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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TS25 (Hartlepool)

See if solar pays off for you in Hartlepool — 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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£585
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,491
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 Northern, the current unit rate is 25.43p/kWh with a 59.86p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 905 kWh/kW — 21 below the regional median (926).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 905 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)
905 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: £731, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1809 kWh 724 kWh 1086 kWh £184 £109 £293 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,783
3 kW 2714 kWh 1086 kWh 1628 kWh £276 £163 £439 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,674
4 kW 3618 kWh 1447 kWh 2171 kWh £368 £217 £585 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,565
5 kW 4523 kWh 1809 kWh 2714 kWh £460 £271 £731 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,456
6 kW 5428 kWh 2171 kWh 3257 kWh £552 £326 £878 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,348
7 kW 6332 kWh 2533 kWh 3799 kWh £644 £380 £1,024 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,239
8 kW 7237 kWh 2895 kWh 4342 kWh £736 £434 £1,170 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,130

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: £871, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1809 kWh 1086 kWh 724 kWh £276 £72 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £799
3 kW 2714 kWh 1628 kWh 1086 kWh £414 £109 £523 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,249
4 kW 3618 kWh 2171 kWh 1447 kWh £552 £145 £697 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,698
5 kW 4523 kWh 2714 kWh 1809 kWh £690 £181 £871 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,148
6 kW 5428 kWh 3257 kWh 2171 kWh £828 £217 £1,045 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,598
7 kW 6332 kWh 3799 kWh 2533 kWh £966 £253 £1,219 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,047
8 kW 7237 kWh 4342 kWh 2895 kWh £1,104 £289 £1,394 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,497

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: £941, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1809 kWh 1266 kWh 543 kWh £322 £54 £376 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-42
3 kW 2714 kWh 1900 kWh 814 kWh £483 £81 £564 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,686
4 kW 3618 kWh 2533 kWh 1086 kWh £644 £109 £753 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,415
5 kW 4523 kWh 3166 kWh 1357 kWh £805 £136 £941 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,144
6 kW 5428 kWh 3799 kWh 1628 kWh £966 £163 £1,129 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,873
7 kW 6332 kWh 4432 kWh 1900 kWh £1,127 £190 £1,317 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,601
8 kW 7237 kWh 5066 kWh 2171 kWh £1,288 £217 £1,505 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,330

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: £962, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1809 kWh 1321 kWh 488 kWh £336 £49 £385 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,625
3 kW 2714 kWh 1981 kWh 733 kWh £504 £73 £577 £11,354 19.7 yrs £188
4 kW 3618 kWh 2641 kWh 977 kWh £672 £98 £769 £13,388 17.4 yrs £2,000
5 kW 4523 kWh 3302 kWh 1221 kWh £840 £122 £962 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,813
6 kW 5428 kWh 3962 kWh 1465 kWh £1,008 £147 £1,154 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,625
7 kW 6332 kWh 4622 kWh 1710 kWh £1,175 £171 £1,346 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,438
8 kW 7237 kWh 5283 kWh 1954 kWh £1,343 £195 £1,539 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,250

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: £976, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1809 kWh 1357 kWh 452 kWh £345 £45 £390 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,263
3 kW 2714 kWh 2035 kWh 678 kWh £518 £68 £585 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,395
4 kW 3618 kWh 2714 kWh 905 kWh £690 £90 £781 £15,138 19.4 yrs £473
5 kW 4523 kWh 3392 kWh 1131 kWh £863 £113 £976 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,342
6 kW 5428 kWh 4071 kWh 1357 kWh £1,035 £136 £1,171 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,210
7 kW 6332 kWh 4749 kWh 1583 kWh £1,208 £158 £1,366 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,078
8 kW 7237 kWh 5428 kWh 1809 kWh £1,380 £181 £1,561 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,947

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: £990, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1809 kWh 1393 kWh 416 kWh £354 £42 £396 £13,519 34.2 yrs £-5,602
3 kW 2714 kWh 2090 kWh 624 kWh £531 £62 £594 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,677
4 kW 3618 kWh 2786 kWh 832 kWh £709 £83 £792 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,753
5 kW 4523 kWh 3483 kWh 1040 kWh £886 £104 £990 £19,623 19.8 yrs £171
6 kW 5428 kWh 4179 kWh 1248 kWh £1,063 £125 £1,188 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,095
7 kW 6332 kWh 4876 kWh 1456 kWh £1,240 £146 £1,386 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,019
8 kW 7237 kWh 5572 kWh 1664 kWh £1,417 £166 £1,583 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,943

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 TS25

Figures below are tailored to TS25 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1527 of 2182
4.7 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2537 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£669 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2760 of 2997
32.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£669 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
905kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~905 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 75% • Flats: 13% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 11,625 properties

Coverage

Hartlepool (100%)

Areas Covered

Rossmere, Manor House, Foggy Furze, Fens & Greatham, Seaton, Burn Valley

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 Northern

TS26 (Hartlepool)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TS25
TS24 (Hartlepool)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~904 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TS25
TS23 (Stockton-on-Tees)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~926 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TS25
TS22 (Stockton-on-Tees)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · +4% vs TS25
TS27 (County Durham)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~930 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TS25
TS2 (Middlesbrough)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~921 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TS25

Similar sunshine across the UK

TD15 (Northumberland)
~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TS25
PR3 (Wyre)
~905 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TS25
DD10 (Angus)
~904 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TS25