Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SA9 (Powys)

See if solar pays off for you in Powys — 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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£731
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,094
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 873 kWh/kW — 95 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 873 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)
873 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: £731, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1747 kWh 699 kWh 1048 kWh £187 £105 £292 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,776
3 kW 2620 kWh 1048 kWh 1572 kWh £281 £157 £438 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,664
4 kW 3493 kWh 1397 kWh 2096 kWh £375 £210 £585 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,553
5 kW 4367 kWh 1747 kWh 2620 kWh £469 £262 £731 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,441
6 kW 5240 kWh 2096 kWh 3144 kWh £562 £314 £877 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,329
7 kW 6114 kWh 2445 kWh 3668 kWh £656 £367 £1,023 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,217
8 kW 6987 kWh 2795 kWh 4192 kWh £750 £419 £1,169 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,105

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: £878, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1747 kWh 1048 kWh 699 kWh £281 £70 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £852
3 kW 2620 kWh 1572 kWh 1048 kWh £422 £105 £527 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,328
4 kW 3493 kWh 2096 kWh 1397 kWh £562 £140 £702 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,804
5 kW 4367 kWh 2620 kWh 1747 kWh £703 £175 £878 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,280
6 kW 5240 kWh 3144 kWh 2096 kWh £844 £210 £1,053 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,757
7 kW 6114 kWh 3668 kWh 2445 kWh £984 £245 £1,229 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,233
8 kW 6987 kWh 4192 kWh 2795 kWh £1,125 £279 £1,404 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,709

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: £951, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1747 kWh 1223 kWh 524 kWh £328 £52 £380 £7,569 19.9 yrs £40
3 kW 2620 kWh 1834 kWh 786 kWh £492 £79 £571 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,810
4 kW 3493 kWh 2445 kWh 1048 kWh £656 £105 £761 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,580
5 kW 4367 kWh 3057 kWh 1310 kWh £820 £131 £951 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,350
6 kW 5240 kWh 3668 kWh 1572 kWh £984 £157 £1,141 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,120
7 kW 6114 kWh 4280 kWh 1834 kWh £1,148 £183 £1,332 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,890
8 kW 6987 kWh 4891 kWh 2096 kWh £1,312 £210 £1,522 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,661

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: £973, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1747 kWh 1275 kWh 472 kWh £342 £47 £389 £9,319 23.9 yrs £-1,533
3 kW 2620 kWh 1913 kWh 707 kWh £513 £71 £584 £11,354 19.4 yrs £325
4 kW 3493 kWh 2550 kWh 943 kWh £684 £94 £779 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,183
5 kW 4367 kWh 3188 kWh 1179 kWh £855 £118 £973 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,041
6 kW 5240 kWh 3825 kWh 1415 kWh £1,026 £141 £1,168 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,900
7 kW 6114 kWh 4463 kWh 1651 kWh £1,197 £165 £1,362 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,758
8 kW 6987 kWh 5100 kWh 1886 kWh £1,368 £189 £1,557 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,616

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: £988, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1747 kWh 1310 kWh 437 kWh £351 £44 £395 £11,069 28.0 yrs £-3,166
3 kW 2620 kWh 1965 kWh 655 kWh £527 £66 £593 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,249
4 kW 3493 kWh 2620 kWh 873 kWh £703 £87 £790 £15,138 19.2 yrs £668
5 kW 4367 kWh 3275 kWh 1092 kWh £879 £109 £988 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,585
6 kW 5240 kWh 3930 kWh 1310 kWh £1,054 £131 £1,185 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,502
7 kW 6114 kWh 4585 kWh 1528 kWh £1,230 £153 £1,383 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,419
8 kW 6987 kWh 5240 kWh 1747 kWh £1,406 £175 £1,581 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,336

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: £1,003, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1747 kWh 1345 kWh 402 kWh £361 £40 £401 £13,519 33.7 yrs £-5,498
3 kW 2620 kWh 2017 kWh 603 kWh £541 £60 £602 £15,554 25.9 yrs £-3,522
4 kW 3493 kWh 2690 kWh 804 kWh £722 £80 £802 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,547
5 kW 4367 kWh 3362 kWh 1004 kWh £902 £100 £1,003 £19,623 19.6 yrs £429
6 kW 5240 kWh 4035 kWh 1205 kWh £1,083 £121 £1,203 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,405
7 kW 6114 kWh 4707 kWh 1406 kWh £1,263 £141 £1,404 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,381
8 kW 6987 kWh 5380 kWh 1607 kWh £1,443 £161 £1,604 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,357

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 SA9

Figures below are tailored to SA9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #815 of 2182
5.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2436 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£841 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1992 of 2997
22.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£189 fixed • ~£841 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.83p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.69p/day
Local Sunshine
873kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~873 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: 10% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 3,960 properties

Coverage

Powys (60%)|Neath Port Talbot (34%)|Carmarthenshire (7%)

Areas Covered

Cwmllynfell and Ystalyfera, Aber-craf and Ystradgynlais, Cwm-twrch, Ynyscedwyn, Tawe Uchaf, Cwarter Bach, Godre'r Graig, Pontardawe + 2 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 South Wales

SA8 (Neath Port Talbot)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · +2% vs SA9
SA10 (Neath Port Talbot)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · +7% vs SA9
SA11 (Neath Port Talbot)
≈13.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~929 kWh/kWp · +6% vs SA9
SA18 (Carmarthenshire)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~895 kWh/kWp · +3% vs SA9
SA7 (Swansea)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · +11% vs SA9
SA6 (Swansea)
≈15.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · +11% vs SA9

Similar sunshine across the UK

AB5 (Aberdeenshire)
~873 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA9
AB51 (Aberdeenshire)
~873 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA9
TD5 (Scottish Borders)
~874 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SA9