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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SS0 (Southend-on-Sea)

See if solar pays off for you in Southend-on-Sea — 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
11.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£526
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,057
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 Eastern, the current unit rate is 26.53p/kWh with a 48.25p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1056 kWh/kW — 47 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1056 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
48.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1056 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: £877, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 845 kWh 1268 kWh £224 £127 £351 £4,069 11.6 yrs £2,950
3 kW 3169 kWh 1268 kWh 1901 kWh £336 £190 £526 £6,104 11.6 yrs £4,425
4 kW 4225 kWh 1690 kWh 2535 kWh £448 £254 £702 £8,138 11.6 yrs £5,900
5 kW 5282 kWh 2113 kWh 3169 kWh £560 £317 £877 £10,173 11.6 yrs £7,375
6 kW 6338 kWh 2535 kWh 3803 kWh £673 £380 £1,053 £12,207 11.6 yrs £8,850
7 kW 7394 kWh 2958 kWh 4436 kWh £785 £444 £1,228 £14,242 11.6 yrs £10,325
8 kW 8450 kWh 3380 kWh 5070 kWh £897 £507 £1,404 £16,276 11.6 yrs £11,800

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: £1,052, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1268 kWh 845 kWh £336 £85 £421 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,247
3 kW 3169 kWh 1901 kWh 1268 kWh £504 £127 £631 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,420
4 kW 4225 kWh 2535 kWh 1690 kWh £673 £169 £842 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,593
5 kW 5282 kWh 3169 kWh 2113 kWh £841 £211 £1,052 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,767
6 kW 6338 kWh 3803 kWh 2535 kWh £1,009 £254 £1,262 £14,307 11.3 yrs £10,940
7 kW 7394 kWh 4436 kWh 2958 kWh £1,177 £296 £1,473 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,114
8 kW 8450 kWh 5070 kWh 3380 kWh £1,345 £338 £1,683 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,287

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: £1,139, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1479 kWh 634 kWh £392 £63 £456 £7,569 16.6 yrs £1,545
3 kW 3169 kWh 2218 kWh 951 kWh £588 £95 £684 £9,604 14.0 yrs £4,068
4 kW 4225 kWh 2958 kWh 1268 kWh £785 £127 £911 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,590
5 kW 5282 kWh 3697 kWh 1584 kWh £981 £158 £1,139 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,113
6 kW 6338 kWh 4436 kWh 1901 kWh £1,177 £190 £1,367 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,635
7 kW 7394 kWh 5176 kWh 2218 kWh £1,373 £222 £1,595 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,158
8 kW 8450 kWh 5915 kWh 2535 kWh £1,569 £254 £1,823 £19,776 10.8 yrs £16,681

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: £1,165, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1542 kWh 570 kWh £409 £57 £466 £9,319 20.0 yrs £5
3 kW 3169 kWh 2313 kWh 856 kWh £614 £86 £699 £11,354 16.2 yrs £2,632
4 kW 4225 kWh 3084 kWh 1141 kWh £818 £114 £932 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,259
5 kW 5282 kWh 3855 kWh 1426 kWh £1,023 £143 £1,165 £15,423 13.2 yrs £7,887
6 kW 6338 kWh 4627 kWh 1711 kWh £1,227 £171 £1,399 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,514
7 kW 7394 kWh 5398 kWh 1996 kWh £1,432 £200 £1,632 £19,492 11.9 yrs £13,141
8 kW 8450 kWh 6169 kWh 2282 kWh £1,637 £228 £1,865 £21,526 11.5 yrs £15,769

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: £1,183, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2113 kWh 1584 kWh 528 kWh £420 £53 £473 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,606
3 kW 3169 kWh 2377 kWh 792 kWh £631 £79 £710 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,092
4 kW 4225 kWh 3169 kWh 1056 kWh £841 £106 £946 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,789
5 kW 5282 kWh 3961 kWh 1320 kWh £1,051 £132 £1,183 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,486
6 kW 6338 kWh 4753 kWh 1584 kWh £1,261 £158 £1,420 £19,207 13.5 yrs £9,183
7 kW 7394 kWh 5546 kWh 1849 kWh £1,471 £185 £1,656 £21,242 12.8 yrs £11,880
8 kW 8450 kWh 6338 kWh 2113 kWh £1,681 £211 £1,893 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,577

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: £1,200, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2113 kWh 1627 kWh 486 kWh £432 £49 £480 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,916
3 kW 3169 kWh 2440 kWh 729 kWh £647 £73 £720 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,149
4 kW 4225 kWh 3253 kWh 972 kWh £863 £97 £960 £17,588 18.3 yrs £1,618
5 kW 5282 kWh 4067 kWh 1215 kWh £1,079 £121 £1,200 £19,623 16.3 yrs £4,385
6 kW 6338 kWh 4880 kWh 1458 kWh £1,295 £146 £1,440 £21,657 15.0 yrs £7,152
7 kW 7394 kWh 5693 kWh 1701 kWh £1,510 £170 £1,681 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,919
8 kW 8450 kWh 6507 kWh 1944 kWh £1,726 £194 £1,921 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,686

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 SS0

Figures below are tailored to SS0 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1873 of 2182
4.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #241 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,210 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #198 of 2997
14.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,210 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1056kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1056 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 33% • Flats: 58% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 12,909 properties

Coverage

Southend-on-Sea (100%)

Areas Covered

Victoria, Westborough, Chalkwell, Milton, Prittlewell, Blenheim Park, St Laurence

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 Eastern

SS99 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS0
SS2 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS0
SS1 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS0
SS22 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,068 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SS0
SS9 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SS0
SS4 (Rochford)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,068 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SS0

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN12 (Tunbridge Wells)
~1,056 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS0
BH24 (New Forest)
~1,056 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS0
ME11 (Swale)
~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS0