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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN20 (Wealden)

See if solar pays off for you in Wealden — 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
11.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,047
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,971
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 1041 kWh/kW — 12 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 1041 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)
1041 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: £873, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2082 kWh 833 kWh 1249 kWh £224 £125 £349 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,912
3 kW 3122 kWh 1249 kWh 1873 kWh £336 £187 £524 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,368
4 kW 4163 kWh 1665 kWh 2498 kWh £448 £250 £698 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,824
5 kW 5204 kWh 2082 kWh 3122 kWh £560 £312 £873 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,279
6 kW 6245 kWh 2498 kWh 3747 kWh £672 £375 £1,047 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,735
7 kW 7286 kWh 2914 kWh 4371 kWh £785 £437 £1,222 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,191
8 kW 8326 kWh 3331 kWh 4996 kWh £897 £500 £1,396 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,647

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: £1,049, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2082 kWh 1249 kWh 833 kWh £336 £83 £419 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,221
3 kW 3122 kWh 1873 kWh 1249 kWh £504 £125 £629 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,381
4 kW 4163 kWh 2498 kWh 1665 kWh £672 £167 £839 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,541
5 kW 5204 kWh 3122 kWh 2082 kWh £841 £208 £1,049 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,701
6 kW 6245 kWh 3747 kWh 2498 kWh £1,009 £250 £1,258 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,862
7 kW 7286 kWh 4371 kWh 2914 kWh £1,177 £291 £1,468 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,022
8 kW 8326 kWh 4996 kWh 3331 kWh £1,345 £333 £1,678 £18,376 11.0 yrs £15,182

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: £1,137, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2082 kWh 1457 kWh 624 kWh £392 £62 £455 £7,569 16.6 yrs £1,525
3 kW 3122 kWh 2186 kWh 937 kWh £588 £94 £682 £9,604 14.1 yrs £4,037
4 kW 4163 kWh 2914 kWh 1249 kWh £785 £125 £909 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,550
5 kW 5204 kWh 3643 kWh 1561 kWh £981 £156 £1,137 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,062
6 kW 6245 kWh 4371 kWh 1873 kWh £1,177 £187 £1,364 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,575
7 kW 7286 kWh 5100 kWh 2186 kWh £1,373 £219 £1,591 £17,742 11.1 yrs £14,087
8 kW 8326 kWh 5828 kWh 2498 kWh £1,569 £250 £1,819 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,600

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: £1,163, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2082 kWh 1520 kWh 562 kWh £409 £56 £465 £9,319 20.0 yrs £-14
3 kW 3122 kWh 2279 kWh 843 kWh £614 £84 £698 £11,354 16.3 yrs £2,604
4 kW 4163 kWh 3039 kWh 1124 kWh £818 £112 £931 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,223
5 kW 5204 kWh 3799 kWh 1405 kWh £1,023 £141 £1,163 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,841
6 kW 6245 kWh 4559 kWh 1686 kWh £1,227 £169 £1,396 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,459
7 kW 7286 kWh 5318 kWh 1967 kWh £1,432 £197 £1,628 £19,492 12.0 yrs £13,077
8 kW 8326 kWh 6078 kWh 2248 kWh £1,636 £225 £1,861 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,695

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: £1,181, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2082 kWh 1561 kWh 520 kWh £420 £52 £472 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,623
3 kW 3122 kWh 2342 kWh 781 kWh £630 £78 £708 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,066
4 kW 4163 kWh 3122 kWh 1041 kWh £841 £104 £945 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,754
5 kW 5204 kWh 3903 kWh 1301 kWh £1,051 £130 £1,181 £17,173 14.5 yrs £6,443
6 kW 6245 kWh 4684 kWh 1561 kWh £1,261 £156 £1,417 £19,207 13.6 yrs £9,132
7 kW 7286 kWh 5464 kWh 1821 kWh £1,471 £182 £1,653 £21,242 12.8 yrs £11,820
8 kW 8326 kWh 6245 kWh 2082 kWh £1,681 £208 £1,889 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,509

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: £1,198, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2082 kWh 1603 kWh 479 kWh £431 £48 £479 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,932
3 kW 3122 kWh 2404 kWh 718 kWh £647 £72 £719 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,173
4 kW 4163 kWh 3206 kWh 958 kWh £863 £96 £959 £17,588 18.3 yrs £1,586
5 kW 5204 kWh 4007 kWh 1197 kWh £1,079 £120 £1,198 £19,623 16.4 yrs £4,345
6 kW 6245 kWh 4808 kWh 1436 kWh £1,294 £144 £1,438 £21,657 15.1 yrs £7,104
7 kW 7286 kWh 5610 kWh 1676 kWh £1,510 £168 £1,678 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,863
8 kW 8326 kWh 6411 kWh 1915 kWh £1,726 £192 £1,917 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,622

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 TN20

Figures below are tailored to TN20 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #45 of 2182
7.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~15 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #247 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,206 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #173 of 2997
14.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,206 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1041kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1041 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: 16% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 927 properties

Coverage

Wealden (90%)|Tunbridge Wells (10%)

Areas Covered

Mayfield & Five Ashes, Sherwood, Frant & Wadhurst, Hadlow Down & Rotherfield, Uckfield New 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 South East

TN21 (Wealden)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,049 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN20
TN5 (Wealden)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,045 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN20
TN6 (Wealden)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,026 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN20
TN19 (Rother)
≈12.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,052 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN20
TN3 (Tunbridge Wells)
≈12.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,023 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TN20
TN22 (Wealden)
≈12.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,055 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN20

Similar sunshine across the UK

IP2 (Ipswich)
~1,041 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN20
TR2 (Cornwall)
~1,041 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN20
PL12 (Cornwall)
~1,041 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN20