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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TQ2 (Torbay)

See if solar pays off for you in Torbay — 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
11.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£872
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,629
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 Southern Western, the current unit rate is 26.82p/kWh with a 54.03p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 1043 kWh/kW — 29 above the regional median (1013).

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 1043 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.8p/kWh
Standing charge
54.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
1043 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: £872, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2085 kWh 834 kWh 1251 kWh £224 £125 £349 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,907
3 kW 3128 kWh 1251 kWh 1877 kWh £336 £188 £523 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,361
4 kW 4170 kWh 1668 kWh 2502 kWh £447 £250 £698 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,815
5 kW 5213 kWh 2085 kWh 3128 kWh £559 £313 £872 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,268
6 kW 6256 kWh 2502 kWh 3753 kWh £671 £375 £1,046 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,722
7 kW 7298 kWh 2919 kWh 4379 kWh £783 £438 £1,221 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,176
8 kW 8341 kWh 3336 kWh 5005 kWh £895 £500 £1,395 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,629

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: £1,047, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2085 kWh 1251 kWh 834 kWh £336 £83 £419 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,210
3 kW 3128 kWh 1877 kWh 1251 kWh £503 £125 £628 £8,204 13.1 yrs £4,365
4 kW 4170 kWh 2502 kWh 1668 kWh £671 £167 £838 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,521
5 kW 5213 kWh 3128 kWh 2085 kWh £839 £209 £1,047 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,676
6 kW 6256 kWh 3753 kWh 2502 kWh £1,007 £250 £1,257 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,831
7 kW 7298 kWh 4379 kWh 2919 kWh £1,174 £292 £1,466 £16,342 11.1 yrs £12,986
8 kW 8341 kWh 5005 kWh 3336 kWh £1,342 £334 £1,676 £18,376 11.0 yrs £15,141

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: £1,135, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2085 kWh 1460 kWh 626 kWh £391 £63 £454 £7,569 16.7 yrs £1,512
3 kW 3128 kWh 2190 kWh 938 kWh £587 £94 £681 £9,604 14.1 yrs £4,018
4 kW 4170 kWh 2919 kWh 1251 kWh £783 £125 £908 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,524
5 kW 5213 kWh 3649 kWh 1564 kWh £979 £156 £1,135 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,029
6 kW 6256 kWh 4379 kWh 1877 kWh £1,174 £188 £1,362 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,535
7 kW 7298 kWh 5109 kWh 2190 kWh £1,370 £219 £1,589 £17,742 11.2 yrs £14,041
8 kW 8341 kWh 5839 kWh 2502 kWh £1,566 £250 £1,816 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,547

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: £1,161, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2085 kWh 1522 kWh 563 kWh £408 £56 £465 £9,319 20.1 yrs £-28
3 kW 3128 kWh 2283 kWh 845 kWh £612 £84 £697 £11,354 16.3 yrs £2,583
4 kW 4170 kWh 3044 kWh 1126 kWh £817 £113 £929 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,194
5 kW 5213 kWh 3806 kWh 1408 kWh £1,021 £141 £1,161 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,806
6 kW 6256 kWh 4567 kWh 1689 kWh £1,225 £169 £1,394 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,417
7 kW 7298 kWh 5328 kWh 1971 kWh £1,429 £197 £1,626 £19,492 12.0 yrs £13,028
8 kW 8341 kWh 6089 kWh 2252 kWh £1,633 £225 £1,858 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,639

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: £1,179, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2085 kWh 1564 kWh 521 kWh £419 £52 £472 £11,069 23.5 yrs £-1,637
3 kW 3128 kWh 2346 kWh 782 kWh £629 £78 £707 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,044
4 kW 4170 kWh 3128 kWh 1043 kWh £839 £104 £943 £15,138 16.1 yrs £3,725
5 kW 5213 kWh 3910 kWh 1303 kWh £1,049 £130 £1,179 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,406
6 kW 6256 kWh 4692 kWh 1564 kWh £1,258 £156 £1,415 £19,207 13.6 yrs £9,088
7 kW 7298 kWh 5474 kWh 1825 kWh £1,468 £182 £1,651 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,769
8 kW 8341 kWh 6256 kWh 2085 kWh £1,678 £209 £1,886 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,450

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: £1,196, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2085 kWh 1606 kWh 480 kWh £431 £48 £479 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,947
3 kW 3128 kWh 2408 kWh 719 kWh £646 £72 £718 £15,554 21.7 yrs £-1,196
4 kW 4170 kWh 3211 kWh 959 kWh £861 £96 £957 £17,588 18.4 yrs £1,556
5 kW 5213 kWh 4014 kWh 1199 kWh £1,077 £120 £1,196 £19,623 16.4 yrs £4,307
6 kW 6256 kWh 4817 kWh 1439 kWh £1,292 £144 £1,436 £21,657 15.1 yrs £7,058
7 kW 7298 kWh 5620 kWh 1679 kWh £1,507 £168 £1,675 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,810
8 kW 8341 kWh 6423 kWh 1918 kWh £1,723 £192 £1,914 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,561

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 TQ2

Figures below are tailored to TQ2 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1602 of 2182
4.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #251 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,004 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1314 of 2997
19.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,004 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1043kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1043 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: 51% • Flats: 37% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 9,876 properties

Coverage

Torbay (100%)

Areas Covered

Tormohun, Barton with Watcombe, Cockington with Chelston, Shiphay, St Marychurch, Kerswell-with-Combe, Ellacombe

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 Southern Western

TQ1 (Torbay)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TQ2
TQ3 (Torbay)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,044 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ2
TQ4 (Torbay)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TQ2
TQ12 (Teignbridge)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,048 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TQ2
TQ14 (Teignbridge)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,011 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TQ2
TQ5 (Torbay)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TQ2

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF61 (Vale of Glamorgan)
~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ2
SO30 (Eastleigh)
~1,043 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ2
IP8 (Babergh)
~1,042 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TQ2