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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN18 (Tunbridge Wells)

See if solar pays off for you in Tunbridge Wells — 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
11.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,083
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£14,862
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 South East, the current unit rate is 26.92p/kWh with a 47.60p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1076 kWh/kW — 47 above the regional median (1029).

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 1076 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.9p/kWh
Standing charge
47.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1076 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: £902, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 861 kWh 1291 kWh £232 £129 £361 £4,069 11.3 yrs £3,149
3 kW 3229 kWh 1291 kWh 1937 kWh £348 £194 £541 £6,104 11.3 yrs £4,724
4 kW 4305 kWh 1722 kWh 2583 kWh £464 £258 £722 £8,138 11.3 yrs £6,299
5 kW 5381 kWh 2152 kWh 3229 kWh £579 £323 £902 £10,173 11.3 yrs £7,874
6 kW 6457 kWh 2583 kWh 3874 kWh £695 £387 £1,083 £12,207 11.3 yrs £9,448
7 kW 7534 kWh 3013 kWh 4520 kWh £811 £452 £1,263 £14,242 11.3 yrs £11,023
8 kW 8610 kWh 3444 kWh 5166 kWh £927 £517 £1,444 £16,276 11.3 yrs £12,598

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: £1,084, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1291 kWh 861 kWh £348 £86 £434 £6,169 14.2 yrs £2,506
3 kW 3229 kWh 1937 kWh 1291 kWh £521 £129 £651 £8,204 12.6 yrs £4,809
4 kW 4305 kWh 2583 kWh 1722 kWh £695 £172 £868 £10,238 11.8 yrs £7,113
5 kW 5381 kWh 3229 kWh 2152 kWh £869 £215 £1,084 £12,273 11.3 yrs £9,416
6 kW 6457 kWh 3874 kWh 2583 kWh £1,043 £258 £1,301 £14,307 11.0 yrs £11,719
7 kW 7534 kWh 4520 kWh 3013 kWh £1,217 £301 £1,518 £16,342 10.8 yrs £14,022
8 kW 8610 kWh 5166 kWh 3444 kWh £1,391 £344 £1,735 £18,376 10.6 yrs £16,325

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: £1,175, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1507 kWh 646 kWh £406 £65 £470 £7,569 16.1 yrs £1,835
3 kW 3229 kWh 2260 kWh 969 kWh £608 £97 £705 £9,604 13.6 yrs £4,502
4 kW 4305 kWh 3013 kWh 1291 kWh £811 £129 £940 £11,638 12.4 yrs £7,169
5 kW 5381 kWh 3767 kWh 1614 kWh £1,014 £161 £1,175 £13,673 11.6 yrs £9,837
6 kW 6457 kWh 4520 kWh 1937 kWh £1,217 £194 £1,411 £15,707 11.1 yrs £12,504
7 kW 7534 kWh 5274 kWh 2260 kWh £1,420 £226 £1,646 £17,742 10.8 yrs £15,171
8 kW 8610 kWh 6027 kWh 2583 kWh £1,622 £258 £1,881 £19,776 10.5 yrs £17,839

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: £1,203, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2152 kWh 1571 kWh 581 kWh £423 £58 £481 £9,319 19.4 yrs £303
3 kW 3229 kWh 2357 kWh 872 kWh £634 £87 £722 £11,354 15.7 yrs £3,080
4 kW 4305 kWh 3143 kWh 1162 kWh £846 £116 £962 £13,388 13.9 yrs £5,856
5 kW 5381 kWh 3928 kWh 1453 kWh £1,057 £145 £1,203 £15,423 12.8 yrs £8,633
6 kW 6457 kWh 4714 kWh 1743 kWh £1,269 £174 £1,443 £17,457 12.1 yrs £11,409
7 kW 7534 kWh 5500 kWh 2034 kWh £1,480 £203 £1,684 £19,492 11.6 yrs £14,186
8 kW 8610 kWh 6285 kWh 2325 kWh £1,692 £232 £1,924 £21,526 11.2 yrs £16,963

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: £1,221, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2152 kWh 1614 kWh 538 kWh £435 £54 £488 £11,069 22.7 yrs £-1,301
3 kW 3229 kWh 2422 kWh 807 kWh £652 £81 £733 £13,104 17.9 yrs £1,548
4 kW 4305 kWh 3229 kWh 1076 kWh £869 £108 £977 £15,138 15.5 yrs £4,398
5 kW 5381 kWh 4036 kWh 1345 kWh £1,086 £135 £1,221 £17,173 14.1 yrs £7,247
6 kW 6457 kWh 4843 kWh 1614 kWh £1,304 £161 £1,465 £19,207 13.1 yrs £10,097
7 kW 7534 kWh 5650 kWh 1883 kWh £1,521 £188 £1,709 £21,242 12.4 yrs £12,946
8 kW 8610 kWh 6457 kWh 2152 kWh £1,738 £215 £1,954 £23,276 11.9 yrs £15,795

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: £1,239, Upfront: £19,623, 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 2152 kWh 1657 kWh 495 kWh £446 £50 £496 £13,519 27.3 yrs £-3,605
3 kW 3229 kWh 2486 kWh 743 kWh £669 £74 £744 £15,554 20.9 yrs £-683
4 kW 4305 kWh 3315 kWh 990 kWh £892 £99 £991 £17,588 17.7 yrs £2,239
5 kW 5381 kWh 4143 kWh 1238 kWh £1,115 £124 £1,239 £19,623 15.8 yrs £5,161
6 kW 6457 kWh 4972 kWh 1485 kWh £1,339 £149 £1,487 £21,657 14.6 yrs £8,084
7 kW 7534 kWh 5801 kWh 1733 kWh £1,562 £173 £1,735 £23,692 13.7 yrs £11,006
8 kW 8610 kWh 6630 kWh 1980 kWh £1,785 £198 £1,983 £25,726 13.0 yrs £13,928

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 TN18

Figures below are tailored to TN18 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #655 of 2182
5.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #139 of 2997
9.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,247 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #83 of 2997
13.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,247 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1076kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1076 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: 67% • Flats: 18% • Bungalows: 14% Based on 1,808 properties

Coverage

Tunbridge Wells (96%)|Ashford (4%)|Rother (1%)

Areas Covered

Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden, Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden, Rolvenden & Tenterden West, Hurst Green & Ticehurst, Northern Rother, Robertsbridge

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 South East

TN17 (Tunbridge Wells)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,046 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN18
TN19 (Rother)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,052 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TN18
TN32 (Rother)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,073 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18
TN5 (Wealden)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,045 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN18
TN30 (Ashford)
≈12.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TN18
TN33 (Rother)
≈14.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,093 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TN18

Similar sunshine across the UK

SO31 (Fareham)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18
PL5 (Plymouth)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18
PL2 (Plymouth)
~1,076 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN18