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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in YO51 (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
13.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£906
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,445
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 934 kWh/kW — 8 above the regional median (926).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 934 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)
934 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: £755, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1868 kWh 747 kWh 1121 kWh £190 £112 £302 £4,069 13.5 yrs £1,972
3 kW 2801 kWh 1121 kWh 1681 kWh £285 £168 £453 £6,104 13.5 yrs £2,957
4 kW 3735 kWh 1494 kWh 2241 kWh £380 £224 £604 £8,138 13.5 yrs £3,943
5 kW 4669 kWh 1868 kWh 2801 kWh £475 £280 £755 £10,173 13.5 yrs £4,929
6 kW 5603 kWh 2241 kWh 3362 kWh £570 £336 £906 £12,207 13.5 yrs £5,915
7 kW 6537 kWh 2615 kWh 3922 kWh £665 £392 £1,057 £14,242 13.5 yrs £6,901
8 kW 7470 kWh 2988 kWh 4482 kWh £760 £448 £1,208 £16,276 13.5 yrs £7,886

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: £899, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1868 kWh 1121 kWh 747 kWh £285 £75 £360 £6,169 17.2 yrs £1,024
3 kW 2801 kWh 1681 kWh 1121 kWh £427 £112 £539 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,586
4 kW 3735 kWh 2241 kWh 1494 kWh £570 £149 £719 £10,238 14.2 yrs £4,149
5 kW 4669 kWh 2801 kWh 1868 kWh £712 £187 £899 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,711
6 kW 5603 kWh 3362 kWh 2241 kWh £855 £224 £1,079 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,273
7 kW 6537 kWh 3922 kWh 2615 kWh £997 £261 £1,259 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,835
8 kW 7470 kWh 4482 kWh 2988 kWh £1,140 £299 £1,439 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,397

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: £971, 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 1868 kWh 1307 kWh 560 kWh £332 £56 £388 £7,569 19.5 yrs £201
3 kW 2801 kWh 1961 kWh 840 kWh £499 £84 £583 £9,604 16.5 yrs £2,051
4 kW 3735 kWh 2615 kWh 1121 kWh £665 £112 £777 £11,638 15.0 yrs £3,901
5 kW 4669 kWh 3268 kWh 1401 kWh £831 £140 £971 £13,673 14.1 yrs £5,752
6 kW 5603 kWh 3922 kWh 1681 kWh £997 £168 £1,165 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,602
7 kW 6537 kWh 4576 kWh 1961 kWh £1,164 £196 £1,360 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,452
8 kW 7470 kWh 5229 kWh 2241 kWh £1,330 £224 £1,554 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,303

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: £993, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1868 kWh 1363 kWh 504 kWh £347 £50 £397 £9,319 23.5 yrs £-1,376
3 kW 2801 kWh 2045 kWh 756 kWh £520 £76 £596 £11,354 19.1 yrs £560
4 kW 3735 kWh 2727 kWh 1009 kWh £693 £101 £794 £13,388 16.9 yrs £2,497
5 kW 4669 kWh 3408 kWh 1261 kWh £867 £126 £993 £15,423 15.5 yrs £4,434
6 kW 5603 kWh 4090 kWh 1513 kWh £1,040 £151 £1,191 £17,457 14.7 yrs £6,371
7 kW 6537 kWh 4772 kWh 1765 kWh £1,213 £176 £1,390 £19,492 14.0 yrs £8,307
8 kW 7470 kWh 5453 kWh 2017 kWh £1,387 £202 £1,589 £21,526 13.6 yrs £10,244

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: £1,007, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1868 kWh 1401 kWh 467 kWh £356 £47 £403 £11,069 27.5 yrs £-3,011
3 kW 2801 kWh 2101 kWh 700 kWh £534 £70 £604 £13,104 21.7 yrs £-1,017
4 kW 3735 kWh 2801 kWh 934 kWh £712 £93 £806 £15,138 18.8 yrs £978
5 kW 4669 kWh 3502 kWh 1167 kWh £891 £117 £1,007 £17,173 17.0 yrs £2,972
6 kW 5603 kWh 4202 kWh 1401 kWh £1,069 £140 £1,209 £19,207 15.9 yrs £4,966
7 kW 6537 kWh 4903 kWh 1634 kWh £1,247 £163 £1,410 £21,242 15.1 yrs £6,961
8 kW 7470 kWh 5603 kWh 1868 kWh £1,425 £187 £1,612 £23,276 14.4 yrs £8,955

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: £1,022, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1868 kWh 1438 kWh 430 kWh £366 £43 £409 £13,519 33.1 yrs £-5,346
3 kW 2801 kWh 2157 kWh 644 kWh £549 £64 £613 £15,554 25.4 yrs £-3,294
4 kW 3735 kWh 2876 kWh 859 kWh £731 £86 £817 £17,588 21.5 yrs £-1,242
5 kW 4669 kWh 3595 kWh 1074 kWh £914 £107 £1,022 £19,623 19.2 yrs £810
6 kW 5603 kWh 4314 kWh 1289 kWh £1,097 £129 £1,226 £21,657 17.7 yrs £2,862
7 kW 6537 kWh 5033 kWh 1503 kWh £1,280 £150 £1,430 £23,692 16.6 yrs £4,914
8 kW 7470 kWh 5752 kWh 1718 kWh £1,463 £172 £1,635 £25,726 15.7 yrs £6,966

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 YO51

Figures below are tailored to YO51 — click through for full league tables.

Big-Roof Britain Rank #709 of 2182
5.3 kWp (UK avg 5.1 kWp)
~11 panels (≈430 W)
Solar Payback Index Rank #2185 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,036 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1635 of 2997
21.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£218 fixed • ~£1,036 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.43p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
59.86p/day
Local Sunshine
934kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~934 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

Houses: 82% • Flats: 8% • Bungalows: 9% Based on 2,523 properties

Coverage

North Yorkshire (98%)|York (2%)

Areas Covered

Boroughbridge & Claro, Wathvale & Bishop Monkton, Ouseburn, Micklegate

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

YO5 (North Yorkshire)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~948 kWh/kWp · +1% vs YO51
HG4 (North Yorkshire)
≈9.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~930 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO51
HG5 (North Yorkshire)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~934 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO51
HG1 (North Yorkshire)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO51
YO61 (North Yorkshire)
≈13.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO51
HG3 (North Yorkshire)
≈14.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~938 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO51

Similar sunshine across the UK

DE6 (Derbyshire Dales)
~934 kWh/kWp · -0% vs YO51
CH27 (Wirral)
~934 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO51
LL52 (Gwynedd)
~934 kWh/kWp · +0% vs YO51