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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in SS6 (Rochford)

See if solar pays off for you in Rochford — 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
11.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,044
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,884
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 1047 kWh/kW — 38 above the regional median (1009).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1047 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)
1047 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: £870, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2094 kWh 838 kWh 1256 kWh £222 £126 £348 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,888
3 kW 3141 kWh 1256 kWh 1885 kWh £333 £188 £522 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,333
4 kW 4188 kWh 1675 kWh 2513 kWh £444 £251 £696 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,777
5 kW 5235 kWh 2094 kWh 3141 kWh £556 £314 £870 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,221
6 kW 6282 kWh 2513 kWh 3769 kWh £667 £377 £1,044 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,665
7 kW 7329 kWh 2932 kWh 4398 kWh £778 £440 £1,218 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,110
8 kW 8376 kWh 3351 kWh 5026 kWh £889 £503 £1,392 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,554

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: £1,043, 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 2094 kWh 1256 kWh 838 kWh £333 £84 £417 £6,169 14.8 yrs £2,173
3 kW 3141 kWh 1885 kWh 1256 kWh £500 £126 £626 £8,204 13.1 yrs £4,310
4 kW 4188 kWh 2513 kWh 1675 kWh £667 £168 £834 £10,238 12.3 yrs £6,446
5 kW 5235 kWh 3141 kWh 2094 kWh £833 £209 £1,043 £12,273 11.8 yrs £8,583
6 kW 6282 kWh 3769 kWh 2513 kWh £1,000 £251 £1,251 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,719
7 kW 7329 kWh 4398 kWh 2932 kWh £1,167 £293 £1,460 £16,342 11.2 yrs £12,856
8 kW 8376 kWh 5026 kWh 3351 kWh £1,333 £335 £1,668 £18,376 11.0 yrs £14,992

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: £1,129, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1466 kWh 628 kWh £389 £63 £452 £7,569 16.8 yrs £1,465
3 kW 3141 kWh 2199 kWh 942 kWh £583 £94 £678 £9,604 14.2 yrs £3,948
4 kW 4188 kWh 2932 kWh 1256 kWh £778 £126 £903 £11,638 12.9 yrs £6,431
5 kW 5235 kWh 3665 kWh 1571 kWh £972 £157 £1,129 £13,673 12.1 yrs £8,914
6 kW 6282 kWh 4398 kWh 1885 kWh £1,167 £188 £1,355 £15,707 11.6 yrs £11,396
7 kW 7329 kWh 5131 kWh 2199 kWh £1,361 £220 £1,581 £17,742 11.2 yrs £13,879
8 kW 8376 kWh 5864 kWh 2513 kWh £1,556 £251 £1,807 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,362

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: £1,155, 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 2094 kWh 1529 kWh 565 kWh £406 £57 £462 £9,319 20.2 yrs £-77
3 kW 3141 kWh 2293 kWh 848 kWh £608 £85 £693 £11,354 16.4 yrs £2,510
4 kW 4188 kWh 3057 kWh 1131 kWh £811 £113 £924 £13,388 14.5 yrs £5,096
5 kW 5235 kWh 3822 kWh 1414 kWh £1,014 £141 £1,155 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,683
6 kW 6282 kWh 4586 kWh 1696 kWh £1,217 £170 £1,386 £17,457 12.6 yrs £10,269
7 kW 7329 kWh 5350 kWh 1979 kWh £1,419 £198 £1,617 £19,492 12.1 yrs £12,856
8 kW 8376 kWh 6115 kWh 2262 kWh £1,622 £226 £1,848 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,443

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: £1,173, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1571 kWh 524 kWh £417 £52 £469 £11,069 23.6 yrs £-1,688
3 kW 3141 kWh 2356 kWh 785 kWh £625 £79 £704 £13,104 18.6 yrs £967
4 kW 4188 kWh 3141 kWh 1047 kWh £833 £105 £938 £15,138 16.1 yrs £3,623
5 kW 5235 kWh 3926 kWh 1309 kWh £1,042 £131 £1,173 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,279
6 kW 6282 kWh 4712 kWh 1571 kWh £1,250 £157 £1,407 £19,207 13.7 yrs £8,935
7 kW 7329 kWh 5497 kWh 1832 kWh £1,458 £183 £1,642 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,591
8 kW 8376 kWh 6282 kWh 2094 kWh £1,667 £209 £1,876 £23,276 12.4 yrs £14,246

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: £1,190, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2094 kWh 1612 kWh 482 kWh £428 £48 £476 £13,519 28.4 yrs £-4,000
3 kW 3141 kWh 2419 kWh 722 kWh £642 £72 £714 £15,554 21.8 yrs £-1,275
4 kW 4188 kWh 3225 kWh 963 kWh £856 £96 £952 £17,588 18.5 yrs £1,450
5 kW 5235 kWh 4031 kWh 1204 kWh £1,069 £120 £1,190 £19,623 16.5 yrs £4,175
6 kW 6282 kWh 4837 kWh 1445 kWh £1,283 £144 £1,428 £21,657 15.2 yrs £6,900
7 kW 7329 kWh 5644 kWh 1686 kWh £1,497 £169 £1,666 £23,692 14.2 yrs £9,625
8 kW 8376 kWh 6450 kWh 1927 kWh £1,711 £193 £1,904 £25,726 13.5 yrs £12,350

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 SS6

Figures below are tailored to SS6 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #551 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #293 of 2997
10.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,199 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #210 of 2997
14.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£176 fixed • ~£1,199 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.53p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
48.25p/day
Local Sunshine
1047kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1047 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 60% • Flats: 19% • Bungalows: 20% Based on 7,072 properties

Coverage

Rochford (98%)|Castle Point (2%)

Areas Covered

Wheatley, Downhall and Rawreth, Lodge, Trinity, Sweyne Park and Grange, St Michael's, Thundersley North, Hullbridge + 1 more

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

SS7 (Castle Point)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS6
SS5 (Rochford)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,083 kWh/kWp · +3% vs SS6
SS9 (Southend-on-Sea)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,039 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS6
SS11 (Basildon)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS6
SS12 (Basildon)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -1% vs SS6
SS13 (Basildon)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS6

Similar sunshine across the UK

CT5 (Canterbury)
~1,047 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS6
TQ12 (Teignbridge)
~1,048 kWh/kWp · +0% vs SS6
PL13 (Cornwall)
~1,046 kWh/kWp · -0% vs SS6