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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in WV5 (South Staffordshire)

See if solar pays off for you in South Staffordshire — 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
13.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£750
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,581
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 923 kWh/kW — 19 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 923 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)
923 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: £750, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1846 kWh 738 kWh 1107 kWh £189 £111 £300 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,932
3 kW 2769 kWh 1107 kWh 1661 kWh £284 £166 £450 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,898
4 kW 3692 kWh 1477 kWh 2215 kWh £379 £221 £600 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,864
5 kW 4614 kWh 1846 kWh 2769 kWh £473 £277 £750 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,830
6 kW 5537 kWh 2215 kWh 3322 kWh £568 £332 £900 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,796
7 kW 6460 kWh 2584 kWh 3876 kWh £663 £388 £1,050 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,762
8 kW 7383 kWh 2953 kWh 4430 kWh £757 £443 £1,200 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,728

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: £894, 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 1846 kWh 1107 kWh 738 kWh £284 £74 £358 £6,169 17.2 yrs £987
3 kW 2769 kWh 1661 kWh 1107 kWh £426 £111 £537 £8,204 15.3 yrs £2,530
4 kW 3692 kWh 2215 kWh 1477 kWh £568 £148 £716 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,073
5 kW 4614 kWh 2769 kWh 1846 kWh £710 £185 £894 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,617
6 kW 5537 kWh 3322 kWh 2215 kWh £852 £221 £1,073 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,160
7 kW 6460 kWh 3876 kWh 2584 kWh £994 £258 £1,252 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,703
8 kW 7383 kWh 4430 kWh 2953 kWh £1,136 £295 £1,431 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,247

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: £967, 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 1846 kWh 1292 kWh 554 kWh £331 £55 £387 £7,569 19.6 yrs £164
3 kW 2769 kWh 1938 kWh 831 kWh £497 £83 £580 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,996
4 kW 3692 kWh 2584 kWh 1107 kWh £663 £111 £773 £11,638 15.0 yrs £3,828
5 kW 4614 kWh 3230 kWh 1384 kWh £828 £138 £967 £13,673 14.1 yrs £5,660
6 kW 5537 kWh 3876 kWh 1661 kWh £994 £166 £1,160 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,492
7 kW 6460 kWh 4522 kWh 1938 kWh £1,159 £194 £1,353 £17,742 13.1 yrs £9,324
8 kW 7383 kWh 5168 kWh 2215 kWh £1,325 £221 £1,547 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,156

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: £988, 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 1846 kWh 1347 kWh 498 kWh £345 £50 £395 £9,319 23.6 yrs £-1,413
3 kW 2769 kWh 2021 kWh 748 kWh £518 £75 £593 £11,354 19.1 yrs £506
4 kW 3692 kWh 2695 kWh 997 kWh £691 £100 £791 £13,388 16.9 yrs £2,425
5 kW 4614 kWh 3369 kWh 1246 kWh £864 £125 £988 £15,423 15.6 yrs £4,343
6 kW 5537 kWh 4042 kWh 1495 kWh £1,036 £150 £1,186 £17,457 14.7 yrs £6,262
7 kW 6460 kWh 4716 kWh 1744 kWh £1,209 £174 £1,384 £19,492 14.1 yrs £8,180
8 kW 7383 kWh 5390 kWh 1993 kWh £1,382 £199 £1,581 £21,526 13.6 yrs £10,099

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: £1,003, 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 1846 kWh 1384 kWh 461 kWh £355 £46 £401 £11,069 27.6 yrs £-3,047
3 kW 2769 kWh 2077 kWh 692 kWh £532 £69 £602 £13,104 21.8 yrs £-1,071
4 kW 3692 kWh 2769 kWh 923 kWh £710 £92 £802 £15,138 18.9 yrs £905
5 kW 4614 kWh 3461 kWh 1154 kWh £887 £115 £1,003 £17,173 17.1 yrs £2,882
6 kW 5537 kWh 4153 kWh 1384 kWh £1,065 £138 £1,203 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,858
7 kW 6460 kWh 4845 kWh 1615 kWh £1,242 £162 £1,404 £21,242 15.1 yrs £6,835
8 kW 7383 kWh 5537 kWh 1846 kWh £1,420 £185 £1,604 £23,276 14.5 yrs £8,811

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: £1,017, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1846 kWh 1421 kWh 425 kWh £364 £42 £407 £13,519 33.2 yrs £-5,382
3 kW 2769 kWh 2132 kWh 637 kWh £547 £64 £610 £15,554 25.5 yrs £-3,348
4 kW 3692 kWh 2843 kWh 849 kWh £729 £85 £814 £17,588 21.6 yrs £-1,314
5 kW 4614 kWh 3553 kWh 1061 kWh £911 £106 £1,017 £19,623 19.3 yrs £721
6 kW 5537 kWh 4264 kWh 1274 kWh £1,093 £127 £1,221 £21,657 17.7 yrs £2,755
7 kW 6460 kWh 4974 kWh 1486 kWh £1,275 £149 £1,424 £23,692 16.6 yrs £4,789
8 kW 7383 kWh 5685 kWh 1698 kWh £1,458 £170 £1,627 £25,726 15.8 yrs £6,823

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 WV5

Figures below are tailored to WV5 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #960 of 2182
5.1 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2282 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£858 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2009 of 2997
22.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£193 fixed • ~£858 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.64p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
53.00p/day
Local Sunshine
923kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~923 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: 68% • Flats: 16% • Bungalows: 15% Based on 3,457 properties

Coverage

South Staffordshire (89%)|Shropshire (11%)

Areas Covered

Wombourne South, Wombourne North, Claverley & Worfield, Pattingham, Trysull, Bobbington & Lower Penn

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

DY6 (Dudley)
≈4.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~923 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WV5
DY3 (Dudley)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~925 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WV5
WV4 (Wolverhampton)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WV5
WV3 (Wolverhampton)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~927 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WV5
WV2 (Wolverhampton)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~928 kWh/kWp · +1% vs WV5
DY5 (Dudley)
≈7.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~924 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WV5

Similar sunshine across the UK

CW2 (Cheshire East)
~923 kWh/kWp · -0% vs WV5
CW98 (Cheshire East)
~923 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WV5
CW1 (Cheshire East)
~923 kWh/kWp · +0% vs WV5