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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TA3 (Somerset)

See if solar pays off for you in Somerset — 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
12.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,021
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,327
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 Southern Western, the current unit rate is 26.82p/kWh with a 54.03p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1018 kWh/kW — 4 above the regional median (1013).

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 1018 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
54.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1018 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: £851, Upfront: £10,173, 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 2035 kWh 814 kWh 1221 kWh £218 £122 £340 £4,069 12.0 yrs £2,740
3 kW 3053 kWh 1221 kWh 1832 kWh £328 £183 £511 £6,104 12.0 yrs £4,110
4 kW 4070 kWh 1628 kWh 2442 kWh £437 £244 £681 £8,138 12.0 yrs £5,480
5 kW 5088 kWh 2035 kWh 3053 kWh £546 £305 £851 £10,173 12.0 yrs £6,850
6 kW 6106 kWh 2442 kWh 3663 kWh £655 £366 £1,021 £12,207 12.0 yrs £8,220
7 kW 7123 kWh 2849 kWh 4274 kWh £764 £427 £1,192 £14,242 12.0 yrs £9,590
8 kW 8141 kWh 3256 kWh 4885 kWh £873 £488 £1,362 £16,276 12.0 yrs £10,960

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: £1,022, Upfront: £12,273, 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 2035 kWh 1221 kWh 814 kWh £328 £81 £409 £6,169 15.1 yrs £2,009
3 kW 3053 kWh 1832 kWh 1221 kWh £491 £122 £613 £8,204 13.4 yrs £4,064
4 kW 4070 kWh 2442 kWh 1628 kWh £655 £163 £818 £10,238 12.5 yrs £6,119
5 kW 5088 kWh 3053 kWh 2035 kWh £819 £204 £1,022 £12,273 12.0 yrs £8,173
6 kW 6106 kWh 3663 kWh 2442 kWh £983 £244 £1,227 £14,307 11.7 yrs £10,228
7 kW 7123 kWh 4274 kWh 2849 kWh £1,146 £285 £1,431 £16,342 11.4 yrs £12,283
8 kW 8141 kWh 4885 kWh 3256 kWh £1,310 £326 £1,636 £18,376 11.2 yrs £14,338

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: £1,108, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1425 kWh 611 kWh £382 £61 £443 £7,569 17.1 yrs £1,294
3 kW 3053 kWh 2137 kWh 916 kWh £573 £92 £665 £9,604 14.4 yrs £3,691
4 kW 4070 kWh 2849 kWh 1221 kWh £764 £122 £886 £11,638 13.1 yrs £6,088
5 kW 5088 kWh 3562 kWh 1526 kWh £955 £153 £1,108 £13,673 12.3 yrs £8,485
6 kW 6106 kWh 4274 kWh 1832 kWh £1,146 £183 £1,329 £15,707 11.8 yrs £10,882
7 kW 7123 kWh 4986 kWh 2137 kWh £1,337 £214 £1,551 £17,742 11.4 yrs £13,279
8 kW 8141 kWh 5699 kWh 2442 kWh £1,528 £244 £1,773 £19,776 11.2 yrs £15,676

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: £1,134, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2035 kWh 1486 kWh 550 kWh £398 £55 £453 £9,319 20.6 yrs £-251
3 kW 3053 kWh 2229 kWh 824 kWh £598 £82 £680 £11,354 16.7 yrs £2,249
4 kW 4070 kWh 2971 kWh 1099 kWh £797 £110 £907 £13,388 14.8 yrs £4,749
5 kW 5088 kWh 3714 kWh 1374 kWh £996 £137 £1,134 £15,423 13.6 yrs £7,249
6 kW 6106 kWh 4457 kWh 1649 kWh £1,195 £165 £1,360 £17,457 12.8 yrs £9,748
7 kW 7123 kWh 5200 kWh 1923 kWh £1,395 £192 £1,587 £19,492 12.3 yrs £12,248
8 kW 8141 kWh 5943 kWh 2198 kWh £1,594 £220 £1,814 £21,526 11.9 yrs £14,748

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: £1,151, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1526 kWh 509 kWh £409 £51 £460 £11,069 24.0 yrs £-1,864
3 kW 3053 kWh 2290 kWh 763 kWh £614 £76 £690 £13,104 19.0 yrs £705
4 kW 4070 kWh 3053 kWh 1018 kWh £819 £102 £921 £15,138 16.4 yrs £3,273
5 kW 5088 kWh 3816 kWh 1272 kWh £1,023 £127 £1,151 £17,173 14.9 yrs £5,841
6 kW 6106 kWh 4579 kWh 1526 kWh £1,228 £153 £1,381 £19,207 13.9 yrs £8,409
7 kW 7123 kWh 5343 kWh 1781 kWh £1,433 £178 £1,611 £21,242 13.2 yrs £10,977
8 kW 8141 kWh 6106 kWh 2035 kWh £1,638 £204 £1,841 £23,276 12.6 yrs £13,545

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: £1,168, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2035 kWh 1567 kWh 468 kWh £420 £47 £467 £13,519 28.9 yrs £-4,177
3 kW 3053 kWh 2351 kWh 702 kWh £630 £70 £701 £15,554 22.2 yrs £-1,540
4 kW 4070 kWh 3134 kWh 936 kWh £841 £94 £934 £17,588 18.8 yrs £1,097
5 kW 5088 kWh 3918 kWh 1170 kWh £1,051 £117 £1,168 £19,623 16.8 yrs £3,733
6 kW 6106 kWh 4701 kWh 1404 kWh £1,261 £140 £1,401 £21,657 15.5 yrs £6,370
7 kW 7123 kWh 5485 kWh 1638 kWh £1,471 £164 £1,635 £23,692 14.5 yrs £9,007
8 kW 8141 kWh 6269 kWh 1872 kWh £1,681 £187 £1,868 £25,726 13.8 yrs £11,643

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 TA3

Figures below are tailored to TA3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #74 of 2182
6.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #455 of 2997
10.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,175 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #674 of 2997
16.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,175 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1018kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1018 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: 72% • Flats: 3% • Bungalows: 25% Based on 3,787 properties

Coverage

Somerset (100%)

Areas Covered

Blackdown & Neroche, Monkton & North Curry, Comeytrowe & Trull, Curry Rivel & Langport, Bishop's Hull & Taunton West, South Petherton & Islemoor, North Petherton, Ilminster + 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 Southern Western

TA1 (Somerset)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TA3
TA2 (Somerset)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,000 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TA3
TA19 (Somerset)
≈11.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TA3
TA21 (Somerset)
≈13.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~986 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TA3
TA6 (Somerset)
≈14.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,020 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TA3
TA20 (Somerset)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,011 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TA3

Similar sunshine across the UK

DA15 (Bexley)
~1,018 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TA3
CB9 (West Suffolk)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TA3
SO21 (Winchester)
~1,017 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TA3