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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WA4 (Warrington)

See if solar pays off for you in Warrington — 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
13.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£778
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,268
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 North Wales and Mersey, the current unit rate is 27.72p/kWh with a 69.95p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 910 kWh/kW — 20 below the regional median (930).

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 910 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.7p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.7p/kWh
Standing charge
70.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
910 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: £778, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 728 kWh 1092 kWh £202 £109 £311 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,152
3 kW 2730 kWh 1092 kWh 1638 kWh £303 £164 £467 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,228
4 kW 3641 kWh 1456 kWh 2184 kWh £404 £218 £622 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,304
5 kW 4551 kWh 1820 kWh 2730 kWh £505 £273 £778 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,380
6 kW 5461 kWh 2184 kWh 3277 kWh £606 £328 £933 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,456
7 kW 6371 kWh 2548 kWh 3823 kWh £706 £382 £1,089 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,532
8 kW 7281 kWh 2913 kWh 4369 kWh £807 £437 £1,244 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,608

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: £939, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1092 kWh 728 kWh £303 £73 £376 £6,169 16.4 yrs £1,342
3 kW 2730 kWh 1638 kWh 1092 kWh £454 £109 £563 £8,204 14.6 yrs £3,064
4 kW 3641 kWh 2184 kWh 1456 kWh £606 £146 £751 £10,238 13.6 yrs £4,785
5 kW 4551 kWh 2730 kWh 1820 kWh £757 £182 £939 £12,273 13.1 yrs £6,506
6 kW 5461 kWh 3277 kWh 2184 kWh £908 £218 £1,127 £14,307 12.7 yrs £8,227
7 kW 6371 kWh 3823 kWh 2548 kWh £1,060 £255 £1,314 £16,342 12.4 yrs £9,948
8 kW 7281 kWh 4369 kWh 2913 kWh £1,211 £291 £1,502 £18,376 12.2 yrs £11,669

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: £1,020, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1274 kWh 546 kWh £353 £55 £408 £7,569 18.6 yrs £587
3 kW 2730 kWh 1911 kWh 819 kWh £530 £82 £612 £9,604 15.7 yrs £2,631
4 kW 3641 kWh 2548 kWh 1092 kWh £706 £109 £816 £11,638 14.3 yrs £4,675
5 kW 4551 kWh 3186 kWh 1365 kWh £883 £137 £1,020 £13,673 13.4 yrs £6,719
6 kW 5461 kWh 3823 kWh 1638 kWh £1,060 £164 £1,223 £15,707 12.8 yrs £8,762
7 kW 6371 kWh 4460 kWh 1911 kWh £1,236 £191 £1,427 £17,742 12.4 yrs £10,806
8 kW 7281 kWh 5097 kWh 2184 kWh £1,413 £218 £1,631 £19,776 12.1 yrs £12,850

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: £1,044, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1820 kWh 1329 kWh 491 kWh £368 £49 £418 £9,319 22.3 yrs £-969
3 kW 2730 kWh 1993 kWh 737 kWh £553 £74 £626 £11,354 18.1 yrs £1,172
4 kW 3641 kWh 2658 kWh 983 kWh £737 £98 £835 £13,388 16.0 yrs £3,312
5 kW 4551 kWh 3322 kWh 1229 kWh £921 £123 £1,044 £15,423 14.8 yrs £5,453
6 kW 5461 kWh 3987 kWh 1474 kWh £1,105 £147 £1,253 £17,457 13.9 yrs £7,593
7 kW 6371 kWh 4651 kWh 1720 kWh £1,289 £172 £1,461 £19,492 13.3 yrs £9,734
8 kW 7281 kWh 5315 kWh 1966 kWh £1,473 £197 £1,670 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,874

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: £1,060, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1820 kWh 1365 kWh 455 kWh £378 £46 £424 £11,069 26.1 yrs £-2,590
3 kW 2730 kWh 2048 kWh 683 kWh £568 £68 £636 £13,104 20.6 yrs £-385
4 kW 3641 kWh 2730 kWh 910 kWh £757 £91 £848 £15,138 17.9 yrs £1,820
5 kW 4551 kWh 3413 kWh 1138 kWh £946 £114 £1,060 £17,173 16.2 yrs £4,025
6 kW 5461 kWh 4096 kWh 1365 kWh £1,135 £137 £1,272 £19,207 15.1 yrs £6,230
7 kW 6371 kWh 4778 kWh 1593 kWh £1,325 £159 £1,484 £21,242 14.3 yrs £8,435
8 kW 7281 kWh 5461 kWh 1820 kWh £1,514 £182 £1,696 £23,276 13.7 yrs £10,640

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: £1,076, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1820 kWh 1402 kWh 419 kWh £389 £42 £430 £13,519 31.4 yrs £-4,911
3 kW 2730 kWh 2102 kWh 628 kWh £583 £63 £646 £15,554 24.1 yrs £-2,641
4 kW 3641 kWh 2803 kWh 837 kWh £777 £84 £861 £17,588 20.4 yrs £-372
5 kW 4551 kWh 3504 kWh 1047 kWh £971 £105 £1,076 £19,623 18.2 yrs £1,898
6 kW 5461 kWh 4205 kWh 1256 kWh £1,166 £126 £1,291 £21,657 16.8 yrs £4,167
7 kW 6371 kWh 4906 kWh 1465 kWh £1,360 £147 £1,506 £23,692 15.7 yrs £6,437
8 kW 7281 kWh 5607 kWh 1675 kWh £1,554 £167 £1,722 £25,726 14.9 yrs £8,706

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 WA4

Figures below are tailored to WA4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1151 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1626 of 2997
11.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£899 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2591 of 2997
28.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£255 fixed • ~£899 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.72p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
69.95p/day
Local Sunshine
910kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~910 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: 71% • Flats: 21% • Bungalows: 8% Based on 13,343 properties

Coverage

Warrington (90%)|Halton (5%)|Cheshire West and Chester (4%)

Areas Covered

Bewsey and Whitecross, Appleton, Grappenhall, Latchford East, Stockton Heath, Latchford West, Lymm North and Thelwall, Daresbury + 5 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 North Wales and Mersey

WA1 (Warrington)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA4
WA55 (Warrington)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA4
WA2 (Warrington)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WA4
WA5 (Warrington)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~907 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WA4
WA13 (Warrington)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WA4
WA7 (Halton)
≈9.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~918 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WA4

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS20 (Leeds)
~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA4
CA7 (Cumberland)
~910 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WA4
DL6 (North Yorkshire)
~910 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WA4