Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in WF90 (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
13.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£754
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,684
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

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 935 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)
935 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: £754, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1870 kWh 748 kWh 1122 kWh £189 £112 £302 £4,069 13.5 yrs £1,965
3 kW 2805 kWh 1122 kWh 1683 kWh £284 £168 £453 £6,104 13.5 yrs £2,948
4 kW 3740 kWh 1496 kWh 2244 kWh £379 £224 £603 £8,138 13.5 yrs £3,930
5 kW 4676 kWh 1870 kWh 2805 kWh £474 £281 £754 £10,173 13.5 yrs £4,913
6 kW 5611 kWh 2244 kWh 3366 kWh £568 £337 £905 £12,207 13.5 yrs £5,895
7 kW 6546 kWh 2618 kWh 3928 kWh £663 £393 £1,056 £14,242 13.5 yrs £6,878
8 kW 7481 kWh 2992 kWh 4489 kWh £758 £449 £1,207 £16,276 13.5 yrs £7,860

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: £898, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1870 kWh 1122 kWh 748 kWh £284 £75 £359 £6,169 17.2 yrs £1,012
3 kW 2805 kWh 1683 kWh 1122 kWh £426 £112 £539 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,568
4 kW 3740 kWh 2244 kWh 1496 kWh £568 £150 £718 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,124
5 kW 4676 kWh 2805 kWh 1870 kWh £711 £187 £898 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,680
6 kW 5611 kWh 3366 kWh 2244 kWh £853 £224 £1,077 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,236
7 kW 6546 kWh 3928 kWh 2618 kWh £995 £262 £1,257 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,792
8 kW 7481 kWh 4489 kWh 2992 kWh £1,137 £299 £1,436 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,348

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: £969, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1870 kWh 1309 kWh 561 kWh £332 £56 £388 £7,569 19.5 yrs £185
3 kW 2805 kWh 1964 kWh 842 kWh £497 £84 £582 £9,604 16.5 yrs £2,028
4 kW 3740 kWh 2618 kWh 1122 kWh £663 £112 £775 £11,638 15.0 yrs £3,871
5 kW 4676 kWh 3273 kWh 1403 kWh £829 £140 £969 £13,673 14.1 yrs £5,713
6 kW 5611 kWh 3928 kWh 1683 kWh £995 £168 £1,163 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,556
7 kW 6546 kWh 4582 kWh 1964 kWh £1,161 £196 £1,357 £17,742 13.1 yrs £9,399
8 kW 7481 kWh 5237 kWh 2244 kWh £1,326 £224 £1,551 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,241

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: £991, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1870 kWh 1365 kWh 505 kWh £346 £50 £396 £9,319 23.5 yrs £-1,393
3 kW 2805 kWh 2048 kWh 757 kWh £519 £76 £594 £11,354 19.1 yrs £536
4 kW 3740 kWh 2731 kWh 1010 kWh £692 £101 £793 £13,388 16.9 yrs £2,465
5 kW 4676 kWh 3413 kWh 1262 kWh £865 £126 £991 £15,423 15.6 yrs £4,393
6 kW 5611 kWh 4096 kWh 1515 kWh £1,037 £151 £1,189 £17,457 14.7 yrs £6,322
7 kW 6546 kWh 4778 kWh 1767 kWh £1,210 £177 £1,387 £19,492 14.1 yrs £8,251
8 kW 7481 kWh 5461 kWh 2020 kWh £1,383 £202 £1,585 £21,526 13.6 yrs £10,180

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: £1,005, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1870 kWh 1403 kWh 468 kWh £355 £47 £402 £11,069 27.5 yrs £-3,028
3 kW 2805 kWh 2104 kWh 701 kWh £533 £70 £603 £13,104 21.7 yrs £-1,042
4 kW 3740 kWh 2805 kWh 935 kWh £711 £94 £804 £15,138 18.8 yrs £944
5 kW 4676 kWh 3507 kWh 1169 kWh £888 £117 £1,005 £17,173 17.1 yrs £2,930
6 kW 5611 kWh 4208 kWh 1403 kWh £1,066 £140 £1,206 £19,207 15.9 yrs £4,916
7 kW 6546 kWh 4909 kWh 1636 kWh £1,244 £164 £1,407 £21,242 15.1 yrs £6,902
8 kW 7481 kWh 5611 kWh 1870 kWh £1,421 £187 £1,608 £23,276 14.5 yrs £8,888

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: £1,019, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1870 kWh 1440 kWh 430 kWh £365 £43 £408 £13,519 33.2 yrs £-5,363
3 kW 2805 kWh 2160 kWh 645 kWh £547 £65 £612 £15,554 25.4 yrs £-3,320
4 kW 3740 kWh 2880 kWh 860 kWh £730 £86 £816 £17,588 21.6 yrs £-1,276
5 kW 4676 kWh 3600 kWh 1075 kWh £912 £108 £1,019 £19,623 19.2 yrs £767
6 kW 5611 kWh 4320 kWh 1290 kWh £1,094 £129 £1,223 £21,657 17.7 yrs £2,810
7 kW 6546 kWh 5040 kWh 1506 kWh £1,277 £151 £1,427 £23,692 16.6 yrs £4,854
8 kW 7481 kWh 5760 kWh 1721 kWh £1,459 £172 £1,631 £25,726 15.8 yrs £6,897

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.33p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.65p/day
Local Sunshine
935kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~935 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Wakefield (100%)

Areas Covered

Wakefield East, Wakefield West

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.