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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SS17 (Thurrock)

See if solar pays off for you in Thurrock — 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
£861
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,357
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 1037 kWh/kW — 28 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 1037 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)
1037 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: £861, 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 2074 kWh 829 kWh 1244 kWh £220 £124 £344 £4,069 11.8 yrs £2,820
3 kW 3110 kWh 1244 kWh 1866 kWh £330 £187 £517 £6,104 11.8 yrs £4,231
4 kW 4147 kWh 1659 kWh 2488 kWh £440 £249 £689 £8,138 11.8 yrs £5,641
5 kW 5184 kWh 2074 kWh 3110 kWh £550 £311 £861 £10,173 11.8 yrs £7,051
6 kW 6221 kWh 2488 kWh 3733 kWh £660 £373 £1,033 £12,207 11.8 yrs £8,461
7 kW 7258 kWh 2903 kWh 4355 kWh £770 £435 £1,206 £14,242 11.8 yrs £9,872
8 kW 8295 kWh 3318 kWh 4977 kWh £880 £498 £1,378 £16,276 11.8 yrs £11,282

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: £1,033, 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 2074 kWh 1244 kWh 829 kWh £330 £83 £413 £6,169 14.9 yrs £2,092
3 kW 3110 kWh 1866 kWh 1244 kWh £495 £124 £620 £8,204 13.2 yrs £4,187
4 kW 4147 kWh 2488 kWh 1659 kWh £660 £166 £826 £10,238 12.4 yrs £6,283
5 kW 5184 kWh 3110 kWh 2074 kWh £825 £207 £1,033 £12,273 11.9 yrs £8,379
6 kW 6221 kWh 3733 kWh 2488 kWh £990 £249 £1,239 £14,307 11.5 yrs £10,475
7 kW 7258 kWh 4355 kWh 2903 kWh £1,155 £290 £1,446 £16,342 11.3 yrs £12,570
8 kW 8295 kWh 4977 kWh 3318 kWh £1,320 £332 £1,652 £18,376 11.1 yrs £14,666

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: £1,118, 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 2074 kWh 1452 kWh 622 kWh £385 £62 £447 £7,569 16.9 yrs £1,377
3 kW 3110 kWh 2177 kWh 933 kWh £578 £93 £671 £9,604 14.3 yrs £3,816
4 kW 4147 kWh 2903 kWh 1244 kWh £770 £124 £895 £11,638 13.0 yrs £6,254
5 kW 5184 kWh 3629 kWh 1555 kWh £963 £156 £1,118 £13,673 12.2 yrs £8,693
6 kW 6221 kWh 4355 kWh 1866 kWh £1,155 £187 £1,342 £15,707 11.7 yrs £11,131
7 kW 7258 kWh 5080 kWh 2177 kWh £1,348 £218 £1,566 £17,742 11.3 yrs £13,570
8 kW 8295 kWh 5806 kWh 2488 kWh £1,540 £249 £1,789 £19,776 11.1 yrs £16,008

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: £1,144, 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 2074 kWh 1514 kWh 560 kWh £402 £56 £458 £9,319 20.4 yrs £-167
3 kW 3110 kWh 2271 kWh 840 kWh £602 £84 £686 £11,354 16.5 yrs £2,374
4 kW 4147 kWh 3028 kWh 1120 kWh £803 £112 £915 £13,388 14.6 yrs £4,915
5 kW 5184 kWh 3784 kWh 1400 kWh £1,004 £140 £1,144 £15,423 13.5 yrs £7,457
6 kW 6221 kWh 4541 kWh 1680 kWh £1,205 £168 £1,373 £17,457 12.7 yrs £9,998
7 kW 7258 kWh 5298 kWh 1960 kWh £1,406 £196 £1,602 £19,492 12.2 yrs £12,540
8 kW 8295 kWh 6055 kWh 2240 kWh £1,606 £224 £1,830 £21,526 11.8 yrs £15,081

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: £1,161, 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 2074 kWh 1555 kWh 518 kWh £413 £52 £464 £11,069 23.8 yrs £-1,780
3 kW 3110 kWh 2333 kWh 778 kWh £619 £78 £697 £13,104 18.8 yrs £830
4 kW 4147 kWh 3110 kWh 1037 kWh £825 £104 £929 £15,138 16.3 yrs £3,440
5 kW 5184 kWh 3888 kWh 1296 kWh £1,032 £130 £1,161 £17,173 14.8 yrs £6,050
6 kW 6221 kWh 4666 kWh 1555 kWh £1,238 £156 £1,393 £19,207 13.8 yrs £8,660
7 kW 7258 kWh 5443 kWh 1814 kWh £1,444 £181 £1,626 £21,242 13.1 yrs £11,269
8 kW 8295 kWh 6221 kWh 2074 kWh £1,650 £207 £1,858 £23,276 12.5 yrs £13,879

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: £1,178, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2074 kWh 1597 kWh 477 kWh £424 £48 £471 £13,519 28.7 yrs £-4,093
3 kW 3110 kWh 2395 kWh 715 kWh £635 £72 £707 £15,554 22.0 yrs £-1,415
4 kW 4147 kWh 3193 kWh 954 kWh £847 £95 £943 £17,588 18.7 yrs £1,264
5 kW 5184 kWh 3992 kWh 1192 kWh £1,059 £119 £1,178 £19,623 16.7 yrs £3,942
6 kW 6221 kWh 4790 kWh 1431 kWh £1,271 £143 £1,414 £21,657 15.3 yrs £6,621
7 kW 7258 kWh 5588 kWh 1669 kWh £1,483 £167 £1,650 £23,692 14.4 yrs £9,299
8 kW 8295 kWh 6387 kWh 1908 kWh £1,694 £191 £1,885 £25,726 13.6 yrs £11,978

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 SS17

Figures below are tailored to SS17 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #947 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #361 of 2997
10.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£990 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #923 of 2997
17.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£990 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1037kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1037 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: 19% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 7,229 properties

Coverage

Thurrock (99%)|Basildon (1%)

Areas Covered

Stanford East and Corringham Town, Stanford-le-Hope West, Corringham and Fobbing, The Homesteads, Orsett, East Tilbury, Nethermayne

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

SS16 (Basildon)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS17
SS14 (Basildon)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS17
SS15 (Basildon)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,035 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS17
SS13 (Basildon)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SS17
RM18 (Thurrock)
≈8.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,033 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS17
RM16 (Thurrock)
≈9.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,030 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS17

Similar sunshine across the UK

SO14 (Southampton)
~1,037 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS17
RH14 (Horsham)
~1,037 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS17
SO18 (Southampton)
~1,037 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS17