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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SR3 (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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£587
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,537
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 907 kWh/kW — 18 below the regional median (926).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 907 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)
907 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: £734, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1815 kWh 726 kWh 1089 kWh £185 £109 £294 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,801
3 kW 2722 kWh 1089 kWh 1633 kWh £277 £163 £440 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,702
4 kW 3630 kWh 1452 kWh 2178 kWh £369 £218 £587 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,602
5 kW 4537 kWh 1815 kWh 2722 kWh £462 £272 £734 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,503
6 kW 5445 kWh 2178 kWh 3267 kWh £554 £327 £881 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,403
7 kW 6352 kWh 2541 kWh 3811 kWh £646 £381 £1,027 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,304
8 kW 7260 kWh 2904 kWh 4356 kWh £738 £436 £1,174 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,204

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: £874, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1815 kWh 1089 kWh 726 kWh £277 £73 £350 £6,169 17.7 yrs £821
3 kW 2722 kWh 1633 kWh 1089 kWh £415 £109 £524 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,282
4 kW 3630 kWh 2178 kWh 1452 kWh £554 £145 £699 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,742
5 kW 4537 kWh 2722 kWh 1815 kWh £692 £181 £874 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,203
6 kW 5445 kWh 3267 kWh 2178 kWh £831 £218 £1,049 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,664
7 kW 6352 kWh 3811 kWh 2541 kWh £969 £254 £1,223 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,124
8 kW 7260 kWh 4356 kWh 2904 kWh £1,108 £290 £1,398 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,585

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 1815 kWh 1270 kWh 544 kWh £323 £54 £378 £7,569 20.0 yrs £-19
3 kW 2722 kWh 1906 kWh 817 kWh £485 £82 £566 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,722
4 kW 3630 kWh 2541 kWh 1089 kWh £646 £109 £755 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,462
5 kW 4537 kWh 3176 kWh 1361 kWh £808 £136 £944 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,203
6 kW 5445 kWh 3811 kWh 1633 kWh £969 £163 £1,133 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,944
7 kW 6352 kWh 4446 kWh 1906 kWh £1,131 £191 £1,321 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,684
8 kW 7260 kWh 5082 kWh 2178 kWh £1,292 £218 £1,510 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,425

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: £965, 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 1815 kWh 1325 kWh 490 kWh £337 £49 £386 £9,319 24.1 yrs £-1,601
3 kW 2722 kWh 1987 kWh 735 kWh £505 £74 £579 £11,354 19.6 yrs £224
4 kW 3630 kWh 2650 kWh 980 kWh £674 £98 £772 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,049
5 kW 4537 kWh 3312 kWh 1225 kWh £842 £123 £965 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,873
6 kW 5445 kWh 3975 kWh 1470 kWh £1,011 £147 £1,158 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,698
7 kW 6352 kWh 4637 kWh 1715 kWh £1,179 £172 £1,351 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,522
8 kW 7260 kWh 5299 kWh 1960 kWh £1,348 £196 £1,544 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,347

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: £979, 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 1815 kWh 1361 kWh 454 kWh £346 £45 £392 £11,069 28.3 yrs £-3,239
3 kW 2722 kWh 2042 kWh 681 kWh £519 £68 £587 £13,104 22.3 yrs £-1,358
4 kW 3630 kWh 2722 kWh 907 kWh £692 £91 £783 £15,138 19.3 yrs £523
5 kW 4537 kWh 3403 kWh 1134 kWh £865 £113 £979 £17,173 17.5 yrs £2,403
6 kW 5445 kWh 4083 kWh 1361 kWh £1,038 £136 £1,175 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,284
7 kW 6352 kWh 4764 kWh 1588 kWh £1,212 £159 £1,370 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,164
8 kW 7260 kWh 5445 kWh 1815 kWh £1,385 £181 £1,566 £23,276 14.9 yrs £8,045

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: £993, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1815 kWh 1397 kWh 417 kWh £355 £42 £397 £13,519 34.0 yrs £-5,577
3 kW 2722 kWh 2096 kWh 626 kWh £533 £63 £596 £15,554 26.1 yrs £-3,640
4 kW 3630 kWh 2795 kWh 835 kWh £711 £83 £794 £17,588 22.1 yrs £-1,703
5 kW 4537 kWh 3494 kWh 1044 kWh £888 £104 £993 £19,623 19.8 yrs £233
6 kW 5445 kWh 4192 kWh 1252 kWh £1,066 £125 £1,191 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,170
7 kW 6352 kWh 4891 kWh 1461 kWh £1,244 £146 £1,390 £23,692 17.0 yrs £4,107
8 kW 7260 kWh 5590 kWh 1670 kWh £1,421 £167 £1,588 £25,726 16.2 yrs £6,043

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 SR3

Figures below are tailored to SR3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1693 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2437 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£671 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2755 of 2997
32.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£671 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
907kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~907 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 67% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 14,903 properties

Coverage

Sunderland (100%)

Areas Covered

Doxford, Silksworth, St Chad's, Sandhill, Barnes, St Michael's, Southwick, Copt Hill + 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 Northern

SR2 (Sunderland)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SR3
SR4 (Sunderland)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +4% vs SR3
SR43 (Sunderland)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +4% vs SR3
SR1 (Sunderland)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SR3
SR9 (Sunderland)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR3
SR5 (Sunderland)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SR3

Similar sunshine across the UK

DD5 (Dundee City)
~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR3
LL31 (Conwy)
~908 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR3
BD8 (Bradford)
~907 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SR3