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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TQ7 (South Hams)

See if solar pays off for you in South Hams — 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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,128
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,982
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 1123 kWh/kW — 110 above the regional median (1013).

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 1123 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)
1123 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: £940, 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 2247 kWh 899 kWh 1348 kWh £241 £135 £376 £4,069 10.8 yrs £3,448
3 kW 3370 kWh 1348 kWh 2022 kWh £362 £202 £564 £6,104 10.8 yrs £5,172
4 kW 4494 kWh 1797 kWh 2696 kWh £482 £270 £752 £8,138 10.8 yrs £6,896
5 kW 5617 kWh 2247 kWh 3370 kWh £603 £337 £940 £10,173 10.8 yrs £8,620
6 kW 6741 kWh 2696 kWh 4044 kWh £723 £404 £1,128 £12,207 10.8 yrs £10,344
7 kW 7864 kWh 3146 kWh 4718 kWh £844 £472 £1,315 £14,242 10.8 yrs £12,068
8 kW 8987 kWh 3595 kWh 5392 kWh £964 £539 £1,503 £16,276 10.8 yrs £13,792

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: £1,129, 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 2247 kWh 1348 kWh 899 kWh £362 £90 £451 £6,169 13.7 yrs £2,860
3 kW 3370 kWh 2022 kWh 1348 kWh £542 £135 £677 £8,204 12.1 yrs £5,340
4 kW 4494 kWh 2696 kWh 1797 kWh £723 £180 £903 £10,238 11.3 yrs £7,820
5 kW 5617 kWh 3370 kWh 2247 kWh £904 £225 £1,129 £12,273 10.9 yrs £10,299
6 kW 6741 kWh 4044 kWh 2696 kWh £1,085 £270 £1,354 £14,307 10.6 yrs £12,779
7 kW 7864 kWh 4718 kWh 3146 kWh £1,265 £315 £1,580 £16,342 10.3 yrs £15,259
8 kW 8987 kWh 5392 kWh 3595 kWh £1,446 £359 £1,806 £18,376 10.2 yrs £17,739

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: £1,223, 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 2247 kWh 1573 kWh 674 kWh £422 £67 £489 £7,569 15.5 yrs £2,216
3 kW 3370 kWh 2359 kWh 1011 kWh £633 £101 £734 £9,604 13.1 yrs £5,073
4 kW 4494 kWh 3146 kWh 1348 kWh £844 £135 £978 £11,638 11.9 yrs £7,931
5 kW 5617 kWh 3932 kWh 1685 kWh £1,055 £169 £1,223 £13,673 11.2 yrs £10,789
6 kW 6741 kWh 4718 kWh 2022 kWh £1,265 £202 £1,468 £15,707 10.7 yrs £13,647
7 kW 7864 kWh 5505 kWh 2359 kWh £1,476 £236 £1,712 £17,742 10.4 yrs £16,505
8 kW 8987 kWh 6291 kWh 2696 kWh £1,687 £270 £1,957 £19,776 10.1 yrs £19,362

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: £1,251, 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 2247 kWh 1640 kWh 607 kWh £440 £61 £501 £9,319 18.6 yrs £692
3 kW 3370 kWh 2460 kWh 910 kWh £660 £91 £751 £11,354 15.1 yrs £3,664
4 kW 4494 kWh 3280 kWh 1213 kWh £880 £121 £1,001 £13,388 13.4 yrs £6,635
5 kW 5617 kWh 4101 kWh 1517 kWh £1,100 £152 £1,251 £15,423 12.3 yrs £9,606
6 kW 6741 kWh 4921 kWh 1820 kWh £1,320 £182 £1,502 £17,457 11.6 yrs £12,577
7 kW 7864 kWh 5741 kWh 2123 kWh £1,540 £212 £1,752 £19,492 11.1 yrs £15,548
8 kW 8987 kWh 6561 kWh 2427 kWh £1,760 £243 £2,002 £21,526 10.8 yrs £18,519

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: £1,270, 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 2247 kWh 1685 kWh 562 kWh £452 £56 £508 £11,069 21.8 yrs £-906
3 kW 3370 kWh 2528 kWh 843 kWh £678 £84 £762 £13,104 17.2 yrs £2,140
4 kW 4494 kWh 3370 kWh 1123 kWh £904 £112 £1,016 £15,138 14.9 yrs £5,187
5 kW 5617 kWh 4213 kWh 1404 kWh £1,130 £140 £1,270 £17,173 13.5 yrs £8,234
6 kW 6741 kWh 5055 kWh 1685 kWh £1,356 £169 £1,524 £19,207 12.6 yrs £11,281
7 kW 7864 kWh 5898 kWh 1966 kWh £1,582 £197 £1,778 £21,242 11.9 yrs £14,327
8 kW 8987 kWh 6741 kWh 2247 kWh £1,808 £225 £2,033 £23,276 11.5 yrs £17,374

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: £1,289, 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 2247 kWh 1730 kWh 517 kWh £464 £52 £516 £13,519 26.2 yrs £-3,205
3 kW 3370 kWh 2595 kWh 775 kWh £696 £78 £774 £15,554 20.1 yrs £-83
4 kW 4494 kWh 3460 kWh 1034 kWh £928 £103 £1,031 £17,588 17.1 yrs £3,039
5 kW 5617 kWh 4325 kWh 1292 kWh £1,160 £129 £1,289 £19,623 15.2 yrs £6,162
6 kW 6741 kWh 5190 kWh 1550 kWh £1,392 £155 £1,547 £21,657 14.0 yrs £9,284
7 kW 7864 kWh 6055 kWh 1809 kWh £1,624 £181 £1,805 £23,692 13.1 yrs £12,406
8 kW 8987 kWh 6920 kWh 2067 kWh £1,856 £207 £2,063 £25,726 12.5 yrs £15,529

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 TQ7

Figures below are tailored to TQ7 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #331 of 2182
5.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #35 of 2997
9.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,298 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #298 of 2997
15.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,298 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1123kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1123 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: 13% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 6,495 properties

Coverage

South Hams (100%)

Areas Covered

Kingsbridge, Salcombe & Thurlestone, Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford, Stokenham, Allington & Strete, Charterlands, South Brent

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

TQ8 (South Hams)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,115 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TQ7
PL21 (South Hams)
≈15.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,086 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TQ7
TQ6 (South Hams)
≈15.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,062 kWh/kWp · -5% vs TQ7
TQ10 (South Hams)
≈16.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · -8% vs TQ7
TQ9 (South Hams)
≈17.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · -6% vs TQ7
PL8 (South Hams)
≈18.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,081 kWh/kWp · -4% vs TQ7

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN35 (Hastings)
~1,124 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ7
BN12 (Worthing)
~1,123 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TQ7
TN29 (Folkestone and Hythe)
~1,123 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TQ7