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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in YO12 (North Yorkshire)

See if solar pays off for you in North Yorkshire — 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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£773
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,163
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 Northern, the current unit rate is 25.43p/kWh with a 59.86p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 956 kWh/kW — 31 above the regional median (926).

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 956 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.4p/kWh
Standing charge
59.9p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
956 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: £773, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1913 kWh 765 kWh 1148 kWh £195 £115 £309 £4,069 13.2 yrs £2,118
3 kW 2870 kWh 1148 kWh 1722 kWh £292 £172 £464 £6,104 13.2 yrs £3,178
4 kW 3826 kWh 1530 kWh 2296 kWh £389 £230 £619 £8,138 13.2 yrs £4,237
5 kW 4782 kWh 1913 kWh 2870 kWh £486 £287 £773 £10,173 13.2 yrs £5,296
6 kW 5739 kWh 2296 kWh 3443 kWh £584 £344 £928 £12,207 13.2 yrs £6,355
7 kW 6696 kWh 2678 kWh 4017 kWh £681 £402 £1,083 £14,242 13.2 yrs £7,414
8 kW 7652 kWh 3061 kWh 4591 kWh £778 £459 £1,237 £16,276 13.2 yrs £8,474

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: £921, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1913 kWh 1148 kWh 765 kWh £292 £77 £368 £6,169 16.7 yrs £1,199
3 kW 2870 kWh 1722 kWh 1148 kWh £438 £115 £553 £8,204 14.8 yrs £2,849
4 kW 3826 kWh 2296 kWh 1530 kWh £584 £153 £737 £10,238 13.9 yrs £4,498
5 kW 4782 kWh 2870 kWh 1913 kWh £730 £191 £921 £12,273 13.3 yrs £6,148
6 kW 5739 kWh 3443 kWh 2296 kWh £876 £230 £1,105 £14,307 12.9 yrs £7,797
7 kW 6696 kWh 4017 kWh 2678 kWh £1,022 £268 £1,289 £16,342 12.7 yrs £9,447
8 kW 7652 kWh 4591 kWh 3061 kWh £1,168 £306 £1,474 £18,376 12.5 yrs £11,096

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: £995, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1913 kWh 1339 kWh 574 kWh £341 £57 £398 £7,569 19.0 yrs £389
3 kW 2870 kWh 2009 kWh 861 kWh £511 £86 £597 £9,604 16.1 yrs £2,334
4 kW 3826 kWh 2678 kWh 1148 kWh £681 £115 £796 £11,638 14.6 yrs £4,279
5 kW 4782 kWh 3348 kWh 1435 kWh £851 £143 £995 £13,673 13.7 yrs £6,224
6 kW 5739 kWh 4017 kWh 1722 kWh £1,022 £172 £1,194 £15,707 13.2 yrs £8,168
7 kW 6696 kWh 4687 kWh 2009 kWh £1,192 £201 £1,393 £17,742 12.7 yrs £10,113
8 kW 7652 kWh 5356 kWh 2296 kWh £1,362 £230 £1,592 £19,776 12.4 yrs £12,058

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: £1,017, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1913 kWh 1396 kWh 517 kWh £355 £52 £407 £9,319 22.9 yrs £-1,183
3 kW 2870 kWh 2095 kWh 775 kWh £533 £77 £610 £11,354 18.6 yrs £850
4 kW 3826 kWh 2793 kWh 1033 kWh £710 £103 £814 £13,388 16.5 yrs £2,883
5 kW 4782 kWh 3491 kWh 1291 kWh £888 £129 £1,017 £15,423 15.2 yrs £4,916
6 kW 5739 kWh 4189 kWh 1550 kWh £1,065 £155 £1,220 £17,457 14.3 yrs £6,950
7 kW 6696 kWh 4888 kWh 1808 kWh £1,243 £181 £1,424 £19,492 13.7 yrs £8,983
8 kW 7652 kWh 5586 kWh 2066 kWh £1,421 £207 £1,627 £21,526 13.2 yrs £11,016

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: £1,032, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1913 kWh 1435 kWh 478 kWh £365 £48 £413 £11,069 26.8 yrs £-2,815
3 kW 2870 kWh 2152 kWh 717 kWh £547 £72 £619 £13,104 21.2 yrs £-723
4 kW 3826 kWh 2870 kWh 956 kWh £730 £96 £825 £15,138 18.3 yrs £1,369
5 kW 4782 kWh 3587 kWh 1196 kWh £912 £120 £1,032 £17,173 16.6 yrs £3,462
6 kW 5739 kWh 4304 kWh 1435 kWh £1,095 £143 £1,238 £19,207 15.5 yrs £5,554
7 kW 6696 kWh 5022 kWh 1674 kWh £1,277 £167 £1,444 £21,242 14.7 yrs £7,646
8 kW 7652 kWh 5739 kWh 1913 kWh £1,459 £191 £1,651 £23,276 14.1 yrs £9,738

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: £1,046, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1913 kWh 1473 kWh 440 kWh £375 £44 £419 £13,519 32.3 yrs £-5,147
3 kW 2870 kWh 2210 kWh 660 kWh £562 £66 £628 £15,554 24.8 yrs £-2,996
4 kW 3826 kWh 2946 kWh 880 kWh £749 £88 £837 £17,588 21.0 yrs £-845
5 kW 4782 kWh 3683 kWh 1100 kWh £936 £110 £1,046 £19,623 18.8 yrs £1,307
6 kW 5739 kWh 4419 kWh 1320 kWh £1,124 £132 £1,256 £21,657 17.2 yrs £3,458
7 kW 6696 kWh 5156 kWh 1540 kWh £1,311 £154 £1,465 £23,692 16.2 yrs £5,609
8 kW 7652 kWh 5892 kWh 1760 kWh £1,498 £176 £1,674 £25,726 15.4 yrs £7,761

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 YO12

Figures below are tailored to YO12 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #1250 of 2182
4.9 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~10 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #1811 of 2997
11.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£884 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2193 of 2997
24.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£884 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
956kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~956 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: 60% • Flats: 28% • Bungalows: 10% Based on 11,839 properties

Coverage

North Yorkshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Falsgrave & Stepney, Castle, Northstead, Woodlands, Seamer, Newby, Hunmanby & Sherburn, Scalby & the Coast + 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 Northern

YO11 (North Yorkshire)
≈1.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~962 kWh/kWp · +1% vs YO12
YO13 (North Yorkshire)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~935 kWh/kWp · -2% vs YO12
YO14 (North Yorkshire)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~948 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO12
YO22 (North Yorkshire)
≈22.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~944 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO12
YO18 (North Yorkshire)
≈23.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~947 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO12
YO21 (North Yorkshire)
≈26.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~947 kWh/kWp · -1% vs YO12

Similar sunshine across the UK

CV6 (Coventry)
~956 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO12
LA17 (Westmorland and Furness)
~957 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO12
SA66 (Pembrokeshire)
~957 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO12