Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in ST55 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

See if solar pays off for you in Newcastle-under-Lyme — 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£739
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,313
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 910 kWh/kW — 32 below the regional median (942).

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 910 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)
910 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: £739, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1819 kWh 728 kWh 1092 kWh £187 £109 £296 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,846
3 kW 2729 kWh 1092 kWh 1637 kWh £280 £164 £444 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,770
4 kW 3639 kWh 1456 kWh 2183 kWh £373 £218 £592 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,693
5 kW 4549 kWh 1819 kWh 2729 kWh £467 £273 £739 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,616
6 kW 5458 kWh 2183 kWh 3275 kWh £560 £327 £887 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,539
7 kW 6368 kWh 2547 kWh 3821 kWh £653 £382 £1,035 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,462
8 kW 7278 kWh 2911 kWh 4367 kWh £746 £437 £1,183 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,385

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: £882, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1819 kWh 1092 kWh 728 kWh £280 £73 £353 £6,169 17.5 yrs £885
3 kW 2729 kWh 1637 kWh 1092 kWh £420 £109 £529 £8,204 15.5 yrs £2,377
4 kW 3639 kWh 2183 kWh 1456 kWh £560 £146 £705 £10,238 14.5 yrs £3,869
5 kW 4549 kWh 2729 kWh 1819 kWh £700 £182 £882 £12,273 13.9 yrs £5,361
6 kW 5458 kWh 3275 kWh 2183 kWh £840 £218 £1,058 £14,307 13.5 yrs £6,854
7 kW 6368 kWh 3821 kWh 2547 kWh £980 £255 £1,234 £16,342 13.2 yrs £8,346
8 kW 7278 kWh 4367 kWh 2911 kWh £1,120 £291 £1,411 £18,376 13.0 yrs £9,838

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: £953, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1819 kWh 1274 kWh 546 kWh £327 £55 £381 £7,569 19.9 yrs £54
3 kW 2729 kWh 1910 kWh 819 kWh £490 £82 £572 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,831
4 kW 3639 kWh 2547 kWh 1092 kWh £653 £109 £762 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,607
5 kW 4549 kWh 3184 kWh 1365 kWh £816 £136 £953 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,384
6 kW 5458 kWh 3821 kWh 1637 kWh £980 £164 £1,143 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,161
7 kW 6368 kWh 4458 kWh 1910 kWh £1,143 £191 £1,334 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,938
8 kW 7278 kWh 5094 kWh 2183 kWh £1,306 £218 £1,525 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,715

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: £974, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1819 kWh 1328 kWh 491 kWh £341 £49 £390 £9,319 23.9 yrs £-1,526
3 kW 2729 kWh 1992 kWh 737 kWh £511 £74 £585 £11,354 19.4 yrs £337
4 kW 3639 kWh 2656 kWh 982 kWh £681 £98 £779 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,199
5 kW 4549 kWh 3320 kWh 1228 kWh £851 £123 £974 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,061
6 kW 5458 kWh 3985 kWh 1474 kWh £1,022 £147 £1,169 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,923
7 kW 6368 kWh 4649 kWh 1719 kWh £1,192 £172 £1,364 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,786
8 kW 7278 kWh 5313 kWh 1965 kWh £1,362 £196 £1,559 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,648

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: £988, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1819 kWh 1365 kWh 455 kWh £350 £45 £395 £11,069 28.0 yrs £-3,162
3 kW 2729 kWh 2047 kWh 682 kWh £525 £68 £593 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,243
4 kW 3639 kWh 2729 kWh 910 kWh £700 £91 £791 £15,138 19.1 yrs £677
5 kW 4549 kWh 3411 kWh 1137 kWh £875 £114 £988 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,596
6 kW 5458 kWh 4094 kWh 1365 kWh £1,050 £136 £1,186 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,515
7 kW 6368 kWh 4776 kWh 1592 kWh £1,225 £159 £1,384 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,434
8 kW 7278 kWh 5458 kWh 1819 kWh £1,400 £182 £1,581 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,353

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: £1,003, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1819 kWh 1401 kWh 418 kWh £359 £42 £401 £13,519 33.7 yrs £-5,498
3 kW 2729 kWh 2101 kWh 628 kWh £539 £63 £602 £15,554 25.9 yrs £-3,522
4 kW 3639 kWh 2802 kWh 837 kWh £718 £84 £802 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,546
5 kW 4549 kWh 3502 kWh 1046 kWh £898 £105 £1,003 £19,623 19.6 yrs £430
6 kW 5458 kWh 4203 kWh 1255 kWh £1,078 £126 £1,203 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,406
7 kW 6368 kWh 4903 kWh 1465 kWh £1,257 £146 £1,404 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,382
8 kW 7278 kWh 5604 kWh 1674 kWh £1,437 £167 £1,604 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,358

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 ST55

Figures below are tailored to ST55 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2359 of 2997
12.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£846 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2062 of 2997
22.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£846 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
910kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~910 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Newcastle-under-Lyme (100%)

Areas Covered

Silverdale, Town

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

ST5 (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
≈1.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ST55
ST4 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~899 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ST55
ST1 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~900 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ST55
ST6 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~900 kWh/kWp · -1% vs ST55
ST2 (Stoke-on-Trent)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST55
ST12 (Stafford)
≈9.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~921 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ST55

Similar sunshine across the UK

NE26 (North Tyneside)
~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST55
DL6 (North Yorkshire)
~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ST55
LS19 (Leeds)
~910 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ST55