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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TR8 (Cornwall)

See if solar pays off for you in Cornwall — 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
11.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£855
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,213
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 1023 kWh/kW — 9 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 1023 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)
1023 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: £855, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2045 kWh 818 kWh 1227 kWh £219 £123 £342 £4,069 11.9 yrs £2,774
3 kW 3068 kWh 1227 kWh 1841 kWh £329 £184 £513 £6,104 11.9 yrs £4,162
4 kW 4091 kWh 1636 kWh 2455 kWh £439 £245 £684 £8,138 11.9 yrs £5,549
5 kW 5114 kWh 2045 kWh 3068 kWh £549 £307 £855 £10,173 11.9 yrs £6,936
6 kW 6136 kWh 2455 kWh 3682 kWh £658 £368 £1,027 £12,207 11.9 yrs £8,323
7 kW 7159 kWh 2864 kWh 4296 kWh £768 £430 £1,198 £14,242 11.9 yrs £9,710
8 kW 8182 kWh 3273 kWh 4909 kWh £878 £491 £1,369 £16,276 11.9 yrs £11,097

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: £1,027, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2045 kWh 1227 kWh 818 kWh £329 £82 £411 £6,169 15.0 yrs £2,051
3 kW 3068 kWh 1841 kWh 1227 kWh £494 £123 £616 £8,204 13.3 yrs £4,126
4 kW 4091 kWh 2455 kWh 1636 kWh £658 £164 £822 £10,238 12.5 yrs £6,201
5 kW 5114 kWh 3068 kWh 2045 kWh £823 £205 £1,027 £12,273 11.9 yrs £8,276
6 kW 6136 kWh 3682 kWh 2455 kWh £987 £245 £1,233 £14,307 11.6 yrs £10,352
7 kW 7159 kWh 4296 kWh 2864 kWh £1,152 £286 £1,438 £16,342 11.4 yrs £12,427
8 kW 8182 kWh 4909 kWh 3273 kWh £1,317 £327 £1,644 £18,376 11.2 yrs £14,502

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: £1,113, Upfront: £13,673, 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 2045 kWh 1432 kWh 614 kWh £384 £61 £445 £7,569 17.0 yrs £1,339
3 kW 3068 kWh 2148 kWh 920 kWh £576 £92 £668 £9,604 14.4 yrs £3,758
4 kW 4091 kWh 2864 kWh 1227 kWh £768 £123 £891 £11,638 13.1 yrs £6,177
5 kW 5114 kWh 3580 kWh 1534 kWh £960 £153 £1,113 £13,673 12.3 yrs £8,597
6 kW 6136 kWh 4296 kWh 1841 kWh £1,152 £184 £1,336 £15,707 11.8 yrs £11,016
7 kW 7159 kWh 5011 kWh 2148 kWh £1,344 £215 £1,559 £17,742 11.4 yrs £13,435
8 kW 8182 kWh 5727 kWh 2455 kWh £1,536 £245 £1,782 £19,776 11.1 yrs £15,855

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: £1,139, Upfront: £15,423, 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 2045 kWh 1493 kWh 552 kWh £400 £55 £456 £9,319 20.4 yrs £-205
3 kW 3068 kWh 2240 kWh 828 kWh £601 £83 £684 £11,354 16.6 yrs £2,318
4 kW 4091 kWh 2986 kWh 1105 kWh £801 £110 £911 £13,388 14.7 yrs £4,840
5 kW 5114 kWh 3733 kWh 1381 kWh £1,001 £138 £1,139 £15,423 13.5 yrs £7,363
6 kW 6136 kWh 4480 kWh 1657 kWh £1,201 £166 £1,367 £17,457 12.8 yrs £9,885
7 kW 7159 kWh 5226 kWh 1933 kWh £1,402 £193 £1,595 £19,492 12.2 yrs £12,408
8 kW 8182 kWh 5973 kWh 2209 kWh £1,602 £221 £1,823 £21,526 11.8 yrs £14,930

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: £1,156, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2045 kWh 1534 kWh 511 kWh £411 £51 £463 £11,069 23.9 yrs £-1,817
3 kW 3068 kWh 2301 kWh 767 kWh £617 £77 £694 £13,104 18.9 yrs £774
4 kW 4091 kWh 3068 kWh 1023 kWh £823 £102 £925 £15,138 16.4 yrs £3,365
5 kW 5114 kWh 3835 kWh 1278 kWh £1,029 £128 £1,156 £17,173 14.8 yrs £5,957
6 kW 6136 kWh 4602 kWh 1534 kWh £1,234 £153 £1,388 £19,207 13.8 yrs £8,548
7 kW 7159 kWh 5369 kWh 1790 kWh £1,440 £179 £1,619 £21,242 13.1 yrs £11,139
8 kW 8182 kWh 6136 kWh 2045 kWh £1,646 £205 £1,850 £23,276 12.6 yrs £13,731

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: £1,174, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 2045 kWh 1575 kWh 470 kWh £422 £47 £469 £13,519 28.8 yrs £-4,130
3 kW 3068 kWh 2363 kWh 706 kWh £634 £71 £704 £15,554 22.1 yrs £-1,470
4 kW 4091 kWh 3150 kWh 941 kWh £845 £94 £939 £17,588 18.7 yrs £1,191
5 kW 5114 kWh 3938 kWh 1176 kWh £1,056 £118 £1,174 £19,623 16.7 yrs £3,851
6 kW 6136 kWh 4725 kWh 1411 kWh £1,267 £141 £1,408 £21,657 15.4 yrs £6,511
7 kW 7159 kWh 5513 kWh 1647 kWh £1,478 £165 £1,643 £23,692 14.4 yrs £9,171
8 kW 8182 kWh 6300 kWh 1882 kWh £1,690 £188 £1,878 £25,726 13.7 yrs £11,831

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 TR8

Figures below are tailored to TR8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #575 of 2182
5.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~12 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #381 of 2997
10.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£984 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1390 of 2997
20.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£197 fixed • ~£984 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
54.03p/day
Local Sunshine
1023kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~1023 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: 72% • Flats: 10% • Bungalows: 16% Based on 4,746 properties

Coverage

Cornwall (100%)

Areas Covered

St Newlyn East, Cubert & Goonhavern, St Columb Minor & Colan, Newquay Porth & Tretherras, St Columb Major, St Mawgan & St Wenn, St Dennis & St Enoder, Newquay Central & Pentire + 3 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

TR7 (Cornwall)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,030 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TR8
TR9 (Cornwall)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~988 kWh/kWp · -3% vs TR8
TR6 (Cornwall)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,032 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TR8
TR4 (Cornwall)
≈14.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,005 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TR8
TR5 (Cornwall)
≈15.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,025 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TR8
TR1 (Cornwall)
≈15.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~1,029 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TR8

Similar sunshine across the UK

CM4 (Brentwood)
~1,023 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TR8
ME6 (Tonbridge and Malling)
~1,023 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TR8
SO5 (Eastleigh)
~1,022 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TR8