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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN26 (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
11.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,094
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,146
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 1088 kWh/kW — 59 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 1088 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)
1088 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: £912, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2175 kWh 870 kWh 1305 kWh £234 £131 £365 £4,069 11.2 yrs £3,225
3 kW 3263 kWh 1305 kWh 1958 kWh £351 £196 £547 £6,104 11.2 yrs £4,838
4 kW 4350 kWh 1740 kWh 2610 kWh £468 £261 £729 £8,138 11.2 yrs £6,450
5 kW 5438 kWh 2175 kWh 3263 kWh £586 £326 £912 £10,173 11.2 yrs £8,063
6 kW 6525 kWh 2610 kWh 3915 kWh £703 £392 £1,094 £12,207 11.2 yrs £9,676
7 kW 7613 kWh 3045 kWh 4568 kWh £820 £457 £1,276 £14,242 11.2 yrs £11,288
8 kW 8700 kWh 3480 kWh 5220 kWh £937 £522 £1,459 £16,276 11.2 yrs £12,901

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: £1,096, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2175 kWh 1305 kWh 870 kWh £351 £87 £438 £6,169 14.1 yrs £2,597
3 kW 3263 kWh 1958 kWh 1305 kWh £527 £131 £657 £8,204 12.5 yrs £4,946
4 kW 4350 kWh 2610 kWh 1740 kWh £703 £174 £877 £10,238 11.7 yrs £7,295
5 kW 5438 kWh 3263 kWh 2175 kWh £878 £218 £1,096 £12,273 11.2 yrs £9,643
6 kW 6525 kWh 3915 kWh 2610 kWh £1,054 £261 £1,315 £14,307 10.9 yrs £11,992
7 kW 7613 kWh 4568 kWh 3045 kWh £1,230 £305 £1,534 £16,342 10.7 yrs £14,340
8 kW 8700 kWh 5220 kWh 3480 kWh £1,405 £348 £1,753 £18,376 10.5 yrs £16,689

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: £1,188, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2175 kWh 1523 kWh 653 kWh £410 £65 £475 £7,569 15.9 yrs £1,933
3 kW 3263 kWh 2284 kWh 979 kWh £615 £98 £713 £9,604 13.5 yrs £4,650
4 kW 4350 kWh 3045 kWh 1305 kWh £820 £131 £950 £11,638 12.2 yrs £7,367
5 kW 5438 kWh 3806 kWh 1631 kWh £1,025 £163 £1,188 £13,673 11.5 yrs £10,083
6 kW 6525 kWh 4568 kWh 1958 kWh £1,230 £196 £1,425 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,800
7 kW 7613 kWh 5329 kWh 2284 kWh £1,435 £228 £1,663 £17,742 10.7 yrs £15,517
8 kW 8700 kWh 6090 kWh 2610 kWh £1,639 £261 £1,900 £19,776 10.4 yrs £18,233

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: £1,215, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2175 kWh 1588 kWh 587 kWh £427 £59 £486 £9,319 19.2 yrs £404
3 kW 3263 kWh 2382 kWh 881 kWh £641 £88 £729 £11,354 15.6 yrs £3,231
4 kW 4350 kWh 3176 kWh 1175 kWh £855 £117 £972 £13,388 13.8 yrs £6,058
5 kW 5438 kWh 3969 kWh 1468 kWh £1,069 £147 £1,215 £15,423 12.7 yrs £8,885
6 kW 6525 kWh 4763 kWh 1762 kWh £1,282 £176 £1,458 £17,457 12.0 yrs £11,712
7 kW 7613 kWh 5557 kWh 2055 kWh £1,496 £206 £1,702 £19,492 11.5 yrs £14,539
8 kW 8700 kWh 6351 kWh 2349 kWh £1,710 £235 £1,945 £21,526 11.1 yrs £17,366

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: £1,234, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2175 kWh 1631 kWh 544 kWh £439 £54 £494 £11,069 22.4 yrs £-1,199
3 kW 3263 kWh 2447 kWh 816 kWh £659 £82 £740 £13,104 17.7 yrs £1,702
4 kW 4350 kWh 3263 kWh 1088 kWh £878 £109 £987 £15,138 15.3 yrs £4,603
5 kW 5438 kWh 4078 kWh 1359 kWh £1,098 £136 £1,234 £17,173 13.9 yrs £7,503
6 kW 6525 kWh 4894 kWh 1631 kWh £1,317 £163 £1,481 £19,207 13.0 yrs £10,404
7 kW 7613 kWh 5709 kWh 1903 kWh £1,537 £190 £1,727 £21,242 12.3 yrs £13,305
8 kW 8700 kWh 6525 kWh 2175 kWh £1,757 £218 £1,974 £23,276 11.8 yrs £16,205

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: £1,252, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2175 kWh 1675 kWh 500 kWh £451 £50 £501 £13,519 27.0 yrs £-3,501
3 kW 3263 kWh 2512 kWh 750 kWh £676 £75 £751 £15,554 20.7 yrs £-527
4 kW 4350 kWh 3350 kWh 1001 kWh £902 £100 £1,002 £17,588 17.6 yrs £2,447
5 kW 5438 kWh 4187 kWh 1251 kWh £1,127 £125 £1,252 £19,623 15.7 yrs £5,421
6 kW 6525 kWh 5024 kWh 1501 kWh £1,353 £150 £1,503 £21,657 14.4 yrs £8,396
7 kW 7613 kWh 5862 kWh 1751 kWh £1,578 £175 £1,753 £23,692 13.5 yrs £11,370
8 kW 8700 kWh 6699 kWh 2001 kWh £1,803 £200 £2,004 £25,726 12.8 yrs £14,344

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 TN26

Figures below are tailored to TN26 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #195 of 2182
6.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~13 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #106 of 2997
9.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,260 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #81 of 2997
13.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,260 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1088kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1088 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: 69% • Flats: 4% • Bungalows: 27% Based on 3,309 properties

Coverage

Ashford (98%)|Folkestone and Hythe (2%)

Areas Covered

Weald South, Weald Central, Isle of Oxney, Victoria, Saxon Shore, Upper Weald, Kingsnorth Village & Bridgefield, Downs West + 4 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)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,088 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN26
TN24 (Ashford)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,093 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN26
TN25 (Ashford)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,059 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN26
TN30 (Ashford)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,094 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN26
TN27 (Ashford)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -4% vs TN26
TN29 (Folkestone and Hythe)
≈13.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,123 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TN26

Similar sunshine across the UK

CO14 (Tendring)
~1,087 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN26
PO34 (Isle of Wight)
~1,087 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN26
BH9 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,087 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN26