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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TD1 (Scottish Borders)

See if solar pays off for you in Scottish Borders — 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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£433
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,729
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 Scotland, the current unit rate is 25.84p/kWh with a 56.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 884 kWh/kW — 34 above the regional median (850).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 884 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.8p/kWh
Standing charge
56.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
884 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: £722, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1768 kWh 707 kWh 1061 kWh £183 £106 £289 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,709
3 kW 2653 kWh 1061 kWh 1592 kWh £274 £159 £433 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,563
4 kW 3537 kWh 1415 kWh 2122 kWh £366 £212 £578 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,417
5 kW 4421 kWh 1768 kWh 2653 kWh £457 £265 £722 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,271
6 kW 5305 kWh 2122 kWh 3183 kWh £548 £318 £867 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,126
7 kW 6189 kWh 2476 kWh 3714 kWh £640 £371 £1,011 £14,242 14.1 yrs £5,980
8 kW 7073 kWh 2829 kWh 4244 kWh £731 £424 £1,156 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,834

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: £862, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1768 kWh 1061 kWh 707 kWh £274 £71 £345 £6,169 17.9 yrs £729
3 kW 2653 kWh 1592 kWh 1061 kWh £411 £106 £517 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,143
4 kW 3537 kWh 2122 kWh 1415 kWh £548 £141 £690 £10,238 14.8 yrs £3,558
5 kW 4421 kWh 2653 kWh 1768 kWh £685 £177 £862 £12,273 14.2 yrs £4,972
6 kW 5305 kWh 3183 kWh 2122 kWh £822 £212 £1,035 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,387
7 kW 6189 kWh 3714 kWh 2476 kWh £960 £248 £1,207 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,801
8 kW 7073 kWh 4244 kWh 2829 kWh £1,097 £283 £1,380 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,216

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: £932, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1238 kWh 531 kWh £320 £53 £373 £7,569 20.3 yrs £-111
3 kW 2653 kWh 1857 kWh 796 kWh £480 £80 £559 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,584
4 kW 3537 kWh 2476 kWh 1061 kWh £640 £106 £746 £11,638 15.6 yrs £3,278
5 kW 4421 kWh 3095 kWh 1326 kWh £800 £133 £932 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,973
6 kW 5305 kWh 3714 kWh 1592 kWh £960 £159 £1,119 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,667
7 kW 6189 kWh 4332 kWh 1857 kWh £1,120 £186 £1,305 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,362
8 kW 7073 kWh 4951 kWh 2122 kWh £1,279 £212 £1,492 £19,776 13.3 yrs £10,057

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: £953, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1291 kWh 477 kWh £334 £48 £381 £9,319 24.4 yrs £-1,693
3 kW 2653 kWh 1936 kWh 716 kWh £500 £72 £572 £11,354 19.9 yrs £86
4 kW 3537 kWh 2582 kWh 955 kWh £667 £95 £763 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,864
5 kW 4421 kWh 3227 kWh 1194 kWh £834 £119 £953 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,643
6 kW 5305 kWh 3873 kWh 1432 kWh £1,001 £143 £1,144 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,422
7 kW 6189 kWh 4518 kWh 1671 kWh £1,167 £167 £1,335 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,200
8 kW 7073 kWh 5164 kWh 1910 kWh £1,334 £191 £1,525 £21,526 14.1 yrs £8,979

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: £967, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1326 kWh 442 kWh £343 £44 £387 £11,069 28.6 yrs £-3,331
3 kW 2653 kWh 1989 kWh 663 kWh £514 £66 £580 £13,104 22.6 yrs £-1,496
4 kW 3537 kWh 2653 kWh 884 kWh £685 £88 £774 £15,138 19.6 yrs £338
5 kW 4421 kWh 3316 kWh 1105 kWh £857 £111 £967 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,173
6 kW 5305 kWh 3979 kWh 1326 kWh £1,028 £133 £1,161 £19,207 16.5 yrs £4,008
7 kW 6189 kWh 4642 kWh 1547 kWh £1,199 £155 £1,354 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,842
8 kW 7073 kWh 5305 kWh 1768 kWh £1,371 £177 £1,548 £23,276 15.0 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.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £981, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1768 kWh 1362 kWh 407 kWh £352 £41 £393 £13,519 34.4 yrs £-5,669
3 kW 2653 kWh 2042 kWh 610 kWh £528 £61 £589 £15,554 26.4 yrs £-3,778
4 kW 3537 kWh 2723 kWh 813 kWh £704 £81 £785 £17,588 22.4 yrs £-1,887
5 kW 4421 kWh 3404 kWh 1017 kWh £880 £102 £981 £19,623 20.0 yrs £3
6 kW 5305 kWh 4085 kWh 1220 kWh £1,056 £122 £1,178 £21,657 18.4 yrs £1,894
7 kW 6189 kWh 4766 kWh 1424 kWh £1,231 £142 £1,374 £23,692 17.2 yrs £3,784
8 kW 7073 kWh 5446 kWh 1627 kWh £1,407 £163 £1,570 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,675

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 TD1

Figures below are tailored to TD1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #65 of 2182
6.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2582 of 2997
12.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£993 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1570 of 2997
20.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£993 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
884kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~884 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 8% • Flats: 54% • Bungalows: 31% Based on 13 properties

Coverage

Scottish Borders (100%)

Areas Covered

Galashiels and District, Leaderdale and Melrose, Tweeddale East, Selkirkshire

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 Scotland

TD6 (Scottish Borders)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD1
TD7 (Scottish Borders)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD1
TD4 (Scottish Borders)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD1
TD2 (Scottish Borders)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD1
EH43 (Scottish Borders)
≈12.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · -6% vs TD1
EH44 (Scottish Borders)
≈15.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~826 kWh/kWp · -7% vs TD1

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL61 (Isle of Anglesey)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD1
PA76 (Argyll and Bute)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD1
M32 (Trafford)
~884 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD1