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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SG9 (East Hertfordshire)

See if solar pays off for you in East Hertfordshire — 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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,005
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,923
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1009 kWh/kW — 1 below the regional median (1009).

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 1009 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1009 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: £838, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 807 kWh 1210 kWh £214 £121 £335 £4,069 12.1 yrs £2,632
3 kW 3026 kWh 1210 kWh 1815 kWh £321 £182 £503 £6,104 12.1 yrs £3,948
4 kW 4034 kWh 1614 kWh 2420 kWh £428 £242 £670 £8,138 12.1 yrs £5,265
5 kW 5043 kWh 2017 kWh 3026 kWh £535 £303 £838 £10,173 12.1 yrs £6,581
6 kW 6051 kWh 2420 kWh 3631 kWh £642 £363 £1,005 £12,207 12.1 yrs £7,897
7 kW 7060 kWh 2824 kWh 4236 kWh £749 £424 £1,173 £14,242 12.1 yrs £9,213
8 kW 8068 kWh 3227 kWh 4841 kWh £856 £484 £1,340 £16,276 12.1 yrs £10,529

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: £1,004, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1210 kWh 807 kWh £321 £81 £402 £6,169 15.4 yrs £1,866
3 kW 3026 kWh 1815 kWh 1210 kWh £482 £121 £603 £8,204 13.6 yrs £3,849
4 kW 4034 kWh 2420 kWh 1614 kWh £642 £161 £804 £10,238 12.7 yrs £5,832
5 kW 5043 kWh 3026 kWh 2017 kWh £803 £202 £1,004 £12,273 12.2 yrs £7,815
6 kW 6051 kWh 3631 kWh 2420 kWh £963 £242 £1,205 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,798
7 kW 7060 kWh 4236 kWh 2824 kWh £1,124 £282 £1,406 £16,342 11.6 yrs £11,781
8 kW 8068 kWh 4841 kWh 3227 kWh £1,284 £323 £1,607 £18,376 11.4 yrs £13,764

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: £1,088, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2017 kWh 1412 kWh 605 kWh £375 £61 £435 £7,569 17.4 yrs £1,133
3 kW 3026 kWh 2118 kWh 908 kWh £562 £91 £653 £9,604 14.7 yrs £3,449
4 kW 4034 kWh 2824 kWh 1210 kWh £749 £121 £870 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,766
5 kW 5043 kWh 3530 kWh 1513 kWh £936 £151 £1,088 £13,673 12.6 yrs £8,082
6 kW 6051 kWh 4236 kWh 1815 kWh £1,124 £182 £1,305 £15,707 12.0 yrs £10,398
7 kW 7060 kWh 4942 kWh 2118 kWh £1,311 £212 £1,523 £17,742 11.7 yrs £12,715
8 kW 8068 kWh 5648 kWh 2420 kWh £1,498 £242 £1,740 £19,776 11.4 yrs £15,031

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: £1,113, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2017 kWh 1472 kWh 545 kWh £391 £54 £445 £9,319 20.9 yrs £-417
3 kW 3026 kWh 2209 kWh 817 kWh £586 £82 £668 £11,354 17.0 yrs £1,999
4 kW 4034 kWh 2945 kWh 1089 kWh £781 £109 £890 £13,388 15.0 yrs £4,416
5 kW 5043 kWh 3681 kWh 1361 kWh £977 £136 £1,113 £15,423 13.9 yrs £6,832
6 kW 6051 kWh 4417 kWh 1634 kWh £1,172 £163 £1,335 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,249
7 kW 7060 kWh 5153 kWh 1906 kWh £1,367 £191 £1,558 £19,492 12.5 yrs £11,665
8 kW 8068 kWh 5890 kWh 2178 kWh £1,563 £218 £1,780 £21,526 12.1 yrs £14,081

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: £1,129, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1513 kWh 504 kWh £401 £50 £452 £11,069 24.5 yrs £-2,034
3 kW 3026 kWh 2269 kWh 756 kWh £602 £76 £678 £13,104 19.3 yrs £449
4 kW 4034 kWh 3026 kWh 1009 kWh £803 £101 £904 £15,138 16.8 yrs £2,932
5 kW 5043 kWh 3782 kWh 1261 kWh £1,003 £126 £1,129 £17,173 15.2 yrs £5,416
6 kW 6051 kWh 4538 kWh 1513 kWh £1,204 £151 £1,355 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,899
7 kW 7060 kWh 5295 kWh 1765 kWh £1,405 £176 £1,581 £21,242 13.4 yrs £10,382
8 kW 8068 kWh 6051 kWh 2017 kWh £1,605 £202 £1,807 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,865

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: £1,146, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2017 kWh 1553 kWh 464 kWh £412 £46 £458 £13,519 29.5 yrs £-4,350
3 kW 3026 kWh 2330 kWh 696 kWh £618 £70 £688 £15,554 22.6 yrs £-1,801
4 kW 4034 kWh 3106 kWh 928 kWh £824 £93 £917 £17,588 19.2 yrs £749
5 kW 5043 kWh 3883 kWh 1160 kWh £1,030 £116 £1,146 £19,623 17.1 yrs £3,299
6 kW 6051 kWh 4659 kWh 1392 kWh £1,236 £139 £1,375 £21,657 15.7 yrs £5,849
7 kW 7060 kWh 5436 kWh 1624 kWh £1,442 £162 £1,605 £23,692 14.8 yrs £8,399
8 kW 8068 kWh 6212 kWh 1856 kWh £1,648 £186 £1,834 £25,726 14.0 yrs £10,948

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 SG9

Figures below are tailored to SG9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #411 of 2182
5.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #727 of 2997
10.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,155 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #338 of 2997
15.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,155 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1009kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1009 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: 78% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 3,297 properties

Coverage

East Hertfordshire (90%)|North Hertfordshire (10%)

Areas Covered

Buntingford, Little Hadham & The Pelhams, Weston & Sandon, Ware Priory, The Mundens, Braughing & Standon, Ermine

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 Eastern

SG11 (East Hertfordshire)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,002 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SG9
SG2 (Stevenage)
≈11.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SG9
SG7 (North Hertfordshire)
≈12.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SG9
SG8 (North Hertfordshire)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SG9
SG10 (East Hertfordshire)
≈12.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,008 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SG9
SG1 (Stevenage)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~995 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SG9

Similar sunshine across the UK

RH11 (Crawley)
~1,008 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SG9
CF14 (Cardiff)
~1,008 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SG9
BA16 (Somerset)
~1,009 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SG9