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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ST12 (Stafford)

See if solar pays off for you in Stafford — 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
13.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£898
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,249
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 921 kWh/kW — 21 below the regional median (942).

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 921 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)
921 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: £749, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1842 kWh 737 kWh 1105 kWh £189 £111 £299 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,919
3 kW 2763 kWh 1105 kWh 1658 kWh £283 £166 £449 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,879
4 kW 3684 kWh 1473 kWh 2210 kWh £378 £221 £599 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,838
5 kW 4605 kWh 1842 kWh 2763 kWh £472 £276 £749 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,798
6 kW 5526 kWh 2210 kWh 3315 kWh £567 £332 £898 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,758
7 kW 6446 kWh 2579 kWh 3868 kWh £661 £387 £1,048 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,717
8 kW 7367 kWh 2947 kWh 4420 kWh £756 £442 £1,198 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,677

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: £893, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1842 kWh 1105 kWh 737 kWh £283 £74 £357 £6,169 17.3 yrs £971
3 kW 2763 kWh 1658 kWh 1105 kWh £425 £111 £536 £8,204 15.3 yrs £2,507
4 kW 3684 kWh 2210 kWh 1473 kWh £567 £147 £714 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,043
5 kW 4605 kWh 2763 kWh 1842 kWh £708 £184 £893 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,579
6 kW 5526 kWh 3315 kWh 2210 kWh £850 £221 £1,071 £14,307 13.4 yrs £7,114
7 kW 6446 kWh 3868 kWh 2579 kWh £992 £258 £1,250 £16,342 13.1 yrs £8,650
8 kW 7367 kWh 4420 kWh 2947 kWh £1,133 £295 £1,428 £18,376 12.9 yrs £10,186

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: £965, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1842 kWh 1289 kWh 553 kWh £331 £55 £386 £7,569 19.6 yrs £148
3 kW 2763 kWh 1934 kWh 829 kWh £496 £83 £579 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,971
4 kW 3684 kWh 2579 kWh 1105 kWh £661 £111 £772 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,795
5 kW 4605 kWh 3223 kWh 1381 kWh £826 £138 £965 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,619
6 kW 5526 kWh 3868 kWh 1658 kWh £992 £166 £1,157 £15,707 13.6 yrs £7,443
7 kW 6446 kWh 4513 kWh 1934 kWh £1,157 £193 £1,350 £17,742 13.1 yrs £9,266
8 kW 7367 kWh 5157 kWh 2210 kWh £1,322 £221 £1,543 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,090

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: £986, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1842 kWh 1345 kWh 497 kWh £345 £50 £394 £9,319 23.6 yrs £-1,430
3 kW 2763 kWh 2017 kWh 746 kWh £517 £75 £592 £11,354 19.2 yrs £481
4 kW 3684 kWh 2689 kWh 995 kWh £689 £99 £789 £13,388 17.0 yrs £2,391
5 kW 4605 kWh 3361 kWh 1243 kWh £862 £124 £986 £15,423 15.6 yrs £4,301
6 kW 5526 kWh 4034 kWh 1492 kWh £1,034 £149 £1,183 £17,457 14.8 yrs £6,211
7 kW 6446 kWh 4706 kWh 1741 kWh £1,207 £174 £1,381 £19,492 14.1 yrs £8,121
8 kW 7367 kWh 5378 kWh 1989 kWh £1,379 £199 £1,578 £21,526 13.6 yrs £10,032

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: £1,001, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1842 kWh 1381 kWh 460 kWh £354 £46 £400 £11,069 27.7 yrs £-3,064
3 kW 2763 kWh 2072 kWh 691 kWh £531 £69 £600 £13,104 21.8 yrs £-1,097
4 kW 3684 kWh 2763 kWh 921 kWh £708 £92 £800 £15,138 18.9 yrs £871
5 kW 4605 kWh 3453 kWh 1151 kWh £885 £115 £1,001 £17,173 17.2 yrs £2,839
6 kW 5526 kWh 4144 kWh 1381 kWh £1,063 £138 £1,201 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,807
7 kW 6446 kWh 4835 kWh 1612 kWh £1,240 £161 £1,401 £21,242 15.2 yrs £6,775
8 kW 7367 kWh 5526 kWh 1842 kWh £1,417 £184 £1,601 £23,276 14.5 yrs £8,742

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: £1,015, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1842 kWh 1418 kWh 424 kWh £364 £42 £406 £13,519 33.3 yrs £-5,399
3 kW 2763 kWh 2127 kWh 635 kWh £545 £64 £609 £15,554 25.5 yrs £-3,374
4 kW 3684 kWh 2836 kWh 847 kWh £727 £85 £812 £17,588 21.7 yrs £-1,348
5 kW 4605 kWh 3546 kWh 1059 kWh £909 £106 £1,015 £19,623 19.3 yrs £677
6 kW 5526 kWh 4255 kWh 1271 kWh £1,091 £127 £1,218 £21,657 17.8 yrs £2,703
7 kW 6446 kWh 4964 kWh 1483 kWh £1,273 £148 £1,421 £23,692 16.7 yrs £4,728
8 kW 7367 kWh 5673 kWh 1694 kWh £1,455 £169 £1,624 £25,726 15.8 yrs £6,753

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 ST12

Figures below are tailored to ST12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #160 of 2182
6.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2262 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,028 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1219 of 2997
18.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£1,028 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
921kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~921 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: 73% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 1,005 properties

Coverage

Stafford (74%)|Stoke-on-Trent (26%)|Staffordshire Moorlands (1%)

Areas Covered

Barlaston, Swynnerton & Oulton, Hanford, Newstead & Trentham, Hanley Park, Joiner's Square & Shelton, Leek South

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

ST3 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~910 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ST12
ST15 (Stafford)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ST12
ST4 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~899 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ST12
ST11 (Staffordshire Moorlands)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~916 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ST12
ST5 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ST12
ST1 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈8.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~900 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ST12

Similar sunshine across the UK

L16 (Liverpool)
~921 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST12
L25 (Liverpool)
~921 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ST12
L27 (Liverpool)
~921 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ST12