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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WA5 (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
£775
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,192
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 907 kWh/kW — 23 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 907 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)
907 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: £775, 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 1813 kWh 725 kWh 1088 kWh £201 £109 £310 £4,069 13.1 yrs £2,128
3 kW 2720 kWh 1088 kWh 1632 kWh £302 £163 £465 £6,104 13.1 yrs £3,192
4 kW 3626 kWh 1451 kWh 2176 kWh £402 £218 £620 £8,138 13.1 yrs £4,255
5 kW 4533 kWh 1813 kWh 2720 kWh £503 £272 £775 £10,173 13.1 yrs £5,319
6 kW 5440 kWh 2176 kWh 3264 kWh £603 £326 £930 £12,207 13.1 yrs £6,383
7 kW 6346 kWh 2538 kWh 3808 kWh £704 £381 £1,084 £14,242 13.1 yrs £7,447
8 kW 7253 kWh 2901 kWh 4352 kWh £804 £435 £1,239 £16,276 13.1 yrs £8,511

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: £935, 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 1813 kWh 1088 kWh 725 kWh £302 £73 £374 £6,169 16.5 yrs £1,313
3 kW 2720 kWh 1632 kWh 1088 kWh £452 £109 £561 £8,204 14.6 yrs £3,019
4 kW 3626 kWh 2176 kWh 1451 kWh £603 £145 £748 £10,238 13.7 yrs £4,726
5 kW 4533 kWh 2720 kWh 1813 kWh £754 £181 £935 £12,273 13.1 yrs £6,432
6 kW 5440 kWh 3264 kWh 2176 kWh £905 £218 £1,122 £14,307 12.7 yrs £8,139
7 kW 6346 kWh 3808 kWh 2538 kWh £1,055 £254 £1,309 £16,342 12.5 yrs £9,845
8 kW 7253 kWh 4352 kWh 2901 kWh £1,206 £290 £1,496 £18,376 12.3 yrs £11,552

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: £1,016, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1813 kWh 1269 kWh 544 kWh £352 £54 £406 £7,569 18.6 yrs £555
3 kW 2720 kWh 1904 kWh 816 kWh £528 £82 £609 £9,604 15.8 yrs £2,583
4 kW 3626 kWh 2538 kWh 1088 kWh £704 £109 £812 £11,638 14.3 yrs £4,611
5 kW 4533 kWh 3173 kWh 1360 kWh £880 £136 £1,016 £13,673 13.5 yrs £6,639
6 kW 5440 kWh 3808 kWh 1632 kWh £1,055 £163 £1,219 £15,707 12.9 yrs £8,666
7 kW 6346 kWh 4442 kWh 1904 kWh £1,231 £190 £1,422 £17,742 12.5 yrs £10,694
8 kW 7253 kWh 5077 kWh 2176 kWh £1,407 £218 £1,625 £19,776 12.2 yrs £12,722

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: £1,040, 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 1813 kWh 1324 kWh 490 kWh £367 £49 £416 £9,319 22.4 yrs £-1,002
3 kW 2720 kWh 1985 kWh 734 kWh £550 £73 £624 £11,354 18.2 yrs £1,122
4 kW 3626 kWh 2647 kWh 979 kWh £734 £98 £832 £13,388 16.1 yrs £3,247
5 kW 4533 kWh 3309 kWh 1224 kWh £917 £122 £1,040 £15,423 14.8 yrs £5,371
6 kW 5440 kWh 3971 kWh 1469 kWh £1,101 £147 £1,248 £17,457 14.0 yrs £7,495
7 kW 6346 kWh 4633 kWh 1713 kWh £1,284 £171 £1,456 £19,492 13.4 yrs £9,619
8 kW 7253 kWh 5294 kWh 1958 kWh £1,468 £196 £1,663 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,743

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: £1,056, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1813 kWh 1360 kWh 453 kWh £377 £45 £422 £11,069 26.2 yrs £-2,623
3 kW 2720 kWh 2040 kWh 680 kWh £565 £68 £633 £13,104 20.7 yrs £-435
4 kW 3626 kWh 2720 kWh 907 kWh £754 £91 £845 £15,138 17.9 yrs £1,754
5 kW 4533 kWh 3400 kWh 1133 kWh £942 £113 £1,056 £17,173 16.3 yrs £3,942
6 kW 5440 kWh 4080 kWh 1360 kWh £1,131 £136 £1,267 £19,207 15.2 yrs £6,130
7 kW 6346 kWh 4760 kWh 1587 kWh £1,319 £159 £1,478 £21,242 14.4 yrs £8,319
8 kW 7253 kWh 5440 kWh 1813 kWh £1,508 £181 £1,689 £23,276 13.8 yrs £10,507

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: £1,072, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1813 kWh 1396 kWh 417 kWh £387 £42 £429 £13,519 31.5 yrs £-4,945
3 kW 2720 kWh 2094 kWh 626 kWh £581 £63 £643 £15,554 24.2 yrs £-2,692
4 kW 3626 kWh 2792 kWh 834 kWh £774 £83 £857 £17,588 20.5 yrs £-439
5 kW 4533 kWh 3490 kWh 1043 kWh £968 £104 £1,072 £19,623 18.3 yrs £1,813
6 kW 5440 kWh 4188 kWh 1251 kWh £1,161 £125 £1,286 £21,657 16.8 yrs £4,066
7 kW 6346 kWh 4887 kWh 1460 kWh £1,355 £146 £1,501 £23,692 15.8 yrs £6,319
8 kW 7253 kWh 5585 kWh 1668 kWh £1,548 £167 £1,715 £25,726 15.0 yrs £8,571

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 WA5

Figures below are tailored to WA5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1379 of 2182
4.8 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1717 of 2997
11.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£895 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2598 of 2997
28.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£255 fixed • ~£895 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.72p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
69.95p/day
Local Sunshine
907kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~907 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: 75% • Flats: 15% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 14,805 properties

Coverage

Warrington (100%)

Areas Covered

Bewsey and Whitecross, Westbrook, Penketh and Cuerdley, Great Sankey North and Whittle Hall, Chapelford and Old Hall, Great Sankey South, Burtonwood and Winwick, Newton-le-Willows West + 1 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

WA55 (Warrington)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA5
WA1 (Warrington)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA5
WA2 (Warrington)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WA5
WA4 (Warrington)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~910 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA5
WA9 (St. Helens)
≈7.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WA5
WA8 (Halton)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WA5

Similar sunshine across the UK

BD16 (Bradford)
~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA5
BD18 (Bradford)
~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA5
NE42 (Northumberland)
~907 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WA5