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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SE24 (Lambeth)

See if solar pays off for you in Lambeth — 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
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£484
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,999
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 London, the current unit rate is 25.63p/kWh with a 46.06p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 993 kWh/kW — 2 above the regional median (991).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 993 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
46.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
993 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: £807, 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 1986 kWh 794 kWh 1192 kWh £204 £119 £323 £4,069 12.6 yrs £2,386
3 kW 2979 kWh 1192 kWh 1787 kWh £305 £179 £484 £6,104 12.6 yrs £3,579
4 kW 3972 kWh 1589 kWh 2383 kWh £407 £238 £645 £8,138 12.6 yrs £4,772
5 kW 4965 kWh 1986 kWh 2979 kWh £509 £298 £807 £10,173 12.6 yrs £5,965
6 kW 5958 kWh 2383 kWh 3575 kWh £611 £357 £968 £12,207 12.6 yrs £7,158
7 kW 6951 kWh 2780 kWh 4170 kWh £713 £417 £1,130 £14,242 12.6 yrs £8,351
8 kW 7944 kWh 3177 kWh 4766 kWh £814 £477 £1,291 £16,276 12.6 yrs £9,544

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: £962, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1192 kWh 794 kWh £305 £79 £385 £6,169 16.0 yrs £1,527
3 kW 2979 kWh 1787 kWh 1192 kWh £458 £119 £577 £8,204 14.2 yrs £3,341
4 kW 3972 kWh 2383 kWh 1589 kWh £611 £159 £770 £10,238 13.3 yrs £5,155
5 kW 4965 kWh 2979 kWh 1986 kWh £763 £199 £962 £12,273 12.8 yrs £6,969
6 kW 5958 kWh 3575 kWh 2383 kWh £916 £238 £1,154 £14,307 12.4 yrs £8,782
7 kW 6951 kWh 4170 kWh 2780 kWh £1,069 £278 £1,347 £16,342 12.1 yrs £10,596
8 kW 7944 kWh 4766 kWh 3177 kWh £1,222 £318 £1,539 £18,376 11.9 yrs £12,410

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: £1,040, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1390 kWh 596 kWh £356 £60 £416 £7,569 18.2 yrs £748
3 kW 2979 kWh 2085 kWh 894 kWh £534 £89 £624 £9,604 15.4 yrs £2,872
4 kW 3972 kWh 2780 kWh 1192 kWh £713 £119 £832 £11,638 14.0 yrs £4,996
5 kW 4965 kWh 3475 kWh 1489 kWh £891 £149 £1,040 £13,673 13.2 yrs £7,121
6 kW 5958 kWh 4170 kWh 1787 kWh £1,069 £179 £1,248 £15,707 12.6 yrs £9,245
7 kW 6951 kWh 4865 kWh 2085 kWh £1,247 £209 £1,456 £17,742 12.2 yrs £11,369
8 kW 7944 kWh 5560 kWh 2383 kWh £1,425 £238 £1,663 £19,776 11.9 yrs £13,493

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: £1,063, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1450 kWh 536 kWh £372 £54 £425 £9,319 21.9 yrs £-816
3 kW 2979 kWh 2175 kWh 804 kWh £557 £80 £638 £11,354 17.8 yrs £1,402
4 kW 3972 kWh 2899 kWh 1072 kWh £743 £107 £850 £13,388 15.7 yrs £3,619
5 kW 4965 kWh 3624 kWh 1340 kWh £929 £134 £1,063 £15,423 14.5 yrs £5,836
6 kW 5958 kWh 4349 kWh 1609 kWh £1,115 £161 £1,276 £17,457 13.7 yrs £8,053
7 kW 6951 kWh 5074 kWh 1877 kWh £1,300 £188 £1,488 £19,492 13.1 yrs £10,271
8 kW 7944 kWh 5799 kWh 2145 kWh £1,486 £214 £1,701 £21,526 12.7 yrs £12,488

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: £1,078, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1489 kWh 496 kWh £382 £50 £431 £11,069 25.7 yrs £-2,441
3 kW 2979 kWh 2234 kWh 745 kWh £573 £74 £647 £13,104 20.3 yrs £-162
4 kW 3972 kWh 2979 kWh 993 kWh £763 £99 £863 £15,138 17.5 yrs £2,117
5 kW 4965 kWh 3724 kWh 1241 kWh £954 £124 £1,078 £17,173 15.9 yrs £4,397
6 kW 5958 kWh 4468 kWh 1489 kWh £1,145 £149 £1,294 £19,207 14.8 yrs £6,676
7 kW 6951 kWh 5213 kWh 1738 kWh £1,336 £174 £1,510 £21,242 14.1 yrs £8,955
8 kW 7944 kWh 5958 kWh 1986 kWh £1,527 £199 £1,726 £23,276 13.5 yrs £11,235

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: £1,094, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1986 kWh 1529 kWh 457 kWh £392 £46 £438 £13,519 30.9 yrs £-4,767
3 kW 2979 kWh 2294 kWh 685 kWh £588 £69 £656 £15,554 23.7 yrs £-2,426
4 kW 3972 kWh 3058 kWh 914 kWh £784 £91 £875 £17,588 20.1 yrs £-84
5 kW 4965 kWh 3823 kWh 1142 kWh £980 £114 £1,094 £19,623 17.9 yrs £2,257
6 kW 5958 kWh 4587 kWh 1370 kWh £1,176 £137 £1,313 £21,657 16.5 yrs £4,598
7 kW 6951 kWh 5352 kWh 1599 kWh £1,372 £160 £1,532 £23,692 15.5 yrs £6,940
8 kW 7944 kWh 6117 kWh 1827 kWh £1,568 £183 £1,750 £25,726 14.7 yrs £9,281

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 SE24

Figures below are tailored to SE24 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2032 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1273 of 2997
11.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,108 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #308 of 2997
15.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£168 fixed • ~£1,108 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.63p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
46.06p/day
Local Sunshine
993kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~993 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 30% • Flats: 63% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 5,219 properties

Coverage

Lambeth (67%)|Southwark (33%)

Areas Covered

Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction, Dulwich Village, Camberwell Green, West Dulwich, Brixton Windrush, St Martin's, Champion Hill

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 London

SW2 (Lambeth)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SE24
SW9 (Lambeth)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SE24
SE22 (Southwark)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~997 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SE24
SE5 (Southwark)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~993 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SE24
SE21 (Southwark)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SE24
SW99 (Lambeth)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SE24

Similar sunshine across the UK

SG13 (East Hertfordshire)
~993 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SE24
NN7 (West Northamptonshire)
~993 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SE24
HP10 (Buckinghamshire)
~993 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SE24