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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SR2 (Sunderland)

See if solar pays off for you in Sunderland — 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
13.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£742
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,372
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 Northern, the current unit rate is 25.43p/kWh with a 59.86p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 917 kWh/kW — 8 below the regional median (926).

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 917 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.4p/kWh
Standing charge
59.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
917 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: £742, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 734 kWh 1101 kWh £187 £110 £297 £4,069 13.7 yrs £1,865
3 kW 2752 kWh 1101 kWh 1651 kWh £280 £165 £445 £6,104 13.7 yrs £2,798
4 kW 3669 kWh 1468 kWh 2202 kWh £373 £220 £593 £8,138 13.7 yrs £3,730
5 kW 4587 kWh 1835 kWh 2752 kWh £467 £275 £742 £10,173 13.7 yrs £4,663
6 kW 5504 kWh 2202 kWh 3302 kWh £560 £330 £890 £12,207 13.7 yrs £5,595
7 kW 6421 kWh 2569 kWh 3853 kWh £653 £385 £1,038 £14,242 13.7 yrs £6,528
8 kW 7339 kWh 2936 kWh 4403 kWh £747 £440 £1,187 £16,276 13.7 yrs £7,461

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: £883, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1835 kWh 1101 kWh 734 kWh £280 £73 £353 £6,169 17.5 yrs £898
3 kW 2752 kWh 1651 kWh 1101 kWh £420 £110 £530 £8,204 15.5 yrs £2,396
4 kW 3669 kWh 2202 kWh 1468 kWh £560 £147 £707 £10,238 14.5 yrs £3,895
5 kW 4587 kWh 2752 kWh 1835 kWh £700 £183 £883 £12,273 13.9 yrs £5,394
6 kW 5504 kWh 3302 kWh 2202 kWh £840 £220 £1,060 £14,307 13.5 yrs £6,893
7 kW 6421 kWh 3853 kWh 2569 kWh £980 £257 £1,237 £16,342 13.2 yrs £8,391
8 kW 7339 kWh 4403 kWh 2936 kWh £1,120 £294 £1,413 £18,376 13.0 yrs £9,890

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: £954, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1284 kWh 550 kWh £327 £55 £382 £7,569 19.8 yrs £64
3 kW 2752 kWh 1926 kWh 826 kWh £490 £83 £572 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,846
4 kW 3669 kWh 2569 kWh 1101 kWh £653 £110 £763 £11,638 15.2 yrs £3,627
5 kW 4587 kWh 3211 kWh 1376 kWh £816 £138 £954 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,409
6 kW 5504 kWh 3853 kWh 1651 kWh £980 £165 £1,145 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,191
7 kW 6421 kWh 4495 kWh 1926 kWh £1,143 £193 £1,336 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,973
8 kW 7339 kWh 5137 kWh 2202 kWh £1,306 £220 £1,527 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,755

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: £975, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1339 kWh 495 kWh £341 £50 £390 £9,319 23.9 yrs £-1,516
3 kW 2752 kWh 2009 kWh 743 kWh £511 £74 £585 £11,354 19.4 yrs £350
4 kW 3669 kWh 2679 kWh 991 kWh £681 £99 £780 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,217
5 kW 4587 kWh 3348 kWh 1238 kWh £851 £124 £975 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,084
6 kW 5504 kWh 4018 kWh 1486 kWh £1,022 £149 £1,170 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,951
7 kW 6421 kWh 4688 kWh 1734 kWh £1,192 £173 £1,365 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,817
8 kW 7339 kWh 5357 kWh 1981 kWh £1,362 £198 £1,561 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,684

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: £989, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1376 kWh 459 kWh £350 £46 £396 £11,069 28.0 yrs £-3,153
3 kW 2752 kWh 2064 kWh 688 kWh £525 £69 £594 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,230
4 kW 3669 kWh 2752 kWh 917 kWh £700 £92 £792 £15,138 19.1 yrs £694
5 kW 4587 kWh 3440 kWh 1147 kWh £875 £115 £989 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,617
6 kW 5504 kWh 4128 kWh 1376 kWh £1,050 £138 £1,187 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,540
7 kW 6421 kWh 4816 kWh 1605 kWh £1,225 £161 £1,385 £21,242 15.3 yrs £6,464
8 kW 7339 kWh 5504 kWh 1835 kWh £1,400 £183 £1,583 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,387

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: £1,004, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1835 kWh 1413 kWh 422 kWh £359 £42 £401 £13,519 33.7 yrs £-5,490
3 kW 2752 kWh 2119 kWh 633 kWh £539 £63 £602 £15,554 25.8 yrs £-3,510
4 kW 3669 kWh 2825 kWh 844 kWh £719 £84 £803 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,530
5 kW 4587 kWh 3532 kWh 1055 kWh £898 £105 £1,004 £19,623 19.6 yrs £450
6 kW 5504 kWh 4238 kWh 1266 kWh £1,078 £127 £1,204 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,430
7 kW 6421 kWh 4945 kWh 1477 kWh £1,257 £148 £1,405 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,410
8 kW 7339 kWh 5651 kWh 1688 kWh £1,437 £169 £1,606 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,390

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 SR2

Figures below are tailored to SR2 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1234 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2355 of 2997
12.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£848 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2368 of 2997
25.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£848 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
917kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~917 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: 55% • Flats: 26% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 12,562 properties

Coverage

Sunderland (100%)

Areas Covered

Ryhope, St Michael's, Hendon, Millfield, Southwick, Doxford, Silksworth, Barnes

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 Northern

SR1 (Sunderland)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2
SR3 (Sunderland)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SR2
SR4 (Sunderland)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +3% vs SR2
SR43 (Sunderland)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +3% vs SR2
SR9 (Sunderland)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SR2
SR6 (Sunderland)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS17 (Leeds)
~918 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR2
L40 (West Lancashire)
~917 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2
BT24 (Newry, Mourne and Down)
~917 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR2