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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ST1 (Stoke-on-Trent)

See if solar pays off for you in Stoke-on-Trent — 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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£585
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,485
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 Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.64p/kWh with a 53.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 900 kWh/kW — 42 below the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 900 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
53.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
900 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: £731, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 720 kWh 1079 kWh £185 £108 £292 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,780
3 kW 2699 kWh 1079 kWh 1619 kWh £277 £162 £439 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,670
4 kW 3598 kWh 1439 kWh 2159 kWh £369 £216 £585 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,560
5 kW 4498 kWh 1799 kWh 2699 kWh £461 £270 £731 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,450
6 kW 5397 kWh 2159 kWh 3238 kWh £554 £324 £877 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,340
7 kW 6297 kWh 2519 kWh 3778 kWh £646 £378 £1,024 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,231
8 kW 7196 kWh 2879 kWh 4318 kWh £738 £432 £1,170 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,121

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: £872, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1079 kWh 720 kWh £277 £72 £349 £6,169 17.7 yrs £806
3 kW 2699 kWh 1619 kWh 1079 kWh £415 £108 £523 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,258
4 kW 3598 kWh 2159 kWh 1439 kWh £554 £144 £697 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,711
5 kW 4498 kWh 2699 kWh 1799 kWh £692 £180 £872 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,164
6 kW 5397 kWh 3238 kWh 2159 kWh £830 £216 £1,046 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,617
7 kW 6297 kWh 3778 kWh 2519 kWh £969 £252 £1,221 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,070
8 kW 7196 kWh 4318 kWh 2879 kWh £1,107 £288 £1,395 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,523

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: £942, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1799 kWh 1259 kWh 540 kWh £323 £54 £377 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-32
3 kW 2699 kWh 1889 kWh 810 kWh £484 £81 £565 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,703
4 kW 3598 kWh 2519 kWh 1079 kWh £646 £108 £754 £11,638 15.4 yrs £3,437
5 kW 4498 kWh 3148 kWh 1349 kWh £807 £135 £942 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,171
6 kW 5397 kWh 3778 kWh 1619 kWh £969 £162 £1,131 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,905
7 kW 6297 kWh 4408 kWh 1889 kWh £1,130 £189 £1,319 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,639
8 kW 7196 kWh 5037 kWh 2159 kWh £1,292 £216 £1,507 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,374

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: £963, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1313 kWh 486 kWh £337 £49 £385 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,613
3 kW 2699 kWh 1970 kWh 729 kWh £505 £73 £578 £11,354 19.6 yrs £206
4 kW 3598 kWh 2627 kWh 972 kWh £673 £97 £771 £13,388 17.4 yrs £2,024
5 kW 4498 kWh 3283 kWh 1214 kWh £842 £121 £963 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,843
6 kW 5397 kWh 3940 kWh 1457 kWh £1,010 £146 £1,156 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,662
7 kW 6297 kWh 4597 kWh 1700 kWh £1,179 £170 £1,349 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,480
8 kW 7196 kWh 5253 kWh 1943 kWh £1,347 £194 £1,541 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,299

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: £977, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1349 kWh 450 kWh £346 £45 £391 £11,069 28.3 yrs £-3,250
3 kW 2699 kWh 2024 kWh 675 kWh £519 £67 £586 £13,104 22.3 yrs £-1,375
4 kW 3598 kWh 2699 kWh 900 kWh £692 £90 £782 £15,138 19.4 yrs £500
5 kW 4498 kWh 3373 kWh 1124 kWh £865 £112 £977 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,374
6 kW 5397 kWh 4048 kWh 1349 kWh £1,038 £135 £1,173 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,249
7 kW 6297 kWh 4723 kWh 1574 kWh £1,211 £157 £1,368 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,124
8 kW 7196 kWh 5397 kWh 1799 kWh £1,384 £180 £1,564 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,999

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: £991, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1799 kWh 1385 kWh 414 kWh £355 £41 £397 £13,519 34.1 yrs £-5,588
3 kW 2699 kWh 2078 kWh 621 kWh £533 £62 £595 £15,554 26.1 yrs £-3,657
4 kW 3598 kWh 2771 kWh 828 kWh £710 £83 £793 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,725
5 kW 4498 kWh 3463 kWh 1034 kWh £888 £103 £991 £19,623 19.8 yrs £206
6 kW 5397 kWh 4156 kWh 1241 kWh £1,066 £124 £1,190 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,137
7 kW 6297 kWh 4849 kWh 1448 kWh £1,243 £145 £1,388 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,068
8 kW 7196 kWh 5541 kWh 1655 kWh £1,421 £166 £1,586 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,999

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 ST1

Figures below are tailored to ST1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1930 of 2182
4.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2531 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£669 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2616 of 2997
28.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£669 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
900kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~900 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 71% • Flats: 23% • Bungalows: 5% Based on 9,894 properties

Coverage

Stoke-on-Trent (100%)

Areas Covered

Etruria & Hanley, Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton, Birches Head & Northwood, Moorcroft & Sneyd Green, Ford Green & Smallthorne, Bucknall & Eaton Park

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 Midlands

ST4 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~899 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ST1
ST2 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ST1
ST6 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST1
ST5 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ST1
ST55 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~910 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ST1
ST9 (Staffordshire Moorlands)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ST1

Similar sunshine across the UK

PH14 (Perth and Kinross)
~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST1
BT60 (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon)
~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST1
WN7 (Wigan)
~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST1