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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SO30 (Eastleigh)

See if solar pays off for you in Eastleigh — 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
11.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£865
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,458
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 1043 kWh/kW — 42 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 1043 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)
1043 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: £865, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2086 kWh 834 kWh 1252 kWh £221 £125 £346 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,853
3 kW 3129 kWh 1252 kWh 1877 kWh £331 £188 £519 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,279
4 kW 4172 kWh 1669 kWh 2503 kWh £442 £250 £692 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,706
5 kW 5215 kWh 2086 kWh 3129 kWh £552 £313 £865 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,132
6 kW 6258 kWh 2503 kWh 3755 kWh £663 £375 £1,038 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,558
7 kW 7301 kWh 2920 kWh 4380 kWh £773 £438 £1,211 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,985
8 kW 8344 kWh 3337 kWh 5006 kWh £884 £501 £1,384 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,411

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: £1,037, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2086 kWh 1252 kWh 834 kWh £331 £83 £415 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,128
3 kW 3129 kWh 1877 kWh 1252 kWh £497 £125 £622 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,242
4 kW 4172 kWh 2503 kWh 1669 kWh £663 £167 £830 £10,238 12.3 yrs £6,356
5 kW 5215 kWh 3129 kWh 2086 kWh £829 £209 £1,037 £12,273 11.8 yrs £8,470
6 kW 6258 kWh 3755 kWh 2503 kWh £994 £250 £1,245 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,584
7 kW 7301 kWh 4380 kWh 2920 kWh £1,160 £292 £1,452 £16,342 11.3 yrs £12,697
8 kW 8344 kWh 5006 kWh 3337 kWh £1,326 £334 £1,659 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,811

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: £1,123, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2086 kWh 1460 kWh 626 kWh £387 £63 £449 £7,569 16.8 yrs £1,415
3 kW 3129 kWh 2190 kWh 939 kWh £580 £94 £674 £9,604 14.3 yrs £3,873
4 kW 4172 kWh 2920 kWh 1252 kWh £773 £125 £898 £11,638 13.0 yrs £6,331
5 kW 5215 kWh 3650 kWh 1564 kWh £967 £156 £1,123 £13,673 12.2 yrs £8,788
6 kW 6258 kWh 4380 kWh 1877 kWh £1,160 £188 £1,348 £15,707 11.7 yrs £11,246
7 kW 7301 kWh 5110 kWh 2190 kWh £1,353 £219 £1,572 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,704
8 kW 8344 kWh 5841 kWh 2503 kWh £1,547 £250 £1,797 £19,776 11.0 yrs £16,161

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: £1,149, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2086 kWh 1523 kWh 563 kWh £403 £56 £460 £9,319 20.3 yrs £-128
3 kW 3129 kWh 2284 kWh 845 kWh £605 £84 £689 £11,354 16.5 yrs £2,432
4 kW 4172 kWh 3045 kWh 1126 kWh £806 £113 £919 £13,388 14.6 yrs £4,993
5 kW 5215 kWh 3807 kWh 1408 kWh £1,008 £141 £1,149 £15,423 13.4 yrs £7,554
6 kW 6258 kWh 4568 kWh 1690 kWh £1,210 £169 £1,379 £17,457 12.7 yrs £10,115
7 kW 7301 kWh 5329 kWh 1971 kWh £1,411 £197 £1,608 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,676
8 kW 8344 kWh 6091 kWh 2253 kWh £1,613 £225 £1,838 £21,526 11.7 yrs £15,236

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: £1,166, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2086 kWh 1564 kWh 521 kWh £414 £52 £466 £11,069 23.7 yrs £-1,741
3 kW 3129 kWh 2347 kWh 782 kWh £621 £78 £700 £13,104 18.7 yrs £889
4 kW 4172 kWh 3129 kWh 1043 kWh £829 £104 £933 £15,138 16.2 yrs £3,518
5 kW 5215 kWh 3911 kWh 1304 kWh £1,036 £130 £1,166 £17,173 14.7 yrs £6,148
6 kW 6258 kWh 4693 kWh 1564 kWh £1,243 £156 £1,399 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,777
7 kW 7301 kWh 5475 kWh 1825 kWh £1,450 £183 £1,632 £21,242 13.0 yrs £11,407
8 kW 8344 kWh 6258 kWh 2086 kWh £1,657 £209 £1,866 £23,276 12.5 yrs £14,036

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: £1,183, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2086 kWh 1606 kWh 480 kWh £425 £48 £473 £13,519 28.6 yrs £-4,053
3 kW 3129 kWh 2409 kWh 720 kWh £638 £72 £710 £15,554 21.9 yrs £-1,355
4 kW 4172 kWh 3212 kWh 960 kWh £851 £96 £947 £17,588 18.6 yrs £1,343
5 kW 5215 kWh 4015 kWh 1199 kWh £1,063 £120 £1,183 £19,623 16.6 yrs £4,042
6 kW 6258 kWh 4818 kWh 1439 kWh £1,276 £144 £1,420 £21,657 15.3 yrs £6,740
7 kW 7301 kWh 5622 kWh 1679 kWh £1,489 £168 £1,656 £23,692 14.3 yrs £9,438
8 kW 8344 kWh 6425 kWh 1919 kWh £1,701 £192 £1,893 £25,726 13.6 yrs £12,137

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 SO30

Figures below are tailored to SO30 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1310 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #288 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£994 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #606 of 2997
16.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£994 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
1043kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1043 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: 70% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 8,755 properties

Coverage

Eastleigh (93%)|Winchester (7%)

Areas Covered

Hedge End North, Hedge End South, West End North, Botley, West End South, Whiteley and Shedfield, Bursledon & Hound North, Fair Oak & Horton Heath

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

SO3 (Eastleigh)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SO30
SO18 (Southampton)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,037 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SO30
SO2 (Southampton)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,031 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SO30
SO19 (Southampton)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,063 kWh/kWp · +2% vs SO30
SO97 (Eastleigh)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,038 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SO30
SO17 (Southampton)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,031 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SO30

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF7 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SO30
CF71 (Vale of Glamorgan)
~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SO30
DT7 (Dorset)
~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SO30