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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TS29 (County Durham)

See if solar pays off for you in County Durham — 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
13.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£763
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,906
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 944 kWh/kW — 18 above the regional median (926).

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 944 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)
944 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: £763, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1888 kWh 755 kWh 1133 kWh £192 £113 £305 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,036
3 kW 2831 kWh 1133 kWh 1699 kWh £288 £170 £458 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,054
4 kW 3775 kWh 1510 kWh 2265 kWh £384 £227 £611 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,072
5 kW 4719 kWh 1888 kWh 2831 kWh £480 £283 £763 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,090
6 kW 5663 kWh 2265 kWh 3398 kWh £576 £340 £916 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,108
7 kW 6606 kWh 2643 kWh 3964 kWh £672 £396 £1,068 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,126
8 kW 7550 kWh 3020 kWh 4530 kWh £768 £453 £1,221 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,144

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: £909, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1888 kWh 1133 kWh 755 kWh £288 £76 £364 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,101
3 kW 2831 kWh 1699 kWh 1133 kWh £432 £113 £545 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,702
4 kW 3775 kWh 2265 kWh 1510 kWh £576 £151 £727 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,302
5 kW 4719 kWh 2831 kWh 1888 kWh £720 £189 £909 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,903
6 kW 5663 kWh 3398 kWh 2265 kWh £864 £227 £1,091 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,503
7 kW 6606 kWh 3964 kWh 2643 kWh £1,008 £264 £1,272 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,104
8 kW 7550 kWh 4530 kWh 3020 kWh £1,152 £302 £1,454 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,704

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: £982, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1888 kWh 1321 kWh 566 kWh £336 £57 £393 £7,569 19.3 yrs £284
3 kW 2831 kWh 1982 kWh 849 kWh £504 £85 £589 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,175
4 kW 3775 kWh 2643 kWh 1133 kWh £672 £113 £785 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,067
5 kW 4719 kWh 3303 kWh 1416 kWh £840 £142 £982 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,959
6 kW 5663 kWh 3964 kWh 1699 kWh £1,008 £170 £1,178 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,851
7 kW 6606 kWh 4625 kWh 1982 kWh £1,176 £198 £1,374 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,743
8 kW 7550 kWh 5285 kWh 2265 kWh £1,344 £227 £1,571 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,634

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: £1,003, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1888 kWh 1378 kWh 510 kWh £350 £51 £401 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,292
3 kW 2831 kWh 2067 kWh 764 kWh £526 £76 £602 £11,354 18.9 yrs £688
4 kW 3775 kWh 2756 kWh 1019 kWh £701 £102 £803 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,667
5 kW 4719 kWh 3445 kWh 1274 kWh £876 £127 £1,003 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,646
6 kW 5663 kWh 4134 kWh 1529 kWh £1,051 £153 £1,204 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,625
7 kW 6606 kWh 4823 kWh 1784 kWh £1,226 £178 £1,405 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,604
8 kW 7550 kWh 5512 kWh 2039 kWh £1,402 £204 £1,605 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,583

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: £1,018, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1888 kWh 1416 kWh 472 kWh £360 £47 £407 £11,069 27.2 yrs £-2,925
3 kW 2831 kWh 2124 kWh 708 kWh £540 £71 £611 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-888
4 kW 3775 kWh 2831 kWh 944 kWh £720 £94 £814 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,150
5 kW 4719 kWh 3539 kWh 1180 kWh £900 £118 £1,018 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,187
6 kW 5663 kWh 4247 kWh 1416 kWh £1,080 £142 £1,222 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,225
7 kW 6606 kWh 4955 kWh 1652 kWh £1,260 £165 £1,425 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,262
8 kW 7550 kWh 5663 kWh 1888 kWh £1,440 £189 £1,629 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,299

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: £1,033, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1888 kWh 1453 kWh 434 kWh £370 £43 £413 £13,519 32.7 yrs £-5,259
3 kW 2831 kWh 2180 kWh 651 kWh £554 £65 £620 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,163
4 kW 3775 kWh 2907 kWh 868 kWh £739 £87 £826 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,067
5 kW 4719 kWh 3634 kWh 1085 kWh £924 £109 £1,033 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,028
6 kW 5663 kWh 4360 kWh 1302 kWh £1,109 £130 £1,239 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,124
7 kW 6606 kWh 5087 kWh 1519 kWh £1,294 £152 £1,446 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,220
8 kW 7550 kWh 5814 kWh 1737 kWh £1,478 £174 £1,652 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,315

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 TS29

Figures below are tailored to TS29 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1114 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2041 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£872 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2218 of 2997
25.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£872 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
944kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~944 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: 77% • Flats: 1% • Bungalows: 22% Based on 1,633 properties

Coverage

County Durham (100%)

Areas Covered

Trimdon & Wingate, Bowburn & Coxhoe, Thornley & Wheatley Hill, Sedgefield

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

TS28 (County Durham)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~959 kWh/kWp · +2% vs TS29
DH6 (County Durham)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~929 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TS29
SR88 (County Durham)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TS29
SR8 (County Durham)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TS29
DL17 (County Durham)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TS29
TS27 (County Durham)
≈8.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~930 kWh/kWp · -2% vs TS29

Similar sunshine across the UK

L21 (Sefton)
~944 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TS29
S97 (Rotherham)
~944 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TS29
L68 (Sefton)
~944 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TS29