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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TN39 (Rother)

See if solar pays off for you in Rother — 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
10.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,122
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,855
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 1116 kWh/kW — 87 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 1116 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)
1116 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: £935, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 10.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2231 kWh 893 kWh 1339 kWh £240 £134 £374 £4,069 10.9 yrs £3,414
3 kW 3347 kWh 1339 kWh 2008 kWh £360 £201 £561 £6,104 10.9 yrs £5,121
4 kW 4463 kWh 1785 kWh 2678 kWh £481 £268 £748 £8,138 10.9 yrs £6,828
5 kW 5578 kWh 2231 kWh 3347 kWh £601 £335 £935 £10,173 10.9 yrs £8,536
6 kW 6694 kWh 2678 kWh 4017 kWh £721 £402 £1,122 £12,207 10.9 yrs £10,243
7 kW 7810 kWh 3124 kWh 4686 kWh £841 £469 £1,310 £14,242 10.9 yrs £11,950
8 kW 8926 kWh 3570 kWh 5355 kWh £961 £536 £1,497 £16,276 10.9 yrs £13,657

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: £1,124, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 10.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2231 kWh 1339 kWh 893 kWh £360 £89 £450 £6,169 13.7 yrs £2,824
3 kW 3347 kWh 2008 kWh 1339 kWh £541 £134 £675 £8,204 12.2 yrs £5,287
4 kW 4463 kWh 2678 kWh 1785 kWh £721 £179 £899 £10,238 11.4 yrs £7,749
5 kW 5578 kWh 3347 kWh 2231 kWh £901 £223 £1,124 £12,273 10.9 yrs £10,211
6 kW 6694 kWh 4017 kWh 2678 kWh £1,081 £268 £1,349 £14,307 10.6 yrs £12,673
7 kW 7810 kWh 4686 kWh 3124 kWh £1,261 £312 £1,574 £16,342 10.4 yrs £15,135
8 kW 8926 kWh 5355 kWh 3570 kWh £1,442 £357 £1,799 £18,376 10.2 yrs £17,598

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: £1,219, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2231 kWh 1562 kWh 669 kWh £420 £67 £487 £7,569 15.5 yrs £2,180
3 kW 3347 kWh 2343 kWh 1004 kWh £631 £100 £731 £9,604 13.1 yrs £5,019
4 kW 4463 kWh 3124 kWh 1339 kWh £841 £134 £975 £11,638 11.9 yrs £7,859
5 kW 5578 kWh 3905 kWh 1674 kWh £1,051 £167 £1,219 £13,673 11.2 yrs £10,699
6 kW 6694 kWh 4686 kWh 2008 kWh £1,261 £201 £1,462 £15,707 10.7 yrs £13,539
7 kW 7810 kWh 5467 kWh 2343 kWh £1,472 £234 £1,706 £17,742 10.4 yrs £16,378
8 kW 8926 kWh 6248 kWh 2678 kWh £1,682 £268 £1,950 £19,776 10.1 yrs £19,218

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: £1,247, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2231 kWh 1629 kWh 602 kWh £439 £60 £499 £9,319 18.7 yrs £656
3 kW 3347 kWh 2443 kWh 904 kWh £658 £90 £748 £11,354 15.2 yrs £3,609
4 kW 4463 kWh 3258 kWh 1205 kWh £877 £120 £998 £13,388 13.4 yrs £6,562
5 kW 5578 kWh 4072 kWh 1506 kWh £1,096 £151 £1,247 £15,423 12.4 yrs £9,515
6 kW 6694 kWh 4887 kWh 1807 kWh £1,316 £181 £1,496 £17,457 11.7 yrs £12,468
7 kW 7810 kWh 5701 kWh 2109 kWh £1,535 £211 £1,746 £19,492 11.2 yrs £15,421
8 kW 8926 kWh 6516 kWh 2410 kWh £1,754 £241 £1,995 £21,526 10.8 yrs £18,374

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: £1,266, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2231 kWh 1674 kWh 558 kWh £451 £56 £506 £11,069 21.9 yrs £-943
3 kW 3347 kWh 2510 kWh 837 kWh £676 £84 £759 £13,104 17.3 yrs £2,086
4 kW 4463 kWh 3347 kWh 1116 kWh £901 £112 £1,013 £15,138 14.9 yrs £5,114
5 kW 5578 kWh 4184 kWh 1395 kWh £1,126 £139 £1,266 £17,173 13.6 yrs £8,143
6 kW 6694 kWh 5021 kWh 1674 kWh £1,352 £167 £1,519 £19,207 12.6 yrs £11,171
7 kW 7810 kWh 5857 kWh 1952 kWh £1,577 £195 £1,772 £21,242 12.0 yrs £14,200
8 kW 8926 kWh 6694 kWh 2231 kWh £1,802 £223 £2,025 £23,276 11.5 yrs £17,228

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: £1,285, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2231 kWh 1718 kWh 513 kWh £463 £51 £514 £13,519 26.3 yrs £-3,242
3 kW 3347 kWh 2577 kWh 770 kWh £694 £77 £771 £15,554 20.2 yrs £-138
4 kW 4463 kWh 3436 kWh 1026 kWh £925 £103 £1,028 £17,588 17.1 yrs £2,966
5 kW 5578 kWh 4295 kWh 1283 kWh £1,156 £128 £1,285 £19,623 15.3 yrs £6,070
6 kW 6694 kWh 5155 kWh 1540 kWh £1,388 £154 £1,542 £21,657 14.0 yrs £9,174
7 kW 7810 kWh 6014 kWh 1796 kWh £1,619 £180 £1,798 £23,692 13.2 yrs £12,278
8 kW 8926 kWh 6873 kWh 2053 kWh £1,850 £205 £2,055 £25,726 12.5 yrs £15,382

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 TN39

Figures below are tailored to TN39 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #508 of 2182
5.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #33 of 2997
9.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,292 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #51 of 2997
13.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£174 fixed • ~£1,292 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.92p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
47.60p/day
Local Sunshine
1116kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1116 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: 48% • Flats: 32% • Bungalows: 18% Based on 8,613 properties

Coverage

Rother (99%)|Wealden (1%)

Areas Covered

Bexhill Central, Bexhill St Marks, Bexhill Collington, Bexhill Kewhurst, Bexhill Sidley, Bexhill St Stephens, Bexhill Old Town & Worsham, Herstmonceux & Pevensey Levels + 1 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

TN40 (Rother)
≈1.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,115 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN39
TN38 (Hastings)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,124 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN39
TN37 (Hastings)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,125 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN39
TN33 (Rother)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,093 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TN39
TN34 (Hastings)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,125 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TN39
BN24 (Wealden)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,137 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TN39

Similar sunshine across the UK

TQ8 (South Hams)
~1,115 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN39
PO40 (Isle of Wight)
~1,113 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN39
PO39 (Isle of Wight)
~1,113 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TN39