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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN24 (Ashford)

See if solar pays off for you in Ashford — 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
11.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£917
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,747
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 1093 kWh/kW — 64 above the regional median (1029).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1093 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)
1093 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: £917, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2187 kWh 875 kWh 1312 kWh £235 £131 £367 £4,069 11.1 yrs £3,265
3 kW 3280 kWh 1312 kWh 1968 kWh £353 £197 £550 £6,104 11.1 yrs £4,898
4 kW 4374 kWh 1750 kWh 2624 kWh £471 £262 £733 £8,138 11.1 yrs £6,530
5 kW 5467 kWh 2187 kWh 3280 kWh £589 £328 £917 £10,173 11.1 yrs £8,163
6 kW 6561 kWh 2624 kWh 3936 kWh £706 £394 £1,100 £12,207 11.1 yrs £9,795
7 kW 7654 kWh 3062 kWh 4593 kWh £824 £459 £1,283 £14,242 11.1 yrs £11,428
8 kW 8748 kWh 3499 kWh 5249 kWh £942 £525 £1,467 £16,276 11.1 yrs £13,060

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: £1,102, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2187 kWh 1312 kWh 875 kWh £353 £87 £441 £6,169 14.0 yrs £2,645
3 kW 3280 kWh 1968 kWh 1312 kWh £530 £131 £661 £8,204 12.4 yrs £5,018
4 kW 4374 kWh 2624 kWh 1750 kWh £706 £175 £881 £10,238 11.6 yrs £7,390
5 kW 5467 kWh 3280 kWh 2187 kWh £883 £219 £1,102 £12,273 11.1 yrs £9,763
6 kW 6561 kWh 3936 kWh 2624 kWh £1,060 £262 £1,322 £14,307 10.8 yrs £12,136
7 kW 7654 kWh 4593 kWh 3062 kWh £1,236 £306 £1,542 £16,342 10.6 yrs £14,508
8 kW 8748 kWh 5249 kWh 3499 kWh £1,413 £350 £1,763 £18,376 10.4 yrs £16,881

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: £1,194, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2187 kWh 1531 kWh 656 kWh £412 £66 £478 £7,569 15.8 yrs £1,985
3 kW 3280 kWh 2296 kWh 984 kWh £618 £98 £717 £9,604 13.4 yrs £4,728
4 kW 4374 kWh 3062 kWh 1312 kWh £824 £131 £955 £11,638 12.2 yrs £7,471
5 kW 5467 kWh 3827 kWh 1640 kWh £1,030 £164 £1,194 £13,673 11.4 yrs £10,213
6 kW 6561 kWh 4593 kWh 1968 kWh £1,236 £197 £1,433 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,956
7 kW 7654 kWh 5358 kWh 2296 kWh £1,442 £230 £1,672 £17,742 10.6 yrs £15,698
8 kW 8748 kWh 6123 kWh 2624 kWh £1,648 £262 £1,911 £19,776 10.3 yrs £18,441

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: £1,222, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2187 kWh 1596 kWh 590 kWh £430 £59 £489 £9,319 19.1 yrs £457
3 kW 3280 kWh 2395 kWh 886 kWh £645 £89 £733 £11,354 15.5 yrs £3,311
4 kW 4374 kWh 3193 kWh 1181 kWh £860 £118 £978 £13,388 13.7 yrs £6,165
5 kW 5467 kWh 3991 kWh 1476 kWh £1,074 £148 £1,222 £15,423 12.6 yrs £9,018
6 kW 6561 kWh 4789 kWh 1771 kWh £1,289 £177 £1,466 £17,457 11.9 yrs £11,872
7 kW 7654 kWh 5588 kWh 2067 kWh £1,504 £207 £1,711 £19,492 11.4 yrs £14,726
8 kW 8748 kWh 6386 kWh 2362 kWh £1,719 £236 £1,955 £21,526 11.0 yrs £17,579

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: £1,241, Upfront: £17,173, 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 2187 kWh 1640 kWh 547 kWh £442 £55 £496 £11,069 22.3 yrs £-1,145
3 kW 3280 kWh 2460 kWh 820 kWh £662 £82 £744 £13,104 17.6 yrs £1,783
4 kW 4374 kWh 3280 kWh 1093 kWh £883 £109 £992 £15,138 15.3 yrs £4,711
5 kW 5467 kWh 4101 kWh 1367 kWh £1,104 £137 £1,241 £17,173 13.8 yrs £7,638
6 kW 6561 kWh 4921 kWh 1640 kWh £1,325 £164 £1,489 £19,207 12.9 yrs £10,566
7 kW 7654 kWh 5741 kWh 1914 kWh £1,545 £191 £1,737 £21,242 12.2 yrs £13,494
8 kW 8748 kWh 6561 kWh 2187 kWh £1,766 £219 £1,985 £23,276 11.7 yrs £16,421

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: £1,259, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2187 kWh 1684 kWh 503 kWh £453 £50 £504 £13,519 26.8 yrs £-3,447
3 kW 3280 kWh 2526 kWh 754 kWh £680 £75 £755 £15,554 20.6 yrs £-445
4 kW 4374 kWh 3368 kWh 1006 kWh £907 £101 £1,007 £17,588 17.5 yrs £2,557
5 kW 5467 kWh 4210 kWh 1257 kWh £1,133 £126 £1,259 £19,623 15.6 yrs £5,558
6 kW 6561 kWh 5052 kWh 1509 kWh £1,360 £151 £1,511 £21,657 14.3 yrs £8,560
7 kW 7654 kWh 5894 kWh 1760 kWh £1,587 £176 £1,763 £23,692 13.4 yrs £11,562
8 kW 8748 kWh 6736 kWh 2012 kWh £1,813 £201 £2,014 £25,726 12.8 yrs £14,563

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 TN24

Figures below are tailored to TN24 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1484 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #71 of 2997
9.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,056 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #630 of 2997
16.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,056 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1093kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1093 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 61% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 9,766 properties

Coverage

Ashford (100%)

Areas Covered

Furley, Victoria, Willesborough, Aylesford & East Stour, Bybrook, Kennington, Bockhanger, Highfield + 5 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 South East

TN23 (Ashford)
≈1.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,088 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN24
TN25 (Ashford)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,059 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN24
TN26 (Ashford)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,088 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN24
TN27 (Ashford)
≈13.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -5% vs TN24
TN30 (Ashford)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN24
CT21 (Folkestone and Hythe)
≈16.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,090 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN24

Similar sunshine across the UK

CO13 (Tendring)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN24
CO7 (Tendring)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN24
BH8 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,092 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN24