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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WS8 (Walsall)

See if solar pays off for you in Walsall — 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
£8,138
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£610
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,103
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 938 kWh/kW — 4 below 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 938 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)
938 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: £762, 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 1875 kWh 750 kWh 1125 kWh £192 £113 £305 £4,069 13.3 yrs £2,028
3 kW 2813 kWh 1125 kWh 1688 kWh £288 £169 £457 £6,104 13.3 yrs £3,041
4 kW 3750 kWh 1500 kWh 2250 kWh £385 £225 £610 £8,138 13.3 yrs £4,055
5 kW 4688 kWh 1875 kWh 2813 kWh £481 £281 £762 £10,173 13.3 yrs £5,069
6 kW 5626 kWh 2250 kWh 3375 kWh £577 £338 £914 £12,207 13.3 yrs £6,083
7 kW 6563 kWh 2625 kWh 3938 kWh £673 £394 £1,067 £14,242 13.3 yrs £7,096
8 kW 7501 kWh 3000 kWh 4500 kWh £769 £450 £1,219 £16,276 13.3 yrs £8,110

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: £909, 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 1875 kWh 1125 kWh 750 kWh £288 £75 £363 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,101
3 kW 2813 kWh 1688 kWh 1125 kWh £433 £113 £545 £8,204 15.0 yrs £2,701
4 kW 3750 kWh 2250 kWh 1500 kWh £577 £150 £727 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,301
5 kW 4688 kWh 2813 kWh 1875 kWh £721 £188 £909 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,902
6 kW 5626 kWh 3375 kWh 2250 kWh £865 £225 £1,090 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,502
7 kW 6563 kWh 3938 kWh 2625 kWh £1,010 £263 £1,272 £16,342 12.8 yrs £9,102
8 kW 7501 kWh 4500 kWh 3000 kWh £1,154 £300 £1,454 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,703

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: £982, 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 1875 kWh 1313 kWh 563 kWh £337 £56 £393 £7,569 19.3 yrs £287
3 kW 2813 kWh 1969 kWh 844 kWh £505 £84 £589 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,181
4 kW 3750 kWh 2625 kWh 1125 kWh £673 £113 £786 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,074
5 kW 4688 kWh 3282 kWh 1406 kWh £841 £141 £982 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,968
6 kW 5626 kWh 3938 kWh 1688 kWh £1,010 £169 £1,178 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,862
7 kW 6563 kWh 4594 kWh 1969 kWh £1,178 £197 £1,375 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,755
8 kW 7501 kWh 5251 kWh 2250 kWh £1,346 £225 £1,571 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,649

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: £1,004, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1875 kWh 1369 kWh 506 kWh £351 £51 £402 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,287
3 kW 2813 kWh 2053 kWh 759 kWh £526 £76 £602 £11,354 18.8 yrs £695
4 kW 3750 kWh 2738 kWh 1013 kWh £702 £101 £803 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,676
5 kW 4688 kWh 3422 kWh 1266 kWh £877 £127 £1,004 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,658
6 kW 5626 kWh 4107 kWh 1519 kWh £1,053 £152 £1,205 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,640
7 kW 6563 kWh 4791 kWh 1772 kWh £1,228 £177 £1,406 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,621
8 kW 7501 kWh 5476 kWh 2025 kWh £1,404 £203 £1,606 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,603

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: £1,019, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1875 kWh 1406 kWh 469 kWh £361 £47 £407 £11,069 27.2 yrs £-2,919
3 kW 2813 kWh 2110 kWh 703 kWh £541 £70 £611 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-879
4 kW 3750 kWh 2813 kWh 938 kWh £721 £94 £815 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,161
5 kW 4688 kWh 3516 kWh 1172 kWh £901 £117 £1,019 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,201
6 kW 5626 kWh 4219 kWh 1406 kWh £1,082 £141 £1,222 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,242
7 kW 6563 kWh 4922 kWh 1641 kWh £1,262 £164 £1,426 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,282
8 kW 7501 kWh 5626 kWh 1875 kWh £1,442 £188 £1,630 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,322

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: £1,033, 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 1875 kWh 1444 kWh 431 kWh £370 £43 £413 £13,519 32.7 yrs £-5,252
3 kW 2813 kWh 2166 kWh 647 kWh £555 £65 £620 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,153
4 kW 3750 kWh 2888 kWh 863 kWh £740 £86 £827 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,054
5 kW 4688 kWh 3610 kWh 1078 kWh £926 £108 £1,033 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,045
6 kW 5626 kWh 4332 kWh 1294 kWh £1,111 £129 £1,240 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,143
7 kW 6563 kWh 5054 kWh 1510 kWh £1,296 £151 £1,447 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,242
8 kW 7501 kWh 5776 kWh 1725 kWh £1,481 £173 £1,653 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,341

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 WS8

Figures below are tailored to WS8 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1694 of 2182
4.5 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~9 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2053 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£698 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2482 of 2997
27.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£698 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
938kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~938 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: 64% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 3,834 properties

Coverage

Walsall (98%)|Lichfield (2%)

Areas Covered

Brownhills, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood, St Matthew's, Hammerwich with Wall, Chasetown, Norton Canes

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

WS7 (Lichfield)
≈4.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WS8
WS9 (Walsall)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS8
WS4 (Walsall)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WS8
WS3 (Walsall)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WS8
WS6 (South Staffordshire)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~930 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WS8
WS1 (Walsall)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -1% vs WS8

Similar sunshine across the UK

L31 (Sefton)
~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WS8
NE69 (Northumberland)
~938 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS8
YO32 (York)
~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS8