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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in UB1 (Ealing)

See if solar pays off for you in Ealing — 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
12.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£824
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,428
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, the current unit rate is 26.48p/kWh with a 44.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 993 kWh/kW — 8 below the regional median (1001).

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 993 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.5p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.5p/kWh
Standing charge
44.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
993 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: £824, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1987 kWh 795 kWh 1192 kWh £210 £119 £330 £4,069 12.3 yrs £2,523
3 kW 2980 kWh 1192 kWh 1788 kWh £316 £179 £494 £6,104 12.3 yrs £3,785
4 kW 3973 kWh 1589 kWh 2384 kWh £421 £238 £659 £8,138 12.3 yrs £5,046
5 kW 4966 kWh 1987 kWh 2980 kWh £526 £298 £824 £10,173 12.3 yrs £6,308
6 kW 5960 kWh 2384 kWh 3576 kWh £631 £358 £989 £12,207 12.3 yrs £7,570
7 kW 6953 kWh 2781 kWh 4172 kWh £736 £417 £1,154 £14,242 12.3 yrs £8,831
8 kW 7946 kWh 3178 kWh 4768 kWh £842 £477 £1,318 £16,276 12.3 yrs £10,093

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: £988, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1987 kWh 1192 kWh 795 kWh £316 £79 £395 £6,169 15.6 yrs £1,733
3 kW 2980 kWh 1788 kWh 1192 kWh £473 £119 £593 £8,204 13.8 yrs £3,649
4 kW 3973 kWh 2384 kWh 1589 kWh £631 £159 £790 £10,238 13.0 yrs £5,565
5 kW 4966 kWh 2980 kWh 1987 kWh £789 £199 £988 £12,273 12.4 yrs £7,482
6 kW 5960 kWh 3576 kWh 2384 kWh £947 £238 £1,185 £14,307 12.1 yrs £9,398
7 kW 6953 kWh 4172 kWh 2781 kWh £1,105 £278 £1,383 £16,342 11.8 yrs £11,315
8 kW 7946 kWh 4768 kWh 3178 kWh £1,262 £318 £1,580 £18,376 11.6 yrs £13,231

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: £1,070, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 12.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1987 kWh 1391 kWh 596 kWh £368 £60 £428 £7,569 17.7 yrs £987
3 kW 2980 kWh 2086 kWh 894 kWh £552 £89 £642 £9,604 15.0 yrs £3,231
4 kW 3973 kWh 2781 kWh 1192 kWh £736 £119 £856 £11,638 13.6 yrs £5,475
5 kW 4966 kWh 3476 kWh 1490 kWh £921 £149 £1,070 £13,673 12.8 yrs £7,719
6 kW 5960 kWh 4172 kWh 1788 kWh £1,105 £179 £1,283 £15,707 12.2 yrs £9,962
7 kW 6953 kWh 4867 kWh 2086 kWh £1,289 £209 £1,497 £17,742 11.8 yrs £12,206
8 kW 7946 kWh 5562 kWh 2384 kWh £1,473 £238 £1,711 £19,776 11.6 yrs £14,450

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: £1,094, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1987 kWh 1450 kWh 536 kWh £384 £54 £438 £9,319 21.3 yrs £-566
3 kW 2980 kWh 2175 kWh 805 kWh £576 £80 £656 £11,354 17.3 yrs £1,776
4 kW 3973 kWh 2900 kWh 1073 kWh £768 £107 £875 £13,388 15.3 yrs £4,118
5 kW 4966 kWh 3625 kWh 1341 kWh £960 £134 £1,094 £15,423 14.1 yrs £6,460
6 kW 5960 kWh 4351 kWh 1609 kWh £1,152 £161 £1,313 £17,457 13.3 yrs £8,802
7 kW 6953 kWh 5076 kWh 1877 kWh £1,344 £188 £1,532 £19,492 12.7 yrs £11,144
8 kW 7946 kWh 5801 kWh 2145 kWh £1,536 £215 £1,751 £21,526 12.3 yrs £13,486

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: £1,110, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1987 kWh 1490 kWh 497 kWh £395 £50 £444 £11,069 24.9 yrs £-2,185
3 kW 2980 kWh 2235 kWh 745 kWh £592 £74 £666 £13,104 19.7 yrs £222
4 kW 3973 kWh 2980 kWh 993 kWh £789 £99 £888 £15,138 17.0 yrs £2,630
5 kW 4966 kWh 3725 kWh 1242 kWh £986 £124 £1,110 £17,173 15.5 yrs £5,037
6 kW 5960 kWh 4470 kWh 1490 kWh £1,184 £149 £1,333 £19,207 14.4 yrs £7,445
7 kW 6953 kWh 5215 kWh 1738 kWh £1,381 £174 £1,555 £21,242 13.7 yrs £9,852
8 kW 7946 kWh 5960 kWh 1987 kWh £1,578 £199 £1,777 £23,276 13.1 yrs £12,260

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: £1,127, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1987 kWh 1530 kWh 457 kWh £405 £46 £451 £13,519 30.0 yrs £-4,504
3 kW 2980 kWh 2294 kWh 685 kWh £608 £69 £676 £15,554 23.0 yrs £-2,031
4 kW 3973 kWh 3059 kWh 914 kWh £810 £91 £901 £17,588 19.5 yrs £442
5 kW 4966 kWh 3824 kWh 1142 kWh £1,013 £114 £1,127 £19,623 17.4 yrs £2,915
6 kW 5960 kWh 4589 kWh 1371 kWh £1,215 £137 £1,352 £21,657 16.0 yrs £5,387
7 kW 6953 kWh 5354 kWh 1599 kWh £1,418 £160 £1,578 £23,692 15.0 yrs £7,860
8 kW 7946 kWh 6119 kWh 1828 kWh £1,620 £183 £1,803 £25,726 14.3 yrs £10,333

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 UB1

Figures below are tailored to UB1 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1945 of 2182
4.2 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #898 of 2997
10.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£947 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #791 of 2997
17.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£163 fixed • ~£947 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.48p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
44.62p/day
Local Sunshine
993kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~993 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: 45% • Flats: 50% • Bungalows: 1% Based on 8,776 properties

Coverage

Ealing (96%)|Hillingdon (4%)

Areas Covered

Southall Broadway, Dormers Wells, Lady Margaret, Southall West, Hayes Town, Norwood Green

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

UB2 (Ealing)
≈1.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~993 kWh/kWp · -0% vs UB1
UB18 (Ealing)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs UB1
UB4 (Hillingdon)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs UB1
UB3 (Hillingdon)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs UB1
W7 (Ealing)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~992 kWh/kWp · -0% vs UB1
TW5 (Hounslow)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~996 kWh/kWp · +0% vs UB1

Similar sunshine across the UK

SE17 (Southwark)
~993 kWh/kWp · +0% vs UB1
SE5 (Southwark)
~993 kWh/kWp · -0% vs UB1
NN4 (West Northamptonshire)
~993 kWh/kWp · +0% vs UB1