Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in TS14 (Redcar and Cleveland)

See if solar pays off for you in Redcar and Cleveland — 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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£723
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,892
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

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 894 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.4p/kWh
Standing charge
59.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
894 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: £723, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 715 kWh 1072 kWh £182 £107 £289 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,711
3 kW 2681 kWh 1072 kWh 1608 kWh £273 £161 £434 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,567
4 kW 3574 kWh 1430 kWh 2145 kWh £364 £214 £578 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,423
5 kW 4468 kWh 1787 kWh 2681 kWh £454 £268 £723 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,279
6 kW 5362 kWh 2145 kWh 3217 kWh £545 £322 £867 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,134
7 kW 6255 kWh 2502 kWh 3753 kWh £636 £375 £1,012 £14,242 14.1 yrs £5,990
8 kW 7149 kWh 2860 kWh 4289 kWh £727 £429 £1,156 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,846

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: £860, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1072 kWh 715 kWh £273 £71 £344 £6,169 17.9 yrs £715
3 kW 2681 kWh 1608 kWh 1072 kWh £409 £107 £516 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,122
4 kW 3574 kWh 2145 kWh 1430 kWh £545 £143 £688 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,529
5 kW 4468 kWh 2681 kWh 1787 kWh £682 £179 £860 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,936
6 kW 5362 kWh 3217 kWh 2145 kWh £818 £214 £1,033 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,344
7 kW 6255 kWh 3753 kWh 2502 kWh £954 £250 £1,205 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,751
8 kW 7149 kWh 4289 kWh 2860 kWh £1,091 £286 £1,377 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,158

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: £929, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1251 kWh 536 kWh £318 £54 £372 £7,569 20.4 yrs £-134
3 kW 2681 kWh 1877 kWh 804 kWh £477 £80 £558 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,549
4 kW 3574 kWh 2502 kWh 1072 kWh £636 £107 £744 £11,638 15.7 yrs £3,232
5 kW 4468 kWh 3128 kWh 1340 kWh £795 £134 £929 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,915
6 kW 5362 kWh 3753 kWh 1608 kWh £954 £161 £1,115 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,598
7 kW 6255 kWh 4379 kWh 1877 kWh £1,113 £188 £1,301 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,281
8 kW 7149 kWh 5004 kWh 2145 kWh £1,273 £214 £1,487 £19,776 13.3 yrs £9,964

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: £950, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1305 kWh 483 kWh £332 £48 £380 £9,319 24.5 yrs £-1,718
3 kW 2681 kWh 1957 kWh 724 kWh £498 £72 £570 £11,354 19.9 yrs £47
4 kW 3574 kWh 2609 kWh 965 kWh £664 £97 £760 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,813
5 kW 4468 kWh 3262 kWh 1206 kWh £829 £121 £950 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,579
6 kW 5362 kWh 3914 kWh 1448 kWh £995 £145 £1,140 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,345
7 kW 6255 kWh 4566 kWh 1689 kWh £1,161 £169 £1,330 £19,492 14.7 yrs £7,110
8 kW 7149 kWh 5219 kWh 1930 kWh £1,327 £193 £1,520 £21,526 14.2 yrs £8,876

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: £964, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1340 kWh 447 kWh £341 £45 £386 £11,069 28.7 yrs £-3,358
3 kW 2681 kWh 2011 kWh 670 kWh £511 £67 £578 £13,104 22.7 yrs £-1,537
4 kW 3574 kWh 2681 kWh 894 kWh £682 £89 £771 £15,138 19.6 yrs £284
5 kW 4468 kWh 3351 kWh 1117 kWh £852 £112 £964 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,105
6 kW 5362 kWh 4021 kWh 1340 kWh £1,023 £134 £1,157 £19,207 16.6 yrs £3,926
7 kW 6255 kWh 4691 kWh 1564 kWh £1,193 £156 £1,349 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,746
8 kW 7149 kWh 5362 kWh 1787 kWh £1,363 £179 £1,542 £23,276 15.1 yrs £7,567

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: £978, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1787 kWh 1376 kWh 411 kWh £350 £41 £391 £13,519 34.6 yrs £-5,698
3 kW 2681 kWh 2064 kWh 617 kWh £525 £62 £587 £15,554 26.5 yrs £-3,822
4 kW 3574 kWh 2752 kWh 822 kWh £700 £82 £782 £17,588 22.5 yrs £-1,946
5 kW 4468 kWh 3440 kWh 1028 kWh £875 £103 £978 £19,623 20.1 yrs £-70
6 kW 5362 kWh 4128 kWh 1233 kWh £1,050 £123 £1,173 £21,657 18.5 yrs £1,806
7 kW 6255 kWh 4817 kWh 1439 kWh £1,225 £144 £1,369 £23,692 17.3 yrs £3,683
8 kW 7149 kWh 5505 kWh 1644 kWh £1,400 £164 £1,564 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,559

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
894kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~894 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: 15% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 4,596 properties

Coverage

Redcar and Cleveland (100%)

Areas Covered

Guisborough, Hutton, Belmont, Lockwood, Skelton West

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.