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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WR14 (Malvern Hills)

See if solar pays off for you in Malvern Hills — 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
12.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£790
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,575
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 Midlands, the current unit rate is 25.64p/kWh with a 53.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 972 kWh/kW — 30 above the regional median (942).

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 972 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.6p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.6p/kWh
Standing charge
53.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
972 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: £790, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 12.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1944 kWh 777 kWh 1166 kWh £199 £117 £316 £4,069 12.9 yrs £2,250
3 kW 2916 kWh 1166 kWh 1749 kWh £299 £175 £474 £6,104 12.9 yrs £3,376
4 kW 3887 kWh 1555 kWh 2332 kWh £399 £233 £632 £8,138 12.9 yrs £4,501
5 kW 4859 kWh 1944 kWh 2916 kWh £498 £292 £790 £10,173 12.9 yrs £5,626
6 kW 5831 kWh 2332 kWh 3499 kWh £598 £350 £948 £12,207 12.9 yrs £6,751
7 kW 6803 kWh 2721 kWh 4082 kWh £698 £408 £1,106 £14,242 12.9 yrs £7,876
8 kW 7775 kWh 3110 kWh 4665 kWh £797 £466 £1,264 £16,276 12.9 yrs £9,001

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: £942, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1944 kWh 1166 kWh 777 kWh £299 £78 £377 £6,169 16.4 yrs £1,366
3 kW 2916 kWh 1749 kWh 1166 kWh £449 £117 £565 £8,204 14.5 yrs £3,099
4 kW 3887 kWh 2332 kWh 1555 kWh £598 £155 £754 £10,238 13.6 yrs £4,833
5 kW 4859 kWh 2916 kWh 1944 kWh £748 £194 £942 £12,273 13.0 yrs £6,566
6 kW 5831 kWh 3499 kWh 2332 kWh £897 £233 £1,130 £14,307 12.7 yrs £8,299
7 kW 6803 kWh 4082 kWh 2721 kWh £1,047 £272 £1,319 £16,342 12.4 yrs £10,032
8 kW 7775 kWh 4665 kWh 3110 kWh £1,196 £311 £1,507 £18,376 12.2 yrs £11,765

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: £1,018, 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 1944 kWh 1361 kWh 583 kWh £349 £58 £407 £7,569 18.6 yrs £574
3 kW 2916 kWh 2041 kWh 875 kWh £523 £87 £611 £9,604 15.7 yrs £2,611
4 kW 3887 kWh 2721 kWh 1166 kWh £698 £117 £814 £11,638 14.3 yrs £4,649
5 kW 4859 kWh 3401 kWh 1458 kWh £872 £146 £1,018 £13,673 13.4 yrs £6,686
6 kW 5831 kWh 4082 kWh 1749 kWh £1,047 £175 £1,221 £15,707 12.9 yrs £8,723
7 kW 6803 kWh 4762 kWh 2041 kWh £1,221 £204 £1,425 £17,742 12.4 yrs £10,760
8 kW 7775 kWh 5442 kWh 2332 kWh £1,395 £233 £1,629 £19,776 12.1 yrs £12,797

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: £1,041, 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 1944 kWh 1419 kWh 525 kWh £364 £52 £416 £9,319 22.4 yrs £-993
3 kW 2916 kWh 2128 kWh 787 kWh £546 £79 £624 £11,354 18.2 yrs £1,135
4 kW 3887 kWh 2838 kWh 1050 kWh £728 £105 £833 £13,388 16.1 yrs £3,263
5 kW 4859 kWh 3547 kWh 1312 kWh £910 £131 £1,041 £15,423 14.8 yrs £5,392
6 kW 5831 kWh 4257 kWh 1574 kWh £1,091 £157 £1,249 £17,457 14.0 yrs £7,520
7 kW 6803 kWh 4966 kWh 1837 kWh £1,273 £184 £1,457 £19,492 13.4 yrs £9,648
8 kW 7775 kWh 5676 kWh 2099 kWh £1,455 £210 £1,665 £21,526 12.9 yrs £11,777

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 1944 kWh 1458 kWh 486 kWh £374 £49 £422 £11,069 26.2 yrs £-2,622
3 kW 2916 kWh 2187 kWh 729 kWh £561 £73 £634 £13,104 20.7 yrs £-433
4 kW 3887 kWh 2916 kWh 972 kWh £748 £97 £845 £15,138 17.9 yrs £1,757
5 kW 4859 kWh 3644 kWh 1215 kWh £934 £121 £1,056 £17,173 16.3 yrs £3,946
6 kW 5831 kWh 4373 kWh 1458 kWh £1,121 £146 £1,267 £19,207 15.2 yrs £6,135
7 kW 6803 kWh 5102 kWh 1701 kWh £1,308 £170 £1,478 £21,242 14.4 yrs £8,324
8 kW 7775 kWh 5831 kWh 1944 kWh £1,495 £194 £1,689 £23,276 13.8 yrs £10,513

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: £1,071, 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 1944 kWh 1497 kWh 447 kWh £384 £45 £428 £13,519 31.6 yrs £-4,950
3 kW 2916 kWh 2245 kWh 671 kWh £576 £67 £643 £15,554 24.2 yrs £-2,700
4 kW 3887 kWh 2993 kWh 894 kWh £767 £89 £857 £17,588 20.5 yrs £-450
5 kW 4859 kWh 3742 kWh 1118 kWh £959 £112 £1,071 £19,623 18.3 yrs £1,800
6 kW 5831 kWh 4490 kWh 1341 kWh £1,151 £134 £1,285 £21,657 16.8 yrs £4,050
7 kW 6803 kWh 5238 kWh 1565 kWh £1,343 £156 £1,500 £23,692 15.8 yrs £6,300
8 kW 7775 kWh 5987 kWh 1788 kWh £1,535 £179 £1,714 £25,726 15.0 yrs £8,550

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 WR14

Figures below are tailored to WR14 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1052 of 2182
5.0 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1634 of 2997
11.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£904 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1701 of 2997
21.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£904 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
972kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~972 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: 57% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 13% Based on 10,530 properties

Coverage

Malvern Hills (99%)|Herefordshire, County of (1%)

Areas Covered

Great Malvern, Barnards Green, Link, West, Castlemorton, Welland & Wells, Upper Howsell, Pickersleigh + 2 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 Midlands

WR13 (Malvern Hills)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~975 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR14
WR8 (Malvern Hills)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~975 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR14
WR2 (Worcester)
≈10.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~970 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR14
HR8 (Herefordshire, County of)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~978 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WR14
WR5 (Worcester)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR14
WR1 (Worcester)
≈11.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~971 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR14

Similar sunshine across the UK

SA67 (Pembrokeshire)
~972 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR14
NG12 (Rushcliffe)
~971 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR14
EX32 (North Devon)
~971 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR14