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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TQ3 (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
£873
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,650
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 1044 kWh/kW — 30 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 1044 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)
1044 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: £873, 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 2087 kWh 835 kWh 1252 kWh £224 £125 £349 £4,069 11.7 yrs £2,914
3 kW 3131 kWh 1252 kWh 1879 kWh £336 £188 £524 £6,104 11.7 yrs £4,371
4 kW 4175 kWh 1670 kWh 2505 kWh £448 £250 £698 £8,138 11.7 yrs £5,829
5 kW 5218 kWh 2087 kWh 3131 kWh £560 £313 £873 £10,173 11.7 yrs £7,286
6 kW 6262 kWh 2505 kWh 3757 kWh £672 £376 £1,048 £12,207 11.7 yrs £8,743
7 kW 7306 kWh 2922 kWh 4383 kWh £784 £438 £1,222 £14,242 11.7 yrs £10,200
8 kW 8349 kWh 3340 kWh 5010 kWh £896 £501 £1,397 £16,276 11.7 yrs £11,657

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: £1,048, 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 2087 kWh 1252 kWh 835 kWh £336 £83 £419 £6,169 14.7 yrs £2,219
3 kW 3131 kWh 1879 kWh 1252 kWh £504 £125 £629 £8,204 13.0 yrs £4,378
4 kW 4175 kWh 2505 kWh 1670 kWh £672 £167 £839 £10,238 12.2 yrs £6,537
5 kW 5218 kWh 3131 kWh 2087 kWh £840 £209 £1,048 £12,273 11.7 yrs £8,697
6 kW 6262 kWh 3757 kWh 2505 kWh £1,008 £250 £1,258 £14,307 11.4 yrs £10,856
7 kW 7306 kWh 4383 kWh 2922 kWh £1,176 £292 £1,468 £16,342 11.1 yrs £13,015
8 kW 8349 kWh 5010 kWh 3340 kWh £1,344 £334 £1,678 £18,376 11.0 yrs £15,175

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: £1,136, 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 2087 kWh 1461 kWh 626 kWh £392 £63 £454 £7,569 16.7 yrs £1,521
3 kW 3131 kWh 2192 kWh 939 kWh £588 £94 £682 £9,604 14.1 yrs £4,031
4 kW 4175 kWh 2922 kWh 1252 kWh £784 £125 £909 £11,638 12.8 yrs £6,542
5 kW 5218 kWh 3653 kWh 1565 kWh £980 £157 £1,136 £13,673 12.0 yrs £9,052
6 kW 6262 kWh 4383 kWh 1879 kWh £1,176 £188 £1,363 £15,707 11.5 yrs £11,563
7 kW 7306 kWh 5114 kWh 2192 kWh £1,372 £219 £1,591 £17,742 11.2 yrs £14,073
8 kW 8349 kWh 5844 kWh 2505 kWh £1,567 £250 £1,818 £19,776 10.9 yrs £16,583

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: £1,163, 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 2087 kWh 1524 kWh 564 kWh £409 £56 £465 £9,319 20.0 yrs £-19
3 kW 3131 kWh 2286 kWh 845 kWh £613 £85 £698 £11,354 16.3 yrs £2,597
4 kW 4175 kWh 3047 kWh 1127 kWh £817 £113 £930 £13,388 14.4 yrs £5,213
5 kW 5218 kWh 3809 kWh 1409 kWh £1,022 £141 £1,163 £15,423 13.3 yrs £7,829
6 kW 6262 kWh 4571 kWh 1691 kWh £1,226 £169 £1,395 £17,457 12.5 yrs £10,444
7 kW 7306 kWh 5333 kWh 1973 kWh £1,430 £197 £1,628 £19,492 12.0 yrs £13,060
8 kW 8349 kWh 6095 kWh 2254 kWh £1,635 £225 £1,860 £21,526 11.6 yrs £15,676

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: £1,180, 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 2087 kWh 1565 kWh 522 kWh £420 £52 £472 £11,069 23.4 yrs £-1,628
3 kW 3131 kWh 2348 kWh 783 kWh £630 £78 £708 £13,104 18.5 yrs £1,058
4 kW 4175 kWh 3131 kWh 1044 kWh £840 £104 £944 £15,138 16.0 yrs £3,744
5 kW 5218 kWh 3914 kWh 1305 kWh £1,050 £130 £1,180 £17,173 14.6 yrs £6,430
6 kW 6262 kWh 4696 kWh 1565 kWh £1,260 £157 £1,416 £19,207 13.6 yrs £9,116
7 kW 7306 kWh 5479 kWh 1826 kWh £1,470 £183 £1,652 £21,242 12.9 yrs £11,802
8 kW 8349 kWh 6262 kWh 2087 kWh £1,679 £209 £1,888 £23,276 12.3 yrs £14,488

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: £1,198, 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 2087 kWh 1607 kWh 480 kWh £431 £48 £479 £13,519 28.2 yrs £-3,938
3 kW 3131 kWh 2411 kWh 720 kWh £647 £72 £719 £15,554 21.6 yrs £-1,181
4 kW 4175 kWh 3214 kWh 960 kWh £862 £96 £958 £17,588 18.4 yrs £1,575
5 kW 5218 kWh 4018 kWh 1200 kWh £1,078 £120 £1,198 £19,623 16.4 yrs £4,331
6 kW 6262 kWh 4822 kWh 1440 kWh £1,293 £144 £1,437 £21,657 15.1 yrs £7,087
7 kW 7306 kWh 5625 kWh 1680 kWh £1,509 £168 £1,677 £23,692 14.1 yrs £9,843
8 kW 8349 kWh 6429 kWh 1920 kWh £1,724 £192 £1,916 £25,726 13.4 yrs £12,599

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 TQ3

Figures below are tailored to TQ3 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #985 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #252 of 2997
10.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,005 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1315 of 2997
19.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,005 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1044kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1044 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: 48% • Flats: 32% • Bungalows: 17% Based on 8,362 properties

Coverage

Torbay (93%)|South Hams (7%)

Areas Covered

Preston, Roundham with Hyde, Clifton with Maidenway, King's Ash, Marldon & Littlehempston, Collaton St Mary, Barton with Watcombe, Cockington with Chelston + 2 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 Southern Western

TQ4 (Torbay)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TQ3
TQ2 (Torbay)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,043 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TQ3
TQ1 (Torbay)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,016 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TQ3
TQ5 (Torbay)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,075 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TQ3
TQ9 (South Hams)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TQ3
TQ12 (Teignbridge)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,048 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ3

Similar sunshine across the UK

SS13 (Basildon)
~1,043 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TQ3
ME13 (Swale)
~1,044 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ3
SA3 (Swansea)
~1,044 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ3