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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SR7 (County Durham)

See if solar pays off for you in County Durham — 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£738
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,265
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 912 kWh/kW — 14 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 912 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)
912 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: £738, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1824 kWh 730 kWh 1094 kWh £186 £109 £295 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,831
3 kW 2736 kWh 1094 kWh 1642 kWh £278 £164 £443 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,747
4 kW 3648 kWh 1459 kWh 2189 kWh £371 £219 £590 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,662
5 kW 4560 kWh 1824 kWh 2736 kWh £464 £274 £738 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,578
6 kW 5472 kWh 2189 kWh 3283 kWh £557 £328 £885 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,493
7 kW 6385 kWh 2554 kWh 3831 kWh £649 £383 £1,033 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,409
8 kW 7297 kWh 2919 kWh 4378 kWh £742 £438 £1,180 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,324

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: £878, 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 1824 kWh 1094 kWh 730 kWh £278 £73 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £857
3 kW 2736 kWh 1642 kWh 1094 kWh £417 £109 £527 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,335
4 kW 3648 kWh 2189 kWh 1459 kWh £557 £146 £703 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,814
5 kW 4560 kWh 2736 kWh 1824 kWh £696 £182 £878 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,292
6 kW 5472 kWh 3283 kWh 2189 kWh £835 £219 £1,054 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,771
7 kW 6385 kWh 3831 kWh 2554 kWh £974 £255 £1,230 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,249
8 kW 7297 kWh 4378 kWh 2919 kWh £1,113 £292 £1,405 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,728

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: £949, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1824 kWh 1277 kWh 547 kWh £325 £55 £379 £7,569 19.9 yrs £20
3 kW 2736 kWh 1915 kWh 821 kWh £487 £82 £569 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,780
4 kW 3648 kWh 2554 kWh 1094 kWh £649 £109 £759 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,540
5 kW 4560 kWh 3192 kWh 1368 kWh £812 £137 £949 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,300
6 kW 5472 kWh 3831 kWh 1642 kWh £974 £164 £1,138 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,060
7 kW 6385 kWh 4469 kWh 1915 kWh £1,137 £192 £1,328 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,819
8 kW 7297 kWh 5108 kWh 2189 kWh £1,299 £219 £1,518 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,579

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: £970, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1824 kWh 1332 kWh 493 kWh £339 £49 £388 £9,319 24.0 yrs £-1,561
3 kW 2736 kWh 1997 kWh 739 kWh £508 £74 £582 £11,354 19.5 yrs £283
4 kW 3648 kWh 2663 kWh 985 kWh £677 £99 £776 £13,388 17.3 yrs £2,127
5 kW 4560 kWh 3329 kWh 1231 kWh £847 £123 £970 £15,423 15.9 yrs £3,972
6 kW 5472 kWh 3995 kWh 1478 kWh £1,016 £148 £1,164 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,816
7 kW 6385 kWh 4661 kWh 1724 kWh £1,185 £172 £1,358 £19,492 14.4 yrs £7,661
8 kW 7297 kWh 5327 kWh 1970 kWh £1,355 £197 £1,552 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,505

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: £984, 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 1824 kWh 1368 kWh 456 kWh £348 £46 £394 £11,069 28.1 yrs £-3,199
3 kW 2736 kWh 2052 kWh 684 kWh £522 £68 £590 £13,104 22.2 yrs £-1,298
4 kW 3648 kWh 2736 kWh 912 kWh £696 £91 £787 £15,138 19.2 yrs £603
5 kW 4560 kWh 3420 kWh 1140 kWh £870 £114 £984 £17,173 17.5 yrs £2,503
6 kW 5472 kWh 4104 kWh 1368 kWh £1,044 £137 £1,181 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,404
7 kW 6385 kWh 4788 kWh 1596 kWh £1,218 £160 £1,377 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,305
8 kW 7297 kWh 5472 kWh 1824 kWh £1,392 £182 £1,574 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,205

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: £998, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1824 kWh 1405 kWh 420 kWh £357 £42 £399 £13,519 33.9 yrs £-5,536
3 kW 2736 kWh 2107 kWh 629 kWh £536 £63 £599 £15,554 26.0 yrs £-3,579
4 kW 3648 kWh 2809 kWh 839 kWh £714 £84 £798 £17,588 22.0 yrs £-1,622
5 kW 4560 kWh 3512 kWh 1049 kWh £893 £105 £998 £19,623 19.7 yrs £335
6 kW 5472 kWh 4214 kWh 1259 kWh £1,072 £126 £1,197 £21,657 18.1 yrs £2,292
7 kW 6385 kWh 4916 kWh 1468 kWh £1,250 £147 £1,397 £23,692 17.0 yrs £4,249
8 kW 7297 kWh 5618 kWh 1678 kWh £1,429 £168 £1,597 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,206

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 SR7

Figures below are tailored to SR7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1600 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2439 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£843 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2373 of 2997
25.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£843 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
912kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~912 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: 12% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 8,834 properties

Coverage

County Durham (100%)

Areas Covered

Seaham, Dalton & Dawdon, Murton, Doxford, Hetton, Easington & Shotton

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

SR3 (Sunderland)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SR7
DH5 (Sunderland)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~957 kWh/kWp · +5% vs SR7
SR2 (Sunderland)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~917 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SR7
SR8 (County Durham)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · +2% vs SR7
SR1 (Sunderland)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR7
DH4 (Sunderland)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · +5% vs SR7

Similar sunshine across the UK

LA20 (Westmorland and Furness)
~912 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR7
WA88 (Halton)
~912 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR7
WA8 (Halton)
~912 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SR7