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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WF8 (Wakefield)

See if solar pays off for you in Wakefield — 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
£766
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,969
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 949 kWh/kW — 20 above 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 949 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)
949 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: £766, 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 1899 kWh 759 kWh 1139 kWh £192 £114 £306 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,056
3 kW 2848 kWh 1139 kWh 1709 kWh £289 £171 £459 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,085
4 kW 3797 kWh 1519 kWh 2278 kWh £385 £228 £613 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,113
5 kW 4746 kWh 1899 kWh 2848 kWh £481 £285 £766 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,141
6 kW 5696 kWh 2278 kWh 3417 kWh £577 £342 £919 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,169
7 kW 6645 kWh 2658 kWh 3987 kWh £673 £399 £1,072 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,198
8 kW 7594 kWh 3038 kWh 4556 kWh £769 £456 £1,225 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,226

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: £911, 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 1899 kWh 1139 kWh 759 kWh £289 £76 £364 £6,169 16.9 yrs £1,121
3 kW 2848 kWh 1709 kWh 1139 kWh £433 £114 £547 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,731
4 kW 3797 kWh 2278 kWh 1519 kWh £577 £152 £729 £10,238 14.0 yrs £4,341
5 kW 4746 kWh 2848 kWh 1899 kWh £721 £190 £911 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,952
6 kW 5696 kWh 3417 kWh 2278 kWh £866 £228 £1,093 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,562
7 kW 6645 kWh 3987 kWh 2658 kWh £1,010 £266 £1,276 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,172
8 kW 7594 kWh 4556 kWh 3038 kWh £1,154 £304 £1,458 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,782

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: £984, 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 1899 kWh 1329 kWh 570 kWh £337 £57 £394 £7,569 19.2 yrs £303
3 kW 2848 kWh 1993 kWh 854 kWh £505 £85 £590 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,204
4 kW 3797 kWh 2658 kWh 1139 kWh £673 £114 £787 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,105
5 kW 4746 kWh 3322 kWh 1424 kWh £842 £142 £984 £13,673 13.9 yrs £6,007
6 kW 5696 kWh 3987 kWh 1709 kWh £1,010 £171 £1,181 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,908
7 kW 6645 kWh 4651 kWh 1993 kWh £1,178 £199 £1,378 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,809
8 kW 7594 kWh 5316 kWh 2278 kWh £1,347 £228 £1,574 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,711

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: £1,006, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1899 kWh 1386 kWh 513 kWh £351 £51 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,273
3 kW 2848 kWh 2079 kWh 769 kWh £527 £77 £603 £11,354 18.8 yrs £716
4 kW 3797 kWh 2772 kWh 1025 kWh £702 £103 £805 £13,388 16.6 yrs £2,705
5 kW 4746 kWh 3465 kWh 1282 kWh £878 £128 £1,006 £15,423 15.3 yrs £4,693
6 kW 5696 kWh 4158 kWh 1538 kWh £1,053 £154 £1,207 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,682
7 kW 6645 kWh 4851 kWh 1794 kWh £1,229 £179 £1,408 £19,492 13.8 yrs £8,671
8 kW 7594 kWh 5544 kWh 2050 kWh £1,404 £205 £1,609 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,659

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: £1,020, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1899 kWh 1424 kWh 475 kWh £361 £47 £408 £11,069 27.1 yrs £-2,906
3 kW 2848 kWh 2136 kWh 712 kWh £541 £71 £612 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-859
4 kW 3797 kWh 2848 kWh 949 kWh £721 £95 £816 £15,138 18.5 yrs £1,188
5 kW 4746 kWh 3560 kWh 1187 kWh £902 £119 £1,020 £17,173 16.8 yrs £3,234
6 kW 5696 kWh 4272 kWh 1424 kWh £1,082 £142 £1,224 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,281
7 kW 6645 kWh 4984 kWh 1661 kWh £1,262 £166 £1,428 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,328
8 kW 7594 kWh 5696 kWh 1899 kWh £1,443 £190 £1,633 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,375

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: £1,035, 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 1899 kWh 1462 kWh 437 kWh £370 £44 £414 £13,519 32.7 yrs £-5,240
3 kW 2848 kWh 2193 kWh 655 kWh £555 £65 £621 £15,554 25.0 yrs £-3,135
4 kW 3797 kWh 2924 kWh 873 kWh £741 £87 £828 £17,588 21.2 yrs £-1,030
5 kW 4746 kWh 3655 kWh 1092 kWh £926 £109 £1,035 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,075
6 kW 5696 kWh 4386 kWh 1310 kWh £1,111 £131 £1,242 £21,657 17.4 yrs £3,181
7 kW 6645 kWh 5117 kWh 1528 kWh £1,296 £153 £1,449 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,286
8 kW 7594 kWh 5848 kWh 1747 kWh £1,481 £175 £1,656 £25,726 15.5 yrs £7,391

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 WF8

Figures below are tailored to WF8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1167 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1914 of 2997
11.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£875 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2170 of 2997
24.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£214 fixed • ~£875 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
949kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~949 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: 66% • Flats: 20% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 14,491 properties

Coverage

Wakefield (97%)|North Yorkshire (3%)

Areas Covered

Pontefract North, Pontefract South, Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton, Osgoldcross, Norton & Askern, Airedale and Ferry Fryston

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

WF7 (Wakefield)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~945 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WF8
WF11 (Wakefield)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~953 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WF8
WF10 (Wakefield)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WF8
WF6 (Wakefield)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~941 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WF8
WF9 (Wakefield)
≈9.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~954 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WF8
LS25 (Leeds)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · -2% vs WF8

Similar sunshine across the UK

NE66 (Northumberland)
~949 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WF8
NG9 (Broxtowe)
~949 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WF8
DE75 (Amber Valley)
~949 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WF8