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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN30 (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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,100
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,299
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 1094 kWh/kW — 65 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 1094 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)
1094 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 £236 £131 £367 £4,069 11.1 yrs £3,266
3 kW 3281 kWh 1312 kWh 1968 kWh £353 £197 £550 £6,104 11.1 yrs £4,899
4 kW 4374 kWh 1750 kWh 2625 kWh £471 £262 £733 £8,138 11.1 yrs £6,532
5 kW 5468 kWh 2187 kWh 3281 kWh £589 £328 £917 £10,173 11.1 yrs £8,165
6 kW 6562 kWh 2625 kWh 3937 kWh £707 £394 £1,100 £12,207 11.1 yrs £9,798
7 kW 7655 kWh 3062 kWh 4593 kWh £824 £459 £1,284 £14,242 11.1 yrs £11,431
8 kW 8749 kWh 3500 kWh 5249 kWh £942 £525 £1,467 £16,276 11.1 yrs £13,064

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 £2,646
3 kW 3281 kWh 1968 kWh 1312 kWh £530 £131 £661 £8,204 12.4 yrs £5,019
4 kW 4374 kWh 2625 kWh 1750 kWh £707 £175 £882 £10,238 11.6 yrs £7,393
5 kW 5468 kWh 3281 kWh 2187 kWh £883 £219 £1,102 £12,273 11.1 yrs £9,766
6 kW 6562 kWh 3937 kWh 2625 kWh £1,060 £262 £1,322 £14,307 10.8 yrs £12,139
7 kW 7655 kWh 4593 kWh 3062 kWh £1,236 £306 £1,543 £16,342 10.6 yrs £14,512
8 kW 8749 kWh 5249 kWh 3500 kWh £1,413 £350 £1,763 £18,376 10.4 yrs £16,885

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 £1,986
3 kW 3281 kWh 2297 kWh 984 kWh £618 £98 £717 £9,604 13.4 yrs £4,730
4 kW 4374 kWh 3062 kWh 1312 kWh £824 £131 £956 £11,638 12.2 yrs £7,473
5 kW 5468 kWh 3828 kWh 1640 kWh £1,030 £164 £1,194 £13,673 11.4 yrs £10,216
6 kW 6562 kWh 4593 kWh 1968 kWh £1,236 £197 £1,433 £15,707 11.0 yrs £12,959
7 kW 7655 kWh 5359 kWh 2297 kWh £1,443 £230 £1,672 £17,742 10.6 yrs £15,702
8 kW 8749 kWh 6124 kWh 2625 kWh £1,649 £262 £1,911 £19,776 10.3 yrs £18,446

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 1597 kWh 591 kWh £430 £59 £489 £9,319 19.1 yrs £458
3 kW 3281 kWh 2395 kWh 886 kWh £645 £89 £733 £11,354 15.5 yrs £3,313
4 kW 4374 kWh 3193 kWh 1181 kWh £860 £118 £978 £13,388 13.7 yrs £6,167
5 kW 5468 kWh 3992 kWh 1476 kWh £1,075 £148 £1,222 £15,423 12.6 yrs £9,021
6 kW 6562 kWh 4790 kWh 1772 kWh £1,289 £177 £1,467 £17,457 11.9 yrs £11,875
7 kW 7655 kWh 5588 kWh 2067 kWh £1,504 £207 £1,711 £19,492 11.4 yrs £14,730
8 kW 8749 kWh 6387 kWh 2362 kWh £1,719 £236 £1,955 £21,526 11.0 yrs £17,584

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 £-1,144
3 kW 3281 kWh 2461 kWh 820 kWh £662 £82 £744 £13,104 17.6 yrs £1,785
4 kW 4374 kWh 3281 kWh 1094 kWh £883 £109 £993 £15,138 15.3 yrs £4,713
5 kW 5468 kWh 4101 kWh 1367 kWh £1,104 £137 £1,241 £17,173 13.8 yrs £7,641
6 kW 6562 kWh 4921 kWh 1640 kWh £1,325 £164 £1,489 £19,207 12.9 yrs £10,569
7 kW 7655 kWh 5741 kWh 1914 kWh £1,546 £191 £1,737 £21,242 12.2 yrs £13,498
8 kW 8749 kWh 6562 kWh 2187 kWh £1,766 £219 £1,985 £23,276 11.7 yrs £16,426

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 £-3,445
3 kW 3281 kWh 2526 kWh 755 kWh £680 £75 £756 £15,554 20.6 yrs £-443
4 kW 4374 kWh 3368 kWh 1006 kWh £907 £101 £1,007 £17,588 17.5 yrs £2,559
5 kW 5468 kWh 4210 kWh 1258 kWh £1,133 £126 £1,259 £19,623 15.6 yrs £5,561
6 kW 6562 kWh 5052 kWh 1509 kWh £1,360 £151 £1,511 £21,657 14.3 yrs £8,564
7 kW 7655 kWh 5895 kWh 1761 kWh £1,587 £176 £1,763 £23,692 13.4 yrs £11,566
8 kW 8749 kWh 6737 kWh 2012 kWh £1,813 £201 £2,015 £25,726 12.8 yrs £14,568

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 TN30

Figures below are tailored to TN30 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #563 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #72 of 2997
9.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,267 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #70 of 2997
13.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,267 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1094kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1094 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: 63% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 3,219 properties

Coverage

Ashford (100%)

Areas Covered

Tenterden North, Tenterden South, Tenterden St Michael's, Isle of Oxney, Rolvenden & Tenterden West, Weald Central, Biddenden

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

TN26 (Ashford)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,088 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN30
TN27 (Ashford)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,042 kWh/kWp · -5% vs TN30
TN17 (Tunbridge Wells)
≈11.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,046 kWh/kWp · -4% vs TN30
TN18 (Tunbridge Wells)
≈12.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,076 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TN30
TN31 (Rother)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,104 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN30
TN23 (Ashford)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,088 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN30

Similar sunshine across the UK

CO13 (Tendring)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN30
CO7 (Tendring)
~1,094 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN30
BH8 (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole)
~1,092 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN30