Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WS9 (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
13.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£762
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,870
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 937 kWh/kW — 5 below 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 937 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)
937 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: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1874 kWh 750 kWh 1125 kWh £192 £112 £305 £4,069 13.4 yrs £2,025
3 kW 2811 kWh 1125 kWh 1687 kWh £288 £169 £457 £6,104 13.4 yrs £3,037
4 kW 3749 kWh 1499 kWh 2249 kWh £384 £225 £609 £8,138 13.4 yrs £4,049
5 kW 4686 kWh 1874 kWh 2811 kWh £481 £281 £762 £10,173 13.4 yrs £5,062
6 kW 5623 kWh 2249 kWh 3374 kWh £577 £337 £914 £12,207 13.4 yrs £6,074
7 kW 6560 kWh 2624 kWh 3936 kWh £673 £394 £1,066 £14,242 13.4 yrs £7,086
8 kW 7497 kWh 2999 kWh 4498 kWh £769 £450 £1,219 £16,276 13.4 yrs £8,099

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: £908, 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 1874 kWh 1125 kWh 750 kWh £288 £75 £363 £6,169 17.0 yrs £1,097
3 kW 2811 kWh 1687 kWh 1125 kWh £433 £112 £545 £8,204 15.1 yrs £2,696
4 kW 3749 kWh 2249 kWh 1499 kWh £577 £150 £727 £10,238 14.1 yrs £4,295
5 kW 4686 kWh 2811 kWh 1874 kWh £721 £187 £908 £12,273 13.5 yrs £5,893
6 kW 5623 kWh 3374 kWh 2249 kWh £865 £225 £1,090 £14,307 13.1 yrs £7,492
7 kW 6560 kWh 3936 kWh 2624 kWh £1,009 £262 £1,272 £16,342 12.9 yrs £9,090
8 kW 7497 kWh 4498 kWh 2999 kWh £1,153 £300 £1,453 £18,376 12.6 yrs £10,689

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 1874 kWh 1312 kWh 562 kWh £336 £56 £393 £7,569 19.3 yrs £284
3 kW 2811 kWh 1968 kWh 843 kWh £505 £84 £589 £9,604 16.3 yrs £2,175
4 kW 3749 kWh 2624 kWh 1125 kWh £673 £112 £785 £11,638 14.8 yrs £4,067
5 kW 4686 kWh 3280 kWh 1406 kWh £841 £141 £982 £13,673 13.9 yrs £5,959
6 kW 5623 kWh 3936 kWh 1687 kWh £1,009 £169 £1,178 £15,707 13.3 yrs £7,851
7 kW 6560 kWh 4592 kWh 1968 kWh £1,177 £197 £1,374 £17,742 12.9 yrs £9,742
8 kW 7497 kWh 5248 kWh 2249 kWh £1,346 £225 £1,571 £19,776 12.6 yrs £11,634

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 1874 kWh 1368 kWh 506 kWh £351 £51 £401 £9,319 23.2 yrs £-1,291
3 kW 2811 kWh 2052 kWh 759 kWh £526 £76 £602 £11,354 18.9 yrs £689
4 kW 3749 kWh 2736 kWh 1012 kWh £702 £101 £803 £13,388 16.7 yrs £2,669
5 kW 4686 kWh 3421 kWh 1265 kWh £877 £127 £1,004 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,649
6 kW 5623 kWh 4105 kWh 1518 kWh £1,052 £152 £1,204 £17,457 14.5 yrs £6,628
7 kW 6560 kWh 4789 kWh 1771 kWh £1,228 £177 £1,405 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,608
8 kW 7497 kWh 5473 kWh 2024 kWh £1,403 £202 £1,606 £21,526 13.4 yrs £10,588

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: £1,018, 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 1874 kWh 1406 kWh 469 kWh £360 £47 £407 £11,069 27.2 yrs £-2,923
3 kW 2811 kWh 2109 kWh 703 kWh £541 £70 £611 £13,104 21.4 yrs £-885
4 kW 3749 kWh 2811 kWh 937 kWh £721 £94 £815 £15,138 18.6 yrs £1,153
5 kW 4686 kWh 3514 kWh 1171 kWh £901 £117 £1,018 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,192
6 kW 5623 kWh 4217 kWh 1406 kWh £1,081 £141 £1,222 £19,207 15.7 yrs £5,230
7 kW 6560 kWh 4920 kWh 1640 kWh £1,261 £164 £1,425 £21,242 14.9 yrs £7,268
8 kW 7497 kWh 5623 kWh 1874 kWh £1,442 £187 £1,629 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,307

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 1874 kWh 1443 kWh 431 kWh £370 £43 £413 £13,519 32.7 yrs £-5,256
3 kW 2811 kWh 2165 kWh 647 kWh £555 £65 £620 £15,554 25.1 yrs £-3,159
4 kW 3749 kWh 2886 kWh 862 kWh £740 £86 £826 £17,588 21.3 yrs £-1,062
5 kW 4686 kWh 3608 kWh 1078 kWh £925 £108 £1,033 £19,623 19.0 yrs £1,035
6 kW 5623 kWh 4330 kWh 1293 kWh £1,110 £129 £1,239 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,132
7 kW 6560 kWh 5051 kWh 1509 kWh £1,295 £151 £1,446 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,229
8 kW 7497 kWh 5773 kWh 1724 kWh £1,480 £172 £1,653 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,326

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 WS9

Figures below are tailored to WS9 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #907 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2054 of 2997
11.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£872 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1955 of 2997
22.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£872 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
937kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~937 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: 62% • Flats: 22% • Bungalows: 12% Based on 6,002 properties

Coverage

Walsall (95%)|Lichfield (5%)

Areas Covered

Aldridge Central and South, Aldridge North and Walsall Wood, Little Aston & Stonnall, Rushall-Shelfield, Pheasey Park Farm, Streetly, Hammerwich with Wall, Shenstone

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

WS4 (Walsall)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9
WS8 (Walsall)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WS9
WS1 (Walsall)
≈4.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9
WS3 (Walsall)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9
B74 (Birmingham)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9
WS5 (Walsall)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9

Similar sunshine across the UK

SY12 (Shropshire)
~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9
LL13 (Wrexham)
~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9
NG17 (Ashfield)
~937 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WS9