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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WR4 (Worcester)

See if solar pays off for you in Worcester — 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
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£629
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,588
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 967 kWh/kW — 25 above the regional median (942).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 4.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 967 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)
967 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: £786, 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 1935 kWh 774 kWh 1161 kWh £198 £116 £315 £4,069 12.9 yrs £2,221
3 kW 2902 kWh 1161 kWh 1741 kWh £298 £174 £472 £6,104 12.9 yrs £3,332
4 kW 3870 kWh 1548 kWh 2322 kWh £397 £232 £629 £8,138 12.9 yrs £4,443
5 kW 4837 kWh 1935 kWh 2902 kWh £496 £290 £786 £10,173 12.9 yrs £5,554
6 kW 5804 kWh 2322 kWh 3483 kWh £595 £348 £944 £12,207 12.9 yrs £6,664
7 kW 6772 kWh 2709 kWh 4063 kWh £695 £406 £1,101 £14,242 12.9 yrs £7,775
8 kW 7739 kWh 3096 kWh 4644 kWh £794 £464 £1,258 £16,276 12.9 yrs £8,886

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: £938, 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 1935 kWh 1161 kWh 774 kWh £298 £77 £375 £6,169 16.4 yrs £1,332
3 kW 2902 kWh 1741 kWh 1161 kWh £446 £116 £563 £8,204 14.6 yrs £3,048
4 kW 3870 kWh 2322 kWh 1548 kWh £595 £155 £750 £10,238 13.6 yrs £4,764
5 kW 4837 kWh 2902 kWh 1935 kWh £744 £193 £938 £12,273 13.1 yrs £6,480
6 kW 5804 kWh 3483 kWh 2322 kWh £893 £232 £1,125 £14,307 12.7 yrs £8,196
7 kW 6772 kWh 4063 kWh 2709 kWh £1,042 £271 £1,313 £16,342 12.4 yrs £9,912
8 kW 7739 kWh 4644 kWh 3096 kWh £1,191 £310 £1,500 £18,376 12.2 yrs £11,628

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: £1,013, 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 1935 kWh 1354 kWh 580 kWh £347 £58 £405 £7,569 18.7 yrs £537
3 kW 2902 kWh 2032 kWh 871 kWh £521 £87 £608 £9,604 15.8 yrs £2,556
4 kW 3870 kWh 2709 kWh 1161 kWh £695 £116 £811 £11,638 14.4 yrs £4,574
5 kW 4837 kWh 3386 kWh 1451 kWh £868 £145 £1,013 £13,673 13.5 yrs £6,593
6 kW 5804 kWh 4063 kWh 1741 kWh £1,042 £174 £1,216 £15,707 12.9 yrs £8,611
7 kW 6772 kWh 4740 kWh 2032 kWh £1,215 £203 £1,419 £17,742 12.5 yrs £10,630
8 kW 7739 kWh 5417 kWh 2322 kWh £1,389 £232 £1,621 £19,776 12.2 yrs £12,648

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: £1,036, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1935 kWh 1412 kWh 522 kWh £362 £52 £414 £9,319 22.5 yrs £-1,031
3 kW 2902 kWh 2119 kWh 784 kWh £543 £78 £622 £11,354 18.3 yrs £1,078
4 kW 3870 kWh 2825 kWh 1045 kWh £724 £104 £829 £13,388 16.2 yrs £3,187
5 kW 4837 kWh 3531 kWh 1306 kWh £905 £131 £1,036 £15,423 14.9 yrs £5,297
6 kW 5804 kWh 4237 kWh 1567 kWh £1,086 £157 £1,243 £17,457 14.0 yrs £7,406
7 kW 6772 kWh 4943 kWh 1828 kWh £1,268 £183 £1,450 £19,492 13.4 yrs £9,515
8 kW 7739 kWh 5650 kWh 2090 kWh £1,449 £209 £1,658 £21,526 13.0 yrs £11,625

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: £1,051, 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 1935 kWh 1451 kWh 484 kWh £372 £48 £420 £11,069 26.3 yrs £-2,660
3 kW 2902 kWh 2177 kWh 726 kWh £558 £73 £631 £13,104 20.8 yrs £-490
4 kW 3870 kWh 2902 kWh 967 kWh £744 £97 £841 £15,138 18.0 yrs £1,679
5 kW 4837 kWh 3628 kWh 1209 kWh £930 £121 £1,051 £17,173 16.3 yrs £3,849
6 kW 5804 kWh 4353 kWh 1451 kWh £1,116 £145 £1,261 £19,207 15.2 yrs £6,019
7 kW 6772 kWh 5079 kWh 1693 kWh £1,302 £169 £1,472 £21,242 14.4 yrs £8,189
8 kW 7739 kWh 5804 kWh 1935 kWh £1,488 £193 £1,682 £23,276 13.8 yrs £10,359

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: £1,066, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1935 kWh 1490 kWh 445 kWh £382 £45 £426 £13,519 31.7 yrs £-4,989
3 kW 2902 kWh 2235 kWh 668 kWh £573 £67 £640 £15,554 24.3 yrs £-2,759
4 kW 3870 kWh 2980 kWh 890 kWh £764 £89 £853 £17,588 20.6 yrs £-528
5 kW 4837 kWh 3725 kWh 1113 kWh £955 £111 £1,066 £19,623 18.4 yrs £1,702
6 kW 5804 kWh 4469 kWh 1335 kWh £1,146 £134 £1,279 £21,657 16.9 yrs £3,932
7 kW 6772 kWh 5214 kWh 1558 kWh £1,337 £156 £1,493 £23,692 15.9 yrs £6,163
8 kW 7739 kWh 5959 kWh 1780 kWh £1,528 £178 £1,706 £25,726 15.1 yrs £8,393

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 WR4

Figures below are tailored to WR4 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1997 of 2182
4.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1638 of 2997
11.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£720 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2412 of 2997
26.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£720 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
967kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~967 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
4.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 67% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 3% Based on 7,755 properties

Coverage

Worcester (99%)|Wychavon (1%)

Areas Covered

St Nicholas, Fort Royal, Warndon & Elbury Park, Leopard Hill, Rainbow Hill, Nunnery, Cathedral, Bowbrook + 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 Midlands

WR3 (Worcester)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~966 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR4
WR1 (Worcester)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~971 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR4
WR78 (Worcester)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~971 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR4
WR99 (Worcester)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~972 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WR4
WR5 (Worcester)
≈2.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~968 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR4
WR2 (Worcester)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~970 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR4

Similar sunshine across the UK

LE17 (Harborough)
~967 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR4
CV7 (Solihull)
~968 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WR4
LA18 (Cumberland)
~967 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WR4