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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WF12 (Kirklees)

See if solar pays off for you in Kirklees — 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
13.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£742
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,388
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 Yorkshire, the current unit rate is 25.33p/kWh with a 58.65p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 920 kWh/kW — 9 below the regional median (929).

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 920 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.3p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.3p/kWh
Standing charge
58.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
920 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: £742, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 736 kWh 1105 kWh £187 £110 £297 £4,069 13.7 yrs £1,870
3 kW 2761 kWh 1105 kWh 1657 kWh £280 £166 £445 £6,104 13.7 yrs £2,806
4 kW 3682 kWh 1473 kWh 2209 kWh £373 £221 £594 £8,138 13.7 yrs £3,741
5 kW 4602 kWh 1841 kWh 2761 kWh £466 £276 £742 £10,173 13.7 yrs £4,676
6 kW 5523 kWh 2209 kWh 3314 kWh £560 £331 £891 £12,207 13.7 yrs £5,611
7 kW 6443 kWh 2577 kWh 3866 kWh £653 £387 £1,039 £14,242 13.7 yrs £6,546
8 kW 7364 kWh 2945 kWh 4418 kWh £746 £442 £1,188 £16,276 13.7 yrs £7,482

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: £884, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1841 kWh 1105 kWh 736 kWh £280 £74 £353 £6,169 17.5 yrs £899
3 kW 2761 kWh 1657 kWh 1105 kWh £420 £110 £530 £8,204 15.5 yrs £2,399
4 kW 3682 kWh 2209 kWh 1473 kWh £560 £147 £707 £10,238 14.5 yrs £3,898
5 kW 4602 kWh 2761 kWh 1841 kWh £699 £184 £884 £12,273 13.9 yrs £5,398
6 kW 5523 kWh 3314 kWh 2209 kWh £839 £221 £1,060 £14,307 13.5 yrs £6,898
7 kW 6443 kWh 3866 kWh 2577 kWh £979 £258 £1,237 £16,342 13.2 yrs £8,397
8 kW 7364 kWh 4418 kWh 2945 kWh £1,119 £295 £1,414 £18,376 13.0 yrs £9,897

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: £954, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1289 kWh 552 kWh £326 £55 £382 £7,569 19.8 yrs £64
3 kW 2761 kWh 1933 kWh 828 kWh £490 £83 £572 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,845
4 kW 3682 kWh 2577 kWh 1105 kWh £653 £110 £763 £11,638 15.2 yrs £3,627
5 kW 4602 kWh 3222 kWh 1381 kWh £816 £138 £954 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,409
6 kW 5523 kWh 3866 kWh 1657 kWh £979 £166 £1,145 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,191
7 kW 6443 kWh 4510 kWh 1933 kWh £1,142 £193 £1,336 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,973
8 kW 7364 kWh 5154 kWh 2209 kWh £1,306 £221 £1,527 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,755

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: £975, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1344 kWh 497 kWh £340 £50 £390 £9,319 23.9 yrs £-1,517
3 kW 2761 kWh 2016 kWh 746 kWh £511 £75 £585 £11,354 19.4 yrs £349
4 kW 3682 kWh 2688 kWh 994 kWh £681 £99 £780 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,216
5 kW 4602 kWh 3360 kWh 1243 kWh £851 £124 £975 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,082
6 kW 5523 kWh 4032 kWh 1491 kWh £1,021 £149 £1,170 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,949
7 kW 6443 kWh 4703 kWh 1740 kWh £1,191 £174 £1,365 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,815
8 kW 7364 kWh 5375 kWh 1988 kWh £1,362 £199 £1,560 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,682

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: £989, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1841 kWh 1381 kWh 460 kWh £350 £46 £396 £11,069 28.0 yrs £-3,154
3 kW 2761 kWh 2071 kWh 690 kWh £525 £69 £594 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,231
4 kW 3682 kWh 2761 kWh 920 kWh £699 £92 £791 £15,138 19.1 yrs £692
5 kW 4602 kWh 3452 kWh 1151 kWh £874 £115 £989 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,615
6 kW 5523 kWh 4142 kWh 1381 kWh £1,049 £138 £1,187 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,538
7 kW 6443 kWh 4832 kWh 1611 kWh £1,224 £161 £1,385 £21,242 15.3 yrs £6,460
8 kW 7364 kWh 5523 kWh 1841 kWh £1,399 £184 £1,583 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,383

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: £1,003, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1841 kWh 1417 kWh 423 kWh £359 £42 £401 £13,519 33.7 yrs £-5,491
3 kW 2761 kWh 2126 kWh 635 kWh £539 £64 £602 £15,554 25.8 yrs £-3,512
4 kW 3682 kWh 2835 kWh 847 kWh £718 £85 £803 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,533
5 kW 4602 kWh 3544 kWh 1059 kWh £898 £106 £1,003 £19,623 19.6 yrs £447
6 kW 5523 kWh 4252 kWh 1270 kWh £1,077 £127 £1,204 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,426
7 kW 6443 kWh 4961 kWh 1482 kWh £1,257 £148 £1,405 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,406
8 kW 7364 kWh 5670 kWh 1694 kWh £1,436 £169 £1,606 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,385

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 WF12

Figures below are tailored to WF12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1261 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2368 of 2997
12.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£848 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2249 of 2997
25.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£848 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
920kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~920 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: 79% • Flats: 11% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 7,388 properties

Coverage

Kirklees (99%)|Leeds (1%)|Wakefield (1%)

Areas Covered

Dewsbury South, Dewsbury East, Dewsbury West, Batley East, Morley South, Ossett, Wakefield Rural, Kirkburton

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 Yorkshire

WF13 (Kirklees)
≈1.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~932 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WF12
WF5 (Wakefield)
≈3.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~931 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WF12
WF17 (Kirklees)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~921 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WF12
WF16 (Kirklees)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~922 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WF12
WF14 (Kirklees)
≈4.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WF12
WF15 (Kirklees)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~922 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WF12

Similar sunshine across the UK

L18 (Liverpool)
~920 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WF12
CA95 (Cumberland)
~920 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WF12
DH98 (Gateshead)
~920 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WF12