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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SO19 (Southampton)

See if solar pays off for you in Southampton — 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
11.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£882
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,871
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 1063 kWh/kW — 62 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 1063 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)
1063 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: £882, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2126 kWh 850 kWh 1275 kWh £225 £128 £353 £4,069 11.5 yrs £2,985
3 kW 3188 kWh 1275 kWh 1913 kWh £338 £191 £529 £6,104 11.5 yrs £4,477
4 kW 4251 kWh 1701 kWh 2551 kWh £450 £255 £705 £8,138 11.5 yrs £5,970
5 kW 5314 kWh 2126 kWh 3188 kWh £563 £319 £882 £10,173 11.5 yrs £7,462
6 kW 6377 kWh 2551 kWh 3826 kWh £675 £383 £1,058 £12,207 11.5 yrs £8,954
7 kW 7440 kWh 2976 kWh 4464 kWh £788 £446 £1,234 £14,242 11.5 yrs £10,447
8 kW 8503 kWh 3401 kWh 5102 kWh £901 £510 £1,411 £16,276 11.5 yrs £11,939

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: £1,057, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2126 kWh 1275 kWh 850 kWh £338 £85 £423 £6,169 14.6 yrs £2,286
3 kW 3188 kWh 1913 kWh 1275 kWh £507 £128 £634 £8,204 12.9 yrs £4,479
4 kW 4251 kWh 2551 kWh 1701 kWh £675 £170 £846 £10,238 12.1 yrs £6,672
5 kW 5314 kWh 3188 kWh 2126 kWh £844 £213 £1,057 £12,273 11.6 yrs £8,865
6 kW 6377 kWh 3826 kWh 2551 kWh £1,013 £255 £1,268 £14,307 11.3 yrs £11,058
7 kW 7440 kWh 4464 kWh 2976 kWh £1,182 £298 £1,480 £16,342 11.0 yrs £13,251
8 kW 8503 kWh 5102 kWh 3401 kWh £1,351 £340 £1,691 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,444

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: £1,144, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2126 kWh 1488 kWh 638 kWh £394 £64 £458 £7,569 16.5 yrs £1,587
3 kW 3188 kWh 2232 kWh 957 kWh £591 £96 £687 £9,604 14.0 yrs £4,130
4 kW 4251 kWh 2976 kWh 1275 kWh £788 £128 £916 £11,638 12.7 yrs £6,673
5 kW 5314 kWh 3720 kWh 1594 kWh £985 £159 £1,144 £13,673 11.9 yrs £9,217
6 kW 6377 kWh 4464 kWh 1913 kWh £1,182 £191 £1,373 £15,707 11.4 yrs £11,760
7 kW 7440 kWh 5208 kWh 2232 kWh £1,379 £223 £1,602 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,303
8 kW 8503 kWh 5952 kWh 2551 kWh £1,576 £255 £1,831 £19,776 10.8 yrs £16,846

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: £1,171, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2126 kWh 1552 kWh 574 kWh £411 £57 £468 £9,319 19.9 yrs £47
3 kW 3188 kWh 2328 kWh 861 kWh £616 £86 £702 £11,354 16.2 yrs £2,695
4 kW 4251 kWh 3103 kWh 1148 kWh £822 £115 £937 £13,388 14.3 yrs £5,344
5 kW 5314 kWh 3879 kWh 1435 kWh £1,027 £143 £1,171 £15,423 13.2 yrs £7,992
6 kW 6377 kWh 4655 kWh 1722 kWh £1,233 £172 £1,405 £17,457 12.4 yrs £10,640
7 kW 7440 kWh 5431 kWh 2009 kWh £1,438 £201 £1,639 £19,492 11.9 yrs £13,289
8 kW 8503 kWh 6207 kWh 2296 kWh £1,644 £230 £1,873 £21,526 11.5 yrs £15,937

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: £1,188, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2126 kWh 1594 kWh 531 kWh £422 £53 £475 £11,069 23.3 yrs £-1,563
3 kW 3188 kWh 2391 kWh 797 kWh £633 £80 £713 £13,104 18.4 yrs £1,155
4 kW 4251 kWh 3188 kWh 1063 kWh £844 £106 £951 £15,138 15.9 yrs £3,874
5 kW 5314 kWh 3986 kWh 1329 kWh £1,055 £133 £1,188 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,592
6 kW 6377 kWh 4783 kWh 1594 kWh £1,266 £159 £1,426 £19,207 13.5 yrs £9,311
7 kW 7440 kWh 5580 kWh 1860 kWh £1,478 £186 £1,664 £21,242 12.8 yrs £12,029
8 kW 8503 kWh 6377 kWh 2126 kWh £1,689 £213 £1,901 £23,276 12.2 yrs £14,748

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: £1,206, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2126 kWh 1637 kWh 489 kWh £433 £49 £482 £13,519 28.0 yrs £-3,873
3 kW 3188 kWh 2455 kWh 733 kWh £650 £73 £723 £15,554 21.5 yrs £-1,084
4 kW 4251 kWh 3274 kWh 978 kWh £867 £98 £965 £17,588 18.2 yrs £1,704
5 kW 5314 kWh 4092 kWh 1222 kWh £1,084 £122 £1,206 £19,623 16.3 yrs £4,493
6 kW 6377 kWh 4910 kWh 1467 kWh £1,300 £147 £1,447 £21,657 15.0 yrs £7,281
7 kW 7440 kWh 5729 kWh 1711 kWh £1,517 £171 £1,688 £23,692 14.0 yrs £10,070
8 kW 8503 kWh 6547 kWh 1956 kWh £1,734 £196 £1,929 £25,726 13.3 yrs £12,858

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 SO19

Figures below are tailored to SO19 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #2031 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #194 of 2997
10.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,013 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #568 of 2997
16.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£1,013 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1063kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1063 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: 46% • Flats: 43% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 15,416 properties

Coverage

Southampton (99%)|Eastleigh (1%)

Areas Covered

Thornhill, Peartree, Woolston, Sholing, Bitterne Park, West End South, Harefield, Bursledon & Hound North + 1 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 Southern

SO2 (Southampton)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,031 kWh/kWp · -3% vs SO19
SO18 (Southampton)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,037 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SO19
SO14 (Southampton)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,037 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SO19
SO9 (Southampton)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,050 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SO19
SO17 (Southampton)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,031 kWh/kWp · -3% vs SO19
SO30 (Eastleigh)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SO19

Similar sunshine across the UK

CT1 (Canterbury)
~1,063 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SO19
CO1 (Colchester)
~1,062 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SO19
CO4 (Colchester)
~1,062 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SO19