575 kWh 2502 kWh 1072 kWh £671 £107 £779 £11,638 14.9 yrs £3,934
5 kW 4468 kWh 3128 kWh 1341 kWh £839 £134 £973 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,792
6 kW 5362 kWh 3753 kWh 1609 kWh £1,007 £161 £1,168 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,651
7 kW 6256 kWh 4379 kWh 1877 kWh £1,175 £188 £1,363 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,509
8 kW 7149 kWh 5005 kWh 2145 kWh £1,343 £214 £1,557 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,368

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 1787 kWh 1305 kWh 483 kWh £350 £48 £398 £9,319 23.4 yrs £-1,353
3 kW 2681 kWh 1957 kWh 724 kWh £525 £72 £597 £11,354 19.0 yrs £596
4 kW 3575 kWh 2610 kWh 965 kWh £700 £97 £797 £13,388 16.8 yrs £2,545
5 kW 4468 kWh 3262 kWh 1206 kWh £875 £121 £996 £15,423 15.5 yrs £4,494
6 kW 5362 kWh 3914 kWh 1448 kWh £1,050 £145 £1,195 £17,457 14.6 yrs £6,442
7 kW 6256 kWh 4567 kWh 1689 kWh £1,225 £169 £1,394 £19,492 14.0 yrs £8,391
8 kW 7149 kWh 5219 kWh 1930 kWh £1,400 £193 £1,593 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,340

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 1787 kWh 1341 kWh 447 kWh £360 £45 £404 £11,069 27.4 yrs £-2,982
3 kW 2681 kWh 2011 kWh 670 kWh £539 £67 £607 £13,104 21.6 yrs £-973
4 kW 3575 kWh 2681 kWh 894 kWh £719 £89 £809 £15,138 18.7 yrs £1,036
5 kW 4468 kWh 3351 kWh 1117 kWh £899 £112 £1,011 £17,173 17.0 yrs £3,044
6 kW 5362 kWh 4022 kWh 1341 kWh £1,079 £134 £1,213 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,053
7 kW 6256 kWh 4692 kWh 1564 kWh £1,259 £156 £1,415 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,062
8 kW 7149 kWh 5362 kWh 1787 kWh £1,439 £179 £1,617 £23,276 14.4 yrs £9,071

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: £1,026, 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 1787 kWh 1376 kWh 411 kWh £369 £41 £410 £13,519 32.9 yrs £-5,312
3 kW 2681 kWh 2064 kWh 617 kWh £554 £62 £616 £15,554 25.3 yrs £-3,243
4 kW 3575 kWh 2753 kWh 822 kWh £738 £82 £821 £17,588 21.4 yrs £-1,174
5 kW 4468 kWh 3441 kWh 1028 kWh £923 £103 £1,026 £19,623 19.1 yrs £895
6 kW 5362 kWh 4129 kWh 1233 kWh £1,108 £123 £1,231 £21,657 17.6 yrs £2,964
7 kW 6256 kWh 4817 kWh 1439 kWh £1,292 £144 £1,436 £23,692 16.5 yrs £5,033
8 kW 7149 kWh 5505 kWh 1644 kWh £1,477 £164 £1,641 £25,726 15.7 yrs £7,102

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 SA19

Figures below are tailored to SA19 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #48 of 2182
7.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~15 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2153 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,033 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1081 of 2997
18.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£1,033 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
894kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~894 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: 72% • Flats: 7% • Bungalows: 20% Based on 2,483 properties

Coverage

Carmarthenshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Manordeilo and Salem, Cilycwm, Llangadog, Llandeilo, Llanybydder, Llanfihangel Aberbythych, Llanegwad

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 Wales

SA20 (Carmarthenshire)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~863 kWh/kWp · -3% vs SA19
SA32 (Carmarthenshire)
≈14.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~950 kWh/kWp · +6% vs SA19
SA18 (Carmarthenshire)
≈15.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~895 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA19
SA40 (Carmarthenshire)
≈20.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~886 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SA19
SA39 (Carmarthenshire)
≈21.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SA19
SA9 (Powys)
≈21.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~873 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SA19

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH14 (City of Edinburgh)
~894 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA19
TS14 (Redcar and Cleveland)
~894 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA19
BD20 (Bradford)
~894 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA19