Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TQ8 (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
10.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£1,119
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£15,767
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 1115 kWh/kW — 101 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 1115 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)
1115 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: £932, 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 2230 kWh 892 kWh 1338 kWh £239 £134 £373 £4,069 10.9 yrs £3,391
3 kW 3345 kWh 1338 kWh 2007 kWh £359 £201 £559 £6,104 10.9 yrs £5,086
4 kW 4459 kWh 1784 kWh 2676 kWh £478 £268 £746 £8,138 10.9 yrs £6,781
5 kW 5574 kWh 2230 kWh 3345 kWh £598 £334 £932 £10,173 10.9 yrs £8,476
6 kW 6689 kWh 2676 kWh 4013 kWh £718 £401 £1,119 £12,207 10.9 yrs £10,172
7 kW 7804 kWh 3122 kWh 4682 kWh £837 £468 £1,305 £14,242 10.9 yrs £11,867
8 kW 8919 kWh 3567 kWh 5351 kWh £957 £535 £1,492 £16,276 10.9 yrs £13,562

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: £1,120, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2230 kWh 1338 kWh 892 kWh £359 £89 £448 £6,169 13.8 yrs £2,791
3 kW 3345 kWh 2007 kWh 1338 kWh £538 £134 £672 £8,204 12.2 yrs £5,236
4 kW 4459 kWh 2676 kWh 1784 kWh £718 £178 £896 £10,238 11.4 yrs £7,681
5 kW 5574 kWh 3345 kWh 2230 kWh £897 £223 £1,120 £12,273 11.0 yrs £10,127
6 kW 6689 kWh 4013 kWh 2676 kWh £1,076 £268 £1,344 £14,307 10.6 yrs £12,572
7 kW 7804 kWh 4682 kWh 3122 kWh £1,256 £312 £1,568 £16,342 10.4 yrs £15,018
8 kW 8919 kWh 5351 kWh 3567 kWh £1,435 £357 £1,792 £18,376 10.3 yrs £17,463

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: £1,214, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2230 kWh 1561 kWh 669 kWh £419 £67 £485 £7,569 15.6 yrs £2,141
3 kW 3345 kWh 2341 kWh 1003 kWh £628 £100 £728 £9,604 13.2 yrs £4,961
4 kW 4459 kWh 3122 kWh 1338 kWh £837 £134 £971 £11,638 12.0 yrs £7,782
5 kW 5574 kWh 3902 kWh 1672 kWh £1,047 £167 £1,214 £13,673 11.3 yrs £10,602
6 kW 6689 kWh 4682 kWh 2007 kWh £1,256 £201 £1,456 £15,707 10.8 yrs £13,422
7 kW 7804 kWh 5463 kWh 2341 kWh £1,465 £234 £1,699 £17,742 10.4 yrs £16,243
8 kW 8919 kWh 6243 kWh 2676 kWh £1,674 £268 £1,942 £19,776 10.2 yrs £19,063

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: £1,242, 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 2230 kWh 1628 kWh 602 kWh £437 £60 £497 £9,319 18.8 yrs £616
3 kW 3345 kWh 2441 kWh 903 kWh £655 £90 £745 £11,354 15.2 yrs £3,549
4 kW 4459 kWh 3255 kWh 1204 kWh £873 £120 £993 £13,388 13.5 yrs £6,482
5 kW 5574 kWh 4069 kWh 1505 kWh £1,091 £151 £1,242 £15,423 12.4 yrs £9,415
6 kW 6689 kWh 4883 kWh 1806 kWh £1,310 £181 £1,490 £17,457 11.7 yrs £12,347
7 kW 7804 kWh 5697 kWh 2107 kWh £1,528 £211 £1,739 £19,492 11.2 yrs £15,280
8 kW 8919 kWh 6511 kWh 2408 kWh £1,746 £241 £1,987 £21,526 10.8 yrs £18,213

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: £1,261, 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 2230 kWh 1672 kWh 557 kWh £449 £56 £504 £11,069 22.0 yrs £-984
3 kW 3345 kWh 2508 kWh 836 kWh £673 £84 £756 £13,104 17.3 yrs £2,024
4 kW 4459 kWh 3345 kWh 1115 kWh £897 £111 £1,008 £15,138 15.0 yrs £5,032
5 kW 5574 kWh 4181 kWh 1394 kWh £1,121 £139 £1,261 £17,173 13.6 yrs £8,040
6 kW 6689 kWh 5017 kWh 1672 kWh £1,346 £167 £1,513 £19,207 12.7 yrs £11,047
7 kW 7804 kWh 5853 kWh 1951 kWh £1,570 £195 £1,765 £21,242 12.0 yrs £14,055
8 kW 8919 kWh 6689 kWh 2230 kWh £1,794 £223 £2,017 £23,276 11.5 yrs £17,063

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: £1,279, 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 2230 kWh 1717 kWh 513 kWh £460 £51 £512 £13,519 26.4 yrs £-3,284
3 kW 3345 kWh 2575 kWh 769 kWh £691 £77 £768 £15,554 20.3 yrs £-201
4 kW 4459 kWh 3434 kWh 1026 kWh £921 £103 £1,023 £17,588 17.2 yrs £2,882
5 kW 5574 kWh 4292 kWh 1282 kWh £1,151 £128 £1,279 £19,623 15.3 yrs £5,965
6 kW 6689 kWh 5151 kWh 1538 kWh £1,381 £154 £1,535 £21,657 14.1 yrs £9,048
7 kW 7804 kWh 6009 kWh 1795 kWh £1,612 £179 £1,791 £23,692 13.2 yrs £12,130
8 kW 8919 kWh 6867 kWh 2051 kWh £1,842 £205 £2,047 £25,726 12.6 yrs £15,213

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 TQ8

Figures below are tailored to TQ8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #95 of 2182
6.6 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~14 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #54 of 2997
9.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,288 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #424 of 2997
15.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£1,288 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1115kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1115 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: 62% • Flats: 24% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 1,038 properties

Coverage

South Hams (100%)

Areas Covered

Salcombe & Thurlestone, Kingsbridge, Stokenham

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

TQ7 (South Hams)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,123 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TQ8
TQ6 (South Hams)
≈18.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,062 kWh/kWp · -5% vs TQ8
PL21 (South Hams)
≈19.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,086 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TQ8
PL8 (South Hams)
≈21.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,081 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TQ8
TQ10 (South Hams)
≈21.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,034 kWh/kWp · -7% vs TQ8
TQ9 (South Hams)
≈22.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,058 kWh/kWp · -5% vs TQ8

Similar sunshine across the UK

TN40 (Rother)
~1,115 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ8
TN39 (Rother)
~1,116 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TQ8
PO40 (Isle of Wight)
~1,113 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TQ8