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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SA7 (Swansea)

See if solar pays off for you in Swansea — 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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£810
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,081
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 968 kWh/kW — 0 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 968 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)
968 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: £810, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1937 kWh 775 kWh 1162 kWh £208 £116 £324 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,412
3 kW 2905 kWh 1162 kWh 1743 kWh £312 £174 £486 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,618
4 kW 3873 kWh 1549 kWh 2324 kWh £416 £232 £648 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,824
5 kW 4842 kWh 1937 kWh 2905 kWh £520 £291 £810 £10,173 12.6 yrs £6,030
6 kW 5810 kWh 2324 kWh 3486 kWh £624 £349 £972 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,236
7 kW 6779 kWh 2711 kWh 4067 kWh £727 £407 £1,134 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,442
8 kW 7747 kWh 3099 kWh 4648 kWh £831 £465 £1,296 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,648

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: £973, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1937 kWh 1162 kWh 775 kWh £312 £77 £389 £6,169 15.8 yrs £1,616
3 kW 2905 kWh 1743 kWh 1162 kWh £468 £116 £584 £8,204 14.1 yrs £3,474
4 kW 3873 kWh 2324 kWh 1549 kWh £624 £155 £778 £10,238 13.2 yrs £5,332
5 kW 4842 kWh 2905 kWh 1937 kWh £779 £194 £973 £12,273 12.6 yrs £7,190
6 kW 5810 kWh 3486 kWh 2324 kWh £935 £232 £1,168 £14,307 12.3 yrs £9,048
7 kW 6779 kWh 4067 kWh 2711 kWh £1,091 £271 £1,362 £16,342 12.0 yrs £10,906
8 kW 7747 kWh 4648 kWh 3099 kWh £1,247 £310 £1,557 £18,376 11.8 yrs £12,764

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: £1,055, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1937 kWh 1356 kWh 581 kWh £364 £58 £422 £7,569 17.9 yrs £868
3 kW 2905 kWh 2034 kWh 872 kWh £546 £87 £633 £9,604 15.2 yrs £3,052
4 kW 3873 kWh 2711 kWh 1162 kWh £727 £116 £844 £11,638 13.8 yrs £5,236
5 kW 4842 kWh 3389 kWh 1453 kWh £909 £145 £1,055 £13,673 13.0 yrs £7,420
6 kW 5810 kWh 4067 kWh 1743 kWh £1,091 £174 £1,266 £15,707 12.4 yrs £9,603
7 kW 6779 kWh 4745 kWh 2034 kWh £1,273 £203 £1,476 £17,742 12.0 yrs £11,787
8 kW 7747 kWh 5423 kWh 2324 kWh £1,455 £232 £1,687 £19,776 11.7 yrs £13,971

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: £1,079, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1937 kWh 1414 kWh 523 kWh £379 £52 £432 £9,319 21.6 yrs £-687
3 kW 2905 kWh 2121 kWh 784 kWh £569 £78 £647 £11,354 17.5 yrs £1,595
4 kW 3873 kWh 2828 kWh 1046 kWh £759 £105 £863 £13,388 15.5 yrs £3,877
5 kW 4842 kWh 3535 kWh 1307 kWh £948 £131 £1,079 £15,423 14.3 yrs £6,158
6 kW 5810 kWh 4241 kWh 1569 kWh £1,138 £157 £1,295 £17,457 13.5 yrs £8,440
7 kW 6779 kWh 4948 kWh 1830 kWh £1,328 £183 £1,511 £19,492 12.9 yrs £10,722
8 kW 7747 kWh 5655 kWh 2092 kWh £1,517 £209 £1,726 £21,526 12.5 yrs £13,004

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: £1,095, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1937 kWh 1453 kWh 484 kWh £390 £48 £438 £11,069 25.3 yrs £-2,306
3 kW 2905 kWh 2179 kWh 726 kWh £585 £73 £657 £13,104 19.9 yrs £41
4 kW 3873 kWh 2905 kWh 968 kWh £779 £97 £876 £15,138 17.3 yrs £2,388
5 kW 4842 kWh 3631 kWh 1210 kWh £974 £121 £1,095 £17,173 15.7 yrs £4,734
6 kW 5810 kWh 4358 kWh 1453 kWh £1,169 £145 £1,314 £19,207 14.6 yrs £7,081
7 kW 6779 kWh 5084 kWh 1695 kWh £1,364 £169 £1,533 £21,242 13.9 yrs £9,428
8 kW 7747 kWh 5810 kWh 1937 kWh £1,559 £194 £1,753 £23,276 13.3 yrs £11,775

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: £1,112, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1937 kWh 1491 kWh 445 kWh £400 £45 £445 £13,519 30.4 yrs £-4,626
3 kW 2905 kWh 2237 kWh 668 kWh £600 £67 £667 £15,554 23.3 yrs £-2,214
4 kW 3873 kWh 2983 kWh 891 kWh £800 £89 £889 £17,588 19.8 yrs £198
5 kW 4842 kWh 3728 kWh 1114 kWh £1,000 £111 £1,112 £19,623 17.7 yrs £2,610
6 kW 5810 kWh 4474 kWh 1336 kWh £1,200 £134 £1,334 £21,657 16.2 yrs £5,022
7 kW 6779 kWh 5220 kWh 1559 kWh £1,400 £156 £1,556 £23,692 15.2 yrs £7,434
8 kW 7747 kWh 5965 kWh 1782 kWh £1,600 £178 £1,779 £25,726 14.5 yrs £9,847

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 SA7

Figures below are tailored to SA7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #968 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1175 of 2997
10.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£932 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1437 of 2997
20.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£932 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
968kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~968 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: 79% • Flats: 6% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 2,969 properties

Coverage

Swansea (100%)

Areas Covered

Llansamlet, Clydach, Bôn-y-maen, Saundersfoot South, Allt-wen

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

SA6 (Swansea)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA7
SA80 (Swansea)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~982 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SA7
SA99 (Swansea)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA7
SA10 (Neath Port Talbot)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -3% vs SA7
SA1 (Swansea)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~982 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SA7
SA5 (Swansea)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~989 kWh/kWp · +2% vs SA7

Similar sunshine across the UK

HU16 (East Riding of Yorkshire)
~968 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SA7
HU7 (Kingston upon Hull, City of)
~968 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA7
PL32 (Cornwall)
~968 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA7