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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SR4 (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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£761
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,844
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 941 kWh/kW — 15 above 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 941 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)
941 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: £761, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1881 kWh 753 kWh 1129 kWh £191 £113 £304 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,016
3 kW 2822 kWh 1129 kWh 1693 kWh £287 £169 £456 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,024
4 kW 3763 kWh 1505 kWh 2258 kWh £383 £226 £609 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,033
5 kW 4704 kWh 1881 kWh 2822 kWh £478 £282 £761 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,041
6 kW 5644 kWh 2258 kWh 3387 kWh £574 £339 £913 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,049
7 kW 6585 kWh 2634 kWh 3951 kWh £670 £395 £1,065 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,057
8 kW 7526 kWh 3010 kWh 4515 kWh £766 £452 £1,217 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,065

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: £906, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1881 kWh 1129 kWh 753 kWh £287 £75 £362 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,078
3 kW 2822 kWh 1693 kWh 1129 kWh £431 £113 £543 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,666
4 kW 3763 kWh 2258 kWh 1505 kWh £574 £151 £725 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,255
5 kW 4704 kWh 2822 kWh 1881 kWh £718 £188 £906 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,844
6 kW 5644 kWh 3387 kWh 2258 kWh £861 £226 £1,087 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,433
7 kW 6585 kWh 3951 kWh 2634 kWh £1,005 £263 £1,268 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,021
8 kW 7526 kWh 4515 kWh 3010 kWh £1,148 £301 £1,449 £18,376 12.7 yrs £10,610

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: £978, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1881 kWh 1317 kWh 564 kWh £335 £56 £391 £7,569 19.3 yrs £258
3 kW 2822 kWh 1976 kWh 847 kWh £502 £85 £587 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,137
4 kW 3763 kWh 2634 kWh 1129 kWh £670 £113 £783 £11,638 14.9 yrs £4,016
5 kW 4704 kWh 3293 kWh 1411 kWh £837 £141 £978 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,895
6 kW 5644 kWh 3951 kWh 1693 kWh £1,005 £169 £1,174 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,774
7 kW 6585 kWh 4610 kWh 1976 kWh £1,172 £198 £1,370 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,654
8 kW 7526 kWh 5268 kWh 2258 kWh £1,340 £226 £1,565 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,533

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: £1,000, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1881 kWh 1373 kWh 508 kWh £349 £51 £400 £9,319 23.3 yrs £-1,318
3 kW 2822 kWh 2060 kWh 762 kWh £524 £76 £600 £11,354 18.9 yrs £648
4 kW 3763 kWh 2747 kWh 1016 kWh £699 £102 £800 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,615
5 kW 4704 kWh 3434 kWh 1270 kWh £873 £127 £1,000 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,581
6 kW 5644 kWh 4120 kWh 1524 kWh £1,048 £152 £1,200 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,547
7 kW 6585 kWh 4807 kWh 1778 kWh £1,222 £178 £1,400 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,513
8 kW 7526 kWh 5494 kWh 2032 kWh £1,397 £203 £1,600 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,479

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: £1,015, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1881 kWh 1411 kWh 470 kWh £359 £47 £406 £11,069 27.3 yrs £-2,952
3 kW 2822 kWh 2117 kWh 706 kWh £538 £71 £609 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-927
4 kW 3763 kWh 2822 kWh 941 kWh £718 £94 £812 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,097
5 kW 4704 kWh 3528 kWh 1176 kWh £897 £118 £1,015 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,121
6 kW 5644 kWh 4233 kWh 1411 kWh £1,077 £141 £1,218 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,145
7 kW 6585 kWh 4939 kWh 1646 kWh £1,256 £165 £1,421 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,170
8 kW 7526 kWh 5644 kWh 1881 kWh £1,435 £188 £1,623 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,194

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: £1,029, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1881 kWh 1449 kWh 433 kWh £368 £43 £412 £13,519 32.8 yrs £-5,285
3 kW 2822 kWh 2173 kWh 649 kWh £553 £65 £618 £15,554 25.2 yrs £-3,203
4 kW 3763 kWh 2897 kWh 865 kWh £737 £87 £823 £17,588 21.4 yrs £-1,121
5 kW 4704 kWh 3622 kWh 1082 kWh £921 £108 £1,029 £19,623 19.1 yrs £961
6 kW 5644 kWh 4346 kWh 1298 kWh £1,105 £130 £1,235 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,044
7 kW 6585 kWh 5070 kWh 1515 kWh £1,289 £151 £1,441 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,126
8 kW 7526 kWh 5795 kWh 1731 kWh £1,474 £173 £1,647 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,208

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 SR4

Figures below are tailored to SR4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1235 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2027 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£870 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2217 of 2997
25.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£870 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
941kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~941 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: 67% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 15,364 properties

Coverage

Sunderland (100%)

Areas Covered

St Anne's, Pallion, Millfield, Barnes, Sandhill, Southwick, Shiney Row

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

SR43 (Sunderland)
≈0.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR4
SR9 (Sunderland)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -4% vs SR4
SR5 (Sunderland)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -3% vs SR4
SR1 (Sunderland)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -3% vs SR4
SR3 (Sunderland)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -4% vs SR4
SR2 (Sunderland)
≈3.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SR4

Similar sunshine across the UK

WF4 (Wakefield)
~941 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR4
DN16 (North Lincolnshire)
~941 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR4
DN17 (North Lincolnshire)
~941 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR4