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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SS12 (Basildon)

See if solar pays off for you in Basildon — 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
11.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£865
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,461
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 1042 kWh/kW — 33 above the regional median (1009).

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 1042 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)
1042 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: £865, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2084 kWh 833 kWh 1250 kWh £221 £125 £346 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,854
3 kW 3125 kWh 1250 kWh 1875 kWh £332 £188 £519 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,280
4 kW 4167 kWh 1667 kWh 2500 kWh £442 £250 £692 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,707
5 kW 5209 kWh 2084 kWh 3125 kWh £553 £313 £865 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,134
6 kW 6251 kWh 2500 kWh 3751 kWh £663 £375 £1,038 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,561
7 kW 7293 kWh 2917 kWh 4376 kWh £774 £438 £1,211 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,988
8 kW 8334 kWh 3334 kWh 5001 kWh £884 £500 £1,385 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,414

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: £1,038, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2084 kWh 1250 kWh 833 kWh £332 £83 £415 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,131
3 kW 3125 kWh 1875 kWh 1250 kWh £498 £125 £623 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,247
4 kW 4167 kWh 2500 kWh 1667 kWh £663 £167 £830 £10,238 12.3 yrs £6,363
5 kW 5209 kWh 3125 kWh 2084 kWh £829 £208 £1,038 £12,273 11.8 yrs £8,478
6 kW 6251 kWh 3751 kWh 2500 kWh £995 £250 £1,245 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,594
7 kW 7293 kWh 4376 kWh 2917 kWh £1,161 £292 £1,453 £16,342 11.3 yrs £12,710
8 kW 8334 kWh 5001 kWh 3334 kWh £1,327 £333 £1,660 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,825

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: £1,124, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2084 kWh 1459 kWh 625 kWh £387 £63 £449 £7,569 16.8 yrs £1,420
3 kW 3125 kWh 2188 kWh 938 kWh £580 £94 £674 £9,604 14.2 yrs £3,880
4 kW 4167 kWh 2917 kWh 1250 kWh £774 £125 £899 £11,638 12.9 yrs £6,340
5 kW 5209 kWh 3646 kWh 1563 kWh £967 £156 £1,124 £13,673 12.2 yrs £8,800
6 kW 6251 kWh 4376 kWh 1875 kWh £1,161 £188 £1,348 £15,707 11.6 yrs £11,260
7 kW 7293 kWh 5105 kWh 2188 kWh £1,354 £219 £1,573 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,720
8 kW 8334 kWh 5834 kWh 2500 kWh £1,548 £250 £1,798 £19,776 11.0 yrs £16,181

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: £1,149, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2084 kWh 1521 kWh 563 kWh £404 £56 £460 £9,319 20.3 yrs £-123
3 kW 3125 kWh 2282 kWh 844 kWh £605 £84 £690 £11,354 16.5 yrs £2,440
4 kW 4167 kWh 3042 kWh 1125 kWh £807 £113 £920 £13,388 14.6 yrs £5,004
5 kW 5209 kWh 3803 kWh 1406 kWh £1,009 £141 £1,149 £15,423 13.4 yrs £7,567
6 kW 6251 kWh 4563 kWh 1688 kWh £1,211 £169 £1,379 £17,457 12.7 yrs £10,130
7 kW 7293 kWh 5324 kWh 1969 kWh £1,412 £197 £1,609 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,694
8 kW 8334 kWh 6084 kWh 2250 kWh £1,614 £225 £1,839 £21,526 11.7 yrs £15,257

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: £1,167, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2084 kWh 1563 kWh 521 kWh £415 £52 £467 £11,069 23.7 yrs £-1,735
3 kW 3125 kWh 2344 kWh 781 kWh £622 £78 £700 £13,104 18.7 yrs £897
4 kW 4167 kWh 3125 kWh 1042 kWh £829 £104 £933 £15,138 16.2 yrs £3,529
5 kW 5209 kWh 3907 kWh 1302 kWh £1,036 £130 £1,167 £17,173 14.7 yrs £6,161
6 kW 6251 kWh 4688 kWh 1563 kWh £1,244 £156 £1,400 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,794
7 kW 7293 kWh 5470 kWh 1823 kWh £1,451 £182 £1,633 £21,242 13.0 yrs £11,426
8 kW 8334 kWh 6251 kWh 2084 kWh £1,658 £208 £1,867 £23,276 12.5 yrs £14,058

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: £1,184, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2084 kWh 1604 kWh 479 kWh £426 £48 £474 £13,519 28.5 yrs £-4,048
3 kW 3125 kWh 2407 kWh 719 kWh £638 £72 £710 £15,554 21.9 yrs £-1,347
4 kW 4167 kWh 3209 kWh 958 kWh £851 £96 £947 £17,588 18.6 yrs £1,355
5 kW 5209 kWh 4011 kWh 1198 kWh £1,064 £120 £1,184 £19,623 16.6 yrs £4,056
6 kW 6251 kWh 4813 kWh 1438 kWh £1,277 £144 £1,421 £21,657 15.2 yrs £6,757
7 kW 7293 kWh 5615 kWh 1677 kWh £1,490 £168 £1,657 £23,692 14.3 yrs £9,458
8 kW 8334 kWh 6418 kWh 1917 kWh £1,703 £192 £1,894 £25,726 13.6 yrs £12,159

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 SS12

Figures below are tailored to SS12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1456 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #291 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£994 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #913 of 2997
17.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£994 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1042kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1042 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: 65% • Flats: 17% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 3,904 properties

Coverage

Basildon (99%)|Thurrock (1%)

Areas Covered

Wickford Park, Castledon & Crouch, Wickford North, Pitsea South East, Corringham and Fobbing

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

SS11 (Basildon)
≈0.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS12
SS13 (Basildon)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS12
SS14 (Basildon)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS12
SS7 (Castle Point)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS12
SS6 (Rochford)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,047 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SS12
CM11 (Basildon)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,033 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS12

Similar sunshine across the UK

PL6 (Plymouth)
~1,042 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS12
TN27 (Ashford)
~1,042 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS12
TN11 (Tonbridge and Malling)
~1,042 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS12