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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TD14 (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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£882
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,846
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 900 kWh/kW — 50 above the regional median (850).

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 900 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)
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: £735, 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 1800 kWh 720 kWh 1080 kWh £186 £108 £294 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,812
3 kW 2700 kWh 1080 kWh 1620 kWh £279 £162 £441 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,718
4 kW 3600 kWh 1440 kWh 2160 kWh £372 £216 £588 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,623
5 kW 4500 kWh 1800 kWh 2700 kWh £465 £270 £735 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,529
6 kW 5400 kWh 2160 kWh 3240 kWh £558 £324 £882 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,435
7 kW 6300 kWh 2520 kWh 3780 kWh £651 £378 £1,029 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,341
8 kW 7200 kWh 2880 kWh 4320 kWh £744 £432 £1,176 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,247

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: £878, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1800 kWh 1080 kWh 720 kWh £279 £72 £351 £6,169 17.6 yrs £852
3 kW 2700 kWh 1620 kWh 1080 kWh £419 £108 £527 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,328
4 kW 3600 kWh 2160 kWh 1440 kWh £558 £144 £702 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,804
5 kW 4500 kWh 2700 kWh 1800 kWh £698 £180 £878 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,280
6 kW 5400 kWh 3240 kWh 2160 kWh £837 £216 £1,053 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,756
7 kW 6300 kWh 3780 kWh 2520 kWh £977 £252 £1,229 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,232
8 kW 7200 kWh 4320 kWh 2880 kWh £1,116 £288 £1,404 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,708

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: £949, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1800 kWh 1260 kWh 540 kWh £326 £54 £380 £7,569 19.9 yrs £22
3 kW 2700 kWh 1890 kWh 810 kWh £488 £81 £569 £9,604 16.9 yrs £1,783
4 kW 3600 kWh 2520 kWh 1080 kWh £651 £108 £759 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,545
5 kW 4500 kWh 3150 kWh 1350 kWh £814 £135 £949 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,306
6 kW 5400 kWh 3780 kWh 1620 kWh £977 £162 £1,139 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,067
7 kW 6300 kWh 4410 kWh 1890 kWh £1,139 £189 £1,328 £17,742 13.4 yrs £8,828
8 kW 7200 kWh 5040 kWh 2160 kWh £1,302 £216 £1,518 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,589

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: £970, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1800 kWh 1314 kWh 486 kWh £340 £49 £388 £9,319 24.0 yrs £-1,557
3 kW 2700 kWh 1971 kWh 729 kWh £509 £73 £582 £11,354 19.5 yrs £290
4 kW 3600 kWh 2628 kWh 972 kWh £679 £97 £776 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,137
5 kW 4500 kWh 3285 kWh 1215 kWh £849 £121 £970 £15,423 15.9 yrs £3,983
6 kW 5400 kWh 3942 kWh 1458 kWh £1,019 £146 £1,164 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,830
7 kW 6300 kWh 4599 kWh 1701 kWh £1,188 £170 £1,358 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,677
8 kW 7200 kWh 5256 kWh 1944 kWh £1,358 £194 £1,552 £21,526 13.9 yrs £9,524

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: £985, 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 1800 kWh 1350 kWh 450 kWh £349 £45 £394 £11,069 28.1 yrs £-3,193
3 kW 2700 kWh 2025 kWh 675 kWh £523 £67 £591 £13,104 22.2 yrs £-1,289
4 kW 3600 kWh 2700 kWh 900 kWh £698 £90 £788 £15,138 19.2 yrs £615
5 kW 4500 kWh 3375 kWh 1125 kWh £872 £112 £985 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,519
6 kW 5400 kWh 4050 kWh 1350 kWh £1,046 £135 £1,181 £19,207 16.3 yrs £4,422
7 kW 6300 kWh 4725 kWh 1575 kWh £1,221 £157 £1,378 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,326
8 kW 7200 kWh 5400 kWh 1800 kWh £1,395 £180 £1,575 £23,276 14.8 yrs £8,230

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: £999, 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 1800 kWh 1386 kWh 414 kWh £358 £41 £400 £13,519 33.8 yrs £-5,529
3 kW 2700 kWh 2079 kWh 621 kWh £537 £62 £599 £15,554 26.0 yrs £-3,568
4 kW 3600 kWh 2772 kWh 828 kWh £716 £83 £799 £17,588 22.0 yrs £-1,607
5 kW 4500 kWh 3465 kWh 1035 kWh £895 £103 £999 £19,623 19.6 yrs £354
6 kW 5400 kWh 4158 kWh 1242 kWh £1,074 £124 £1,199 £21,657 18.1 yrs £2,314
7 kW 6300 kWh 4851 kWh 1449 kWh £1,253 £145 £1,398 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,275
8 kW 7200 kWh 5544 kWh 1656 kWh £1,433 £166 £1,598 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,236

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 TD14

Figures below are tailored to TD14 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #485 of 2182
5.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2442 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,010 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1491 of 2997
20.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,010 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/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
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 70% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 20% Based on 10 properties

Coverage

Scottish Borders (100%)

Areas Covered

East Berwickshire, Mid Berwickshire

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

TD15 (Northumberland)
≈13.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD14
TD13 (Scottish Borders)
≈17.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD14
TD11 (Scottish Borders)
≈18.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +4% vs TD14
TD12 (Scottish Borders)
≈26.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~921 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TD14
TD10 (Scottish Borders)
≈28.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD14
EH42 (East Lothian)
≈29.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD14

Similar sunshine across the UK

WN4 (Wigan)
~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD14
WN7 (Wigan)
~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD14
ST6 (Stoke-on-Trent)
~900 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD14