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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN38 (Hastings)

See if solar pays off for you in Hastings — 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
10.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£943
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,393
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 1124 kWh/kW — 95 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 1124 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)
1124 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: £943, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2249 kWh 899 kWh 1349 kWh £242 £135 £377 £4,069 10.8 yrs £3,472
3 kW 3373 kWh 1349 kWh 2024 kWh £363 £202 £566 £6,104 10.8 yrs £5,208
4 kW 4497 kWh 1799 kWh 2698 kWh £484 £270 £754 £8,138 10.8 yrs £6,944
5 kW 5621 kWh 2249 kWh 3373 kWh £605 £337 £943 £10,173 10.8 yrs £8,680
6 kW 6746 kWh 2698 kWh 4047 kWh £726 £405 £1,131 £12,207 10.8 yrs £10,415
7 kW 7870 kWh 3148 kWh 4722 kWh £847 £472 £1,320 £14,242 10.8 yrs £12,151
8 kW 8994 kWh 3598 kWh 5397 kWh £969 £540 £1,508 £16,276 10.8 yrs £13,887

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: £1,133, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 10.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2249 kWh 1349 kWh 899 kWh £363 £90 £453 £6,169 13.6 yrs £2,894
3 kW 3373 kWh 2024 kWh 1349 kWh £545 £135 £680 £8,204 12.1 yrs £5,390
4 kW 4497 kWh 2698 kWh 1799 kWh £726 £180 £906 £10,238 11.3 yrs £7,887
5 kW 5621 kWh 3373 kWh 2249 kWh £908 £225 £1,133 £12,273 10.8 yrs £10,384
6 kW 6746 kWh 4047 kWh 2698 kWh £1,090 £270 £1,359 £14,307 10.5 yrs £12,881
7 kW 7870 kWh 4722 kWh 3148 kWh £1,271 £315 £1,586 £16,342 10.3 yrs £15,378
8 kW 8994 kWh 5397 kWh 3598 kWh £1,453 £360 £1,813 £18,376 10.1 yrs £17,875

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: £1,228, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2249 kWh 1574 kWh 675 kWh £424 £67 £491 £7,569 15.4 yrs £2,255
3 kW 3373 kWh 2361 kWh 1012 kWh £636 £101 £737 £9,604 13.0 yrs £5,132
4 kW 4497 kWh 3148 kWh 1349 kWh £847 £135 £982 £11,638 11.8 yrs £8,009
5 kW 5621 kWh 3935 kWh 1686 kWh £1,059 £169 £1,228 £13,673 11.1 yrs £10,886
6 kW 6746 kWh 4722 kWh 2024 kWh £1,271 £202 £1,474 £15,707 10.7 yrs £13,764
7 kW 7870 kWh 5509 kWh 2361 kWh £1,483 £236 £1,719 £17,742 10.3 yrs £16,641
8 kW 8994 kWh 6296 kWh 2698 kWh £1,695 £270 £1,965 £19,776 10.1 yrs £19,518

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: £1,256, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2249 kWh 1641 kWh 607 kWh £442 £61 £503 £9,319 18.5 yrs £733
3 kW 3373 kWh 2462 kWh 911 kWh £663 £91 £754 £11,354 15.1 yrs £3,724
4 kW 4497 kWh 3283 kWh 1214 kWh £884 £121 £1,005 £13,388 13.3 yrs £6,716
5 kW 5621 kWh 4104 kWh 1518 kWh £1,105 £152 £1,256 £15,423 12.3 yrs £9,707
6 kW 6746 kWh 4924 kWh 1821 kWh £1,326 £182 £1,508 £17,457 11.6 yrs £12,699
7 kW 7870 kWh 5745 kWh 2125 kWh £1,547 £212 £1,759 £19,492 11.1 yrs £15,690
8 kW 8994 kWh 6566 kWh 2428 kWh £1,768 £243 £2,010 £21,526 10.7 yrs £18,681

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: £1,276, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2249 kWh 1686 kWh 562 kWh £454 £56 £510 £11,069 21.7 yrs £-865
3 kW 3373 kWh 2530 kWh 843 kWh £681 £84 £765 £13,104 17.1 yrs £2,203
4 kW 4497 kWh 3373 kWh 1124 kWh £908 £112 £1,020 £15,138 14.8 yrs £5,270
5 kW 5621 kWh 4216 kWh 1405 kWh £1,135 £141 £1,276 £17,173 13.5 yrs £8,338
6 kW 6746 kWh 5059 kWh 1686 kWh £1,362 £169 £1,531 £19,207 12.5 yrs £11,405
7 kW 7870 kWh 5903 kWh 1968 kWh £1,589 £197 £1,786 £21,242 11.9 yrs £14,473
8 kW 8994 kWh 6746 kWh 2249 kWh £1,816 £225 £2,041 £23,276 11.4 yrs £17,540

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: £1,295, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2249 kWh 1731 kWh 517 kWh £466 £52 £518 £13,519 26.1 yrs £-3,163
3 kW 3373 kWh 2597 kWh 776 kWh £699 £78 £777 £15,554 20.0 yrs £-19
4 kW 4497 kWh 3463 kWh 1034 kWh £932 £103 £1,036 £17,588 17.0 yrs £3,124
5 kW 5621 kWh 4329 kWh 1293 kWh £1,165 £129 £1,295 £19,623 15.2 yrs £6,268
6 kW 6746 kWh 5194 kWh 1552 kWh £1,398 £155 £1,553 £21,657 13.9 yrs £9,412
7 kW 7870 kWh 6060 kWh 1810 kWh £1,631 £181 £1,812 £23,692 13.1 yrs £12,555
8 kW 8994 kWh 6926 kWh 2069 kWh £1,864 £207 £2,071 £25,726 12.4 yrs £15,699

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 TN38

Figures below are tailored to TN38 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1800 of 2182
4.4 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #32 of 2997
9.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,085 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #557 of 2997
16.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,085 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1124kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1124 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: 47% • Flats: 44% • Bungalows: 7% Based on 10,834 properties

Coverage

Hastings (99%)|Rother (1%)

Areas Covered

Wishing Tree, Hollington, Maze Hill, West St Leonards, Central St Leonards, Gensing, Ashdown, Silverhill + 3 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

TN37 (Hastings)
≈0.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,125 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN38
TN34 (Hastings)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,125 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN38
TN35 (Hastings)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,124 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN38
TN40 (Rother)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,115 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN38
TN33 (Rother)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,093 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TN38
TN39 (Rother)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,116 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TN38

Similar sunshine across the UK

TQ7 (South Hams)
~1,123 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN38
PO38 (Isle of Wight)
~1,125 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TN38
PO20 (Chichester)
~1,122 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN38