Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SS16 (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
£863
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,401
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 1039 kWh/kW — 30 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 1039 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)
1039 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: £863, 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 2078 kWh 831 kWh 1247 kWh £221 £125 £345 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,835
3 kW 3117 kWh 1247 kWh 1870 kWh £331 £187 £518 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,252
4 kW 4156 kWh 1662 kWh 2493 kWh £441 £249 £690 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,669
5 kW 5195 kWh 2078 kWh 3117 kWh £551 £312 £863 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,086
6 kW 6234 kWh 2493 kWh 3740 kWh £662 £374 £1,036 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,504
7 kW 7273 kWh 2909 kWh 4364 kWh £772 £436 £1,208 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,921
8 kW 8312 kWh 3325 kWh 4987 kWh £882 £499 £1,381 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,338

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: £1,035, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2078 kWh 1247 kWh 831 kWh £331 £83 £414 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,109
3 kW 3117 kWh 1870 kWh 1247 kWh £496 £125 £621 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,213
4 kW 4156 kWh 2493 kWh 1662 kWh £662 £166 £828 £10,238 12.4 yrs £6,317
5 kW 5195 kWh 3117 kWh 2078 kWh £827 £208 £1,035 £12,273 11.9 yrs £8,421
6 kW 6234 kWh 3740 kWh 2493 kWh £992 £249 £1,242 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,526
7 kW 7273 kWh 4364 kWh 2909 kWh £1,158 £291 £1,449 £16,342 11.3 yrs £12,630
8 kW 8312 kWh 4987 kWh 3325 kWh £1,323 £332 £1,656 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,734

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: £1,121, 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 2078 kWh 1455 kWh 623 kWh £386 £62 £448 £7,569 16.9 yrs £1,395
3 kW 3117 kWh 2182 kWh 935 kWh £579 £94 £672 £9,604 14.3 yrs £3,843
4 kW 4156 kWh 2909 kWh 1247 kWh £772 £125 £896 £11,638 13.0 yrs £6,291
5 kW 5195 kWh 3636 kWh 1558 kWh £965 £156 £1,121 £13,673 12.2 yrs £8,739
6 kW 6234 kWh 4364 kWh 1870 kWh £1,158 £187 £1,345 £15,707 11.7 yrs £11,186
7 kW 7273 kWh 5091 kWh 2182 kWh £1,351 £218 £1,569 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,634
8 kW 8312 kWh 5818 kWh 2493 kWh £1,544 £249 £1,793 £19,776 11.0 yrs £16,082

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: £1,146, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2078 kWh 1517 kWh 561 kWh £402 £56 £459 £9,319 20.3 yrs £-148
3 kW 3117 kWh 2275 kWh 842 kWh £604 £84 £688 £11,354 16.5 yrs £2,402
4 kW 4156 kWh 3034 kWh 1122 kWh £805 £112 £917 £13,388 14.6 yrs £4,953
5 kW 5195 kWh 3792 kWh 1403 kWh £1,006 £140 £1,146 £15,423 13.5 yrs £7,504
6 kW 6234 kWh 4551 kWh 1683 kWh £1,207 £168 £1,376 £17,457 12.7 yrs £10,055
7 kW 7273 kWh 5309 kWh 1964 kWh £1,408 £196 £1,605 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,605
8 kW 8312 kWh 6067 kWh 2244 kWh £1,610 £224 £1,834 £21,526 11.7 yrs £15,156

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: £1,163, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2078 kWh 1558 kWh 519 kWh £413 £52 £465 £11,069 23.8 yrs £-1,761
3 kW 3117 kWh 2338 kWh 779 kWh £620 £78 £698 £13,104 18.8 yrs £858
4 kW 4156 kWh 3117 kWh 1039 kWh £827 £104 £931 £15,138 16.3 yrs £3,478
5 kW 5195 kWh 3896 kWh 1299 kWh £1,034 £130 £1,163 £17,173 14.8 yrs £6,097
6 kW 6234 kWh 4675 kWh 1558 kWh £1,240 £156 £1,396 £19,207 13.8 yrs £8,717
7 kW 7273 kWh 5454 kWh 1818 kWh £1,447 £182 £1,629 £21,242 13.0 yrs £11,336
8 kW 8312 kWh 6234 kWh 2078 kWh £1,654 £208 £1,862 £23,276 12.5 yrs £13,956

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: £1,181, 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 2078 kWh 1600 kWh 478 kWh £424 £48 £472 £13,519 28.6 yrs £-4,074
3 kW 3117 kWh 2400 kWh 717 kWh £637 £72 £708 £15,554 22.0 yrs £-1,386
4 kW 4156 kWh 3200 kWh 956 kWh £849 £96 £945 £17,588 18.6 yrs £1,303
5 kW 5195 kWh 4000 kWh 1195 kWh £1,061 £119 £1,181 £19,623 16.6 yrs £3,991
6 kW 6234 kWh 4800 kWh 1434 kWh £1,273 £143 £1,417 £21,657 15.3 yrs £6,679
7 kW 7273 kWh 5600 kWh 1673 kWh £1,486 £167 £1,653 £23,692 14.3 yrs £9,367
8 kW 8312 kWh 6400 kWh 1912 kWh £1,698 £191 £1,889 £25,726 13.6 yrs £12,055

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 SS16

Figures below are tailored to SS16 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1440 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #360 of 2997
10.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£992 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #926 of 2997
17.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£992 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1039kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1039 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: 28% • Bungalows: 6% Based on 7,786 properties

Coverage

Basildon (99%)|Thurrock (1%)

Areas Covered

Langdon Hills, Nethermayne, Pitsea South East, St Martin's, Orsett, Corringham and Fobbing, Laindon Park, Lee Chapel North

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

SS14 (Basildon)
≈0.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS16
SS15 (Basildon)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,035 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS16
SS13 (Basildon)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS16
SS17 (Thurrock)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,037 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS16
SS12 (Basildon)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS16
CM11 (Basildon)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,033 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS16

Similar sunshine across the UK

SA71 (Pembrokeshire)
~1,039 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS16
EX10 (East Devon)
~1,038 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS16
SO97 (Eastleigh)
~1,038 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS16