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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SS2 (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
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£876
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,730
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 1055 kWh/kW — 46 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 1055 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)
1055 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: £876, 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 2110 kWh 844 kWh 1266 kWh £224 £127 £350 £4,069 11.6 yrs £2,940
3 kW 3164 kWh 1266 kWh 1899 kWh £336 £190 £526 £6,104 11.6 yrs £4,410
4 kW 4219 kWh 1688 kWh 2531 kWh £448 £253 £701 £8,138 11.6 yrs £5,880
5 kW 5274 kWh 2110 kWh 3164 kWh £560 £316 £876 £10,173 11.6 yrs £7,349
6 kW 6329 kWh 2531 kWh 3797 kWh £672 £380 £1,051 £12,207 11.6 yrs £8,819
7 kW 7383 kWh 2953 kWh 4430 kWh £784 £443 £1,227 £14,242 11.6 yrs £10,289
8 kW 8438 kWh 3375 kWh 5063 kWh £895 £506 £1,402 £16,276 11.6 yrs £11,759

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: £1,050, 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 2110 kWh 1266 kWh 844 kWh £336 £84 £420 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,235
3 kW 3164 kWh 1899 kWh 1266 kWh £504 £127 £630 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,402
4 kW 4219 kWh 2531 kWh 1688 kWh £672 £169 £840 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,569
5 kW 5274 kWh 3164 kWh 2110 kWh £839 £211 £1,050 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,737
6 kW 6329 kWh 3797 kWh 2531 kWh £1,007 £253 £1,261 £14,307 11.3 yrs £10,904
7 kW 7383 kWh 4430 kWh 2953 kWh £1,175 £295 £1,471 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,071
8 kW 8438 kWh 5063 kWh 3375 kWh £1,343 £338 £1,681 £18,376 10.9 yrs £15,238

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: £1,138, 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 2110 kWh 1477 kWh 633 kWh £392 £63 £455 £7,569 16.6 yrs £1,532
3 kW 3164 kWh 2215 kWh 949 kWh £588 £95 £683 £9,604 14.1 yrs £4,048
4 kW 4219 kWh 2953 kWh 1266 kWh £784 £127 £910 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,564
5 kW 5274 kWh 3692 kWh 1582 kWh £979 £158 £1,138 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,080
6 kW 6329 kWh 4430 kWh 1899 kWh £1,175 £190 £1,365 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,596
7 kW 7383 kWh 5168 kWh 2215 kWh £1,371 £222 £1,593 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,112
8 kW 8438 kWh 5907 kWh 2531 kWh £1,567 £253 £1,820 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,628

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: £1,164, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2110 kWh 1540 kWh 570 kWh £409 £57 £466 £9,319 20.0 yrs £-9
3 kW 3164 kWh 2310 kWh 854 kWh £613 £85 £698 £11,354 16.3 yrs £2,612
4 kW 4219 kWh 3080 kWh 1139 kWh £817 £114 £931 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,233
5 kW 5274 kWh 3850 kWh 1424 kWh £1,021 £142 £1,164 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,853
6 kW 6329 kWh 4620 kWh 1709 kWh £1,226 £171 £1,397 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,474
7 kW 7383 kWh 5390 kWh 1994 kWh £1,430 £199 £1,629 £19,492 12.0 yrs £13,094
8 kW 8438 kWh 6160 kWh 2278 kWh £1,634 £228 £1,862 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,715

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: £1,181, 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 2110 kWh 1582 kWh 527 kWh £420 £53 £472 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,619
3 kW 3164 kWh 2373 kWh 791 kWh £630 £79 £709 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,071
4 kW 4219 kWh 3164 kWh 1055 kWh £839 £105 £945 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,762
5 kW 5274 kWh 3955 kWh 1318 kWh £1,049 £132 £1,181 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,452
6 kW 6329 kWh 4747 kWh 1582 kWh £1,259 £158 £1,417 £19,207 13.6 yrs £9,142
7 kW 7383 kWh 5538 kWh 1846 kWh £1,469 £185 £1,654 £21,242 12.8 yrs £11,833
8 kW 8438 kWh 6329 kWh 2110 kWh £1,679 £211 £1,890 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,523

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: £1,199, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2110 kWh 1624 kWh 485 kWh £431 £49 £479 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,930
3 kW 3164 kWh 2437 kWh 728 kWh £646 £73 £719 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,170
4 kW 4219 kWh 3249 kWh 970 kWh £862 £97 £959 £17,588 18.3 yrs £1,590
5 kW 5274 kWh 4061 kWh 1213 kWh £1,077 £121 £1,199 £19,623 16.4 yrs £4,351
6 kW 6329 kWh 4873 kWh 1456 kWh £1,293 £146 £1,438 £21,657 15.1 yrs £7,111
7 kW 7383 kWh 5685 kWh 1698 kWh £1,508 £170 £1,678 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,871
8 kW 8438 kWh 6497 kWh 1941 kWh £1,724 £194 £1,918 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,631

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 SS2

Figures below are tailored to SS2 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1738 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #243 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,007 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #887 of 2997
17.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,007 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1055kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1055 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: 42% • Flats: 46% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 10,583 properties

Coverage

Southend-on-Sea (98%)|Rochford (2%)

Areas Covered

Victoria, St. Luke's, St Laurence, Southchurch, Prittlewell, Kursaal, Roche South, Milton

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)
≈0.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS2
SS1 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS2
SS22 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈1.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,068 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SS2
SS0 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,056 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS2
SS9 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · -2% vs SS2
SS4 (Rochford)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,068 kWh/kWp · +1% vs SS2

Similar sunshine across the UK

BH22 (Dorset)
~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS2
TN22 (Wealden)
~1,055 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS2
DT11 (Dorset)
~1,055 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS2