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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SN7 (Vale of White Horse)

See if solar pays off for you in Vale of White Horse — 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
12.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£835
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,709
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 Southern, the current unit rate is 26.48p/kWh with a 44.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1007 kWh/kW — 6 above the regional median (1001).

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 1007 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
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1007 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: £835, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2014 kWh 805 kWh 1208 kWh £213 £121 £334 £4,069 12.2 yrs £2,613
3 kW 3020 kWh 1208 kWh 1812 kWh £320 £181 £501 £6,104 12.2 yrs £3,920
4 kW 4027 kWh 1611 kWh 2416 kWh £427 £242 £668 £8,138 12.2 yrs £5,226
5 kW 5034 kWh 2014 kWh 3020 kWh £533 £302 £835 £10,173 12.2 yrs £6,533
6 kW 6041 kWh 2416 kWh 3625 kWh £640 £362 £1,002 £12,207 12.2 yrs £7,839
7 kW 7048 kWh 2819 kWh 4229 kWh £747 £423 £1,169 £14,242 12.2 yrs £9,146
8 kW 8055 kWh 3222 kWh 4833 kWh £853 £483 £1,336 £16,276 12.2 yrs £10,452

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: £1,001, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2014 kWh 1208 kWh 805 kWh £320 £81 £400 £6,169 15.4 yrs £1,841
3 kW 3020 kWh 1812 kWh 1208 kWh £480 £121 £601 £8,204 13.7 yrs £3,811
4 kW 4027 kWh 2416 kWh 1611 kWh £640 £161 £801 £10,238 12.8 yrs £5,781
5 kW 5034 kWh 3020 kWh 2014 kWh £800 £201 £1,001 £12,273 12.3 yrs £7,751
6 kW 6041 kWh 3625 kWh 2416 kWh £960 £242 £1,201 £14,307 11.9 yrs £9,722
7 kW 7048 kWh 4229 kWh 2819 kWh £1,120 £282 £1,402 £16,342 11.7 yrs £11,692
8 kW 8055 kWh 4833 kWh 3222 kWh £1,280 £322 £1,602 £18,376 11.5 yrs £13,662

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: £1,084, 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 2014 kWh 1410 kWh 604 kWh £373 £60 £434 £7,569 17.5 yrs £1,104
3 kW 3020 kWh 2114 kWh 906 kWh £560 £91 £650 £9,604 14.8 yrs £3,406
4 kW 4027 kWh 2819 kWh 1208 kWh £747 £121 £867 £11,638 13.4 yrs £5,708
5 kW 5034 kWh 3524 kWh 1510 kWh £933 £151 £1,084 £13,673 12.6 yrs £8,011
6 kW 6041 kWh 4229 kWh 1812 kWh £1,120 £181 £1,301 £15,707 12.1 yrs £10,313
7 kW 7048 kWh 4933 kWh 2114 kWh £1,306 £211 £1,518 £17,742 11.7 yrs £12,615
8 kW 8055 kWh 5638 kWh 2416 kWh £1,493 £242 £1,735 £19,776 11.4 yrs £14,917

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: £1,109, 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 2014 kWh 1470 kWh 544 kWh £389 £54 £444 £9,319 21.0 yrs £-447
3 kW 3020 kWh 2205 kWh 816 kWh £584 £82 £665 £11,354 17.1 yrs £1,955
4 kW 4027 kWh 2940 kWh 1087 kWh £778 £109 £887 £13,388 15.1 yrs £4,357
5 kW 5034 kWh 3675 kWh 1359 kWh £973 £136 £1,109 £15,423 13.9 yrs £6,758
6 kW 6041 kWh 4410 kWh 1631 kWh £1,168 £163 £1,331 £17,457 13.1 yrs £9,160
7 kW 7048 kWh 5145 kWh 1903 kWh £1,362 £190 £1,553 £19,492 12.6 yrs £11,562
8 kW 8055 kWh 5880 kWh 2175 kWh £1,557 £217 £1,774 £21,526 12.1 yrs £13,963

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: £1,126, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2014 kWh 1510 kWh 503 kWh £400 £50 £450 £11,069 24.6 yrs £-2,064
3 kW 3020 kWh 2265 kWh 755 kWh £600 £76 £675 £13,104 19.4 yrs £404
4 kW 4027 kWh 3020 kWh 1007 kWh £800 £101 £901 £15,138 16.8 yrs £2,872
5 kW 5034 kWh 3776 kWh 1259 kWh £1,000 £126 £1,126 £17,173 15.3 yrs £5,340
6 kW 6041 kWh 4531 kWh 1510 kWh £1,200 £151 £1,351 £19,207 14.2 yrs £7,808
7 kW 7048 kWh 5286 kWh 1762 kWh £1,400 £176 £1,576 £21,242 13.5 yrs £10,276
8 kW 8055 kWh 6041 kWh 2014 kWh £1,600 £201 £1,801 £23,276 12.9 yrs £12,744

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: £1,142, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2014 kWh 1551 kWh 463 kWh £411 £46 £457 £13,519 29.6 yrs £-4,381
3 kW 3020 kWh 2326 kWh 695 kWh £616 £69 £685 £15,554 22.7 yrs £-1,847
4 kW 4027 kWh 3101 kWh 926 kWh £821 £93 £914 £17,588 19.2 yrs £688
5 kW 5034 kWh 3876 kWh 1158 kWh £1,026 £116 £1,142 £19,623 17.2 yrs £3,222
6 kW 6041 kWh 4652 kWh 1389 kWh £1,232 £139 £1,371 £21,657 15.8 yrs £5,756
7 kW 7048 kWh 5427 kWh 1621 kWh £1,437 £162 £1,599 £23,692 14.8 yrs £8,291
8 kW 8055 kWh 6202 kWh 1853 kWh £1,642 £185 £1,828 £25,726 14.1 yrs £10,825

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 SN7

Figures below are tailored to SN7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1032 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #736 of 2997
10.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£960 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #721 of 2997
17.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£960 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1007kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1007 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: 75% • Flats: 14% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 5,188 properties

Coverage

Vale of White Horse (100%)

Areas Covered

Faringdon, Stanford, Watchfield & Shrivenham, Thames, Ridgeway, Kingston Bagpuize

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 Southern

SN6 (Swindon)
≈9.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~990 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SN7
OX18 (West Oxfordshire)
≈11.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SN7
OX12 (Vale of White Horse)
≈12.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,008 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SN7
SN26 (Swindon)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~991 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SN7
SN99 (Swindon)
≈14.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SN7
SN3 (Swindon)
≈15.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~998 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SN7

Similar sunshine across the UK

MK44 (Bedford)
~1,007 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SN7
PE9 (South Kesteven)
~1,007 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SN7
BR1 (Bromley)
~1,007 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SN7