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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SK4 (Stockport)

See if solar pays off for you in Stockport — 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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£723
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,910
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 North West, the current unit rate is 27.11p/kWh with a 51.16p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 859 kWh/kW — 11 below the regional median (870).

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 859 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
51.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
859 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: £723, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1718 kWh 687 kWh 1031 kWh £186 £103 £289 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,717
3 kW 2576 kWh 1031 kWh 1546 kWh £279 £155 £434 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,576
4 kW 3435 kWh 1374 kWh 2061 kWh £373 £206 £579 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,435
5 kW 4294 kWh 1718 kWh 2576 kWh £466 £258 £723 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,293
6 kW 5153 kWh 2061 kWh 3092 kWh £559 £309 £868 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,152
7 kW 6012 kWh 2405 kWh 3607 kWh £652 £361 £1,013 £14,242 14.1 yrs £6,011
8 kW 6870 kWh 2748 kWh 4122 kWh £745 £412 £1,157 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,869

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: £870, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1718 kWh 1031 kWh 687 kWh £279 £69 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £793
3 kW 2576 kWh 1546 kWh 1031 kWh £419 £103 £522 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,239
4 kW 3435 kWh 2061 kWh 1374 kWh £559 £137 £696 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,686
5 kW 4294 kWh 2576 kWh 1718 kWh £698 £172 £870 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,132
6 kW 5153 kWh 3092 kWh 2061 kWh £838 £206 £1,044 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,579
7 kW 6012 kWh 3607 kWh 2405 kWh £978 £240 £1,218 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,025
8 kW 6870 kWh 4122 kWh 2748 kWh £1,118 £275 £1,392 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,471

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: £944, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1718 kWh 1202 kWh 515 kWh £326 £52 £377 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-19
3 kW 2576 kWh 1804 kWh 773 kWh £489 £77 £566 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,721
4 kW 3435 kWh 2405 kWh 1031 kWh £652 £103 £755 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,461
5 kW 4294 kWh 3006 kWh 1288 kWh £815 £129 £944 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,202
6 kW 5153 kWh 3607 kWh 1546 kWh £978 £155 £1,132 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,942
7 kW 6012 kWh 4208 kWh 1804 kWh £1,141 £180 £1,321 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,682
8 kW 6870 kWh 4809 kWh 2061 kWh £1,304 £206 £1,510 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,422

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: £966, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1718 kWh 1254 kWh 464 kWh £340 £46 £386 £9,319 24.1 yrs £-1,593
3 kW 2576 kWh 1881 kWh 696 kWh £510 £70 £579 £11,354 19.6 yrs £235
4 kW 3435 kWh 2508 kWh 928 kWh £680 £93 £773 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,064
5 kW 4294 kWh 3135 kWh 1159 kWh £850 £116 £966 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,892
6 kW 5153 kWh 3762 kWh 1391 kWh £1,020 £139 £1,159 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,721
7 kW 6012 kWh 4389 kWh 1623 kWh £1,190 £162 £1,352 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,549
8 kW 6870 kWh 5015 kWh 1855 kWh £1,360 £186 £1,545 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,378

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: £980, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1718 kWh 1288 kWh 429 kWh £349 £43 £392 £11,069 28.2 yrs £-3,226
3 kW 2576 kWh 1932 kWh 644 kWh £524 £64 £588 £13,104 22.3 yrs £-1,338
4 kW 3435 kWh 2576 kWh 859 kWh £698 £86 £784 £15,138 19.3 yrs £549
5 kW 4294 kWh 3221 kWh 1074 kWh £873 £107 £980 £17,173 17.5 yrs £2,436
6 kW 5153 kWh 3865 kWh 1288 kWh £1,048 £129 £1,177 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,323
7 kW 6012 kWh 4509 kWh 1503 kWh £1,222 £150 £1,373 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,211
8 kW 6870 kWh 5153 kWh 1718 kWh £1,397 £172 £1,569 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,098

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: £995, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1718 kWh 1323 kWh 395 kWh £359 £40 £398 £13,519 34.0 yrs £-5,558
3 kW 2576 kWh 1984 kWh 593 kWh £538 £59 £597 £15,554 26.0 yrs £-3,612
4 kW 3435 kWh 2645 kWh 790 kWh £717 £79 £796 £17,588 22.1 yrs £-1,666
5 kW 4294 kWh 3306 kWh 988 kWh £896 £99 £995 £19,623 19.7 yrs £280
6 kW 5153 kWh 3968 kWh 1185 kWh £1,076 £119 £1,194 £21,657 18.1 yrs £2,226
7 kW 6012 kWh 4629 kWh 1383 kWh £1,255 £138 £1,393 £23,692 17.0 yrs £4,172
8 kW 6870 kWh 5290 kWh 1580 kWh £1,434 £158 £1,592 £25,726 16.2 yrs £6,118

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 SK4

Figures below are tailored to SK4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1727 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2527 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£833 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1994 of 2997
22.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£187 fixed • ~£833 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.11p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
51.16p/day
Local Sunshine
859kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~859 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: 64% • Flats: 33% • Bungalows: 2% Based on 8,734 properties

Coverage

Stockport (100%)

Areas Covered

Heatons South, Heatons North, Reddish South, Brinnington & Stockport Central, Didsbury East, Levenshulme, Edgeley, Hazel Grove

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 North West

SK1 (Stockport)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SK4
SK3 (Stockport)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SK4
SK5 (Stockport)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SK4
M19 (Manchester)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~861 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SK4
SK2 (Stockport)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SK4
M20 (Manchester)
≈3.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~870 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SK4

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL55 (Gwynedd)
~859 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SK4
NE49 (Northumberland)
~858 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SK4
LL23 (Gwynedd)
~860 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SK4