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South London Scientific Helios

Is plug-in solar worth it for your home?

A site-specific estimate of annual yield and payback for plug-in solar — using Environment Agency LIDAR to model the shading around your address.

How it works

We resolve your postcode against Ordnance Survey data, ray-trace the surrounding buildings from Environment Agency LIDAR, then ask PVGIS for an annual yield given the shading we found. Your address isn't stored — only a hashed key for caching.

Where do you live?

Postcode is required. House number or flat is optional — we use it to refine the cache key, not to store your address. Privacy.

What floor are you on?

Ground floor is 0. Higher floors clear more obstructions but also shift the solar peak season.

0 Ground

Which way does your balcony face?

Pick the compass direction the panel will point. South is typically best in the UK; east and west still produce well.

About your bill.

Roughly how much electricity do you use a year? Pick the closest band — the medium default works for most UK homes.

Your kit and your tariff.

UK rules cap plug-in kits at 800 W inverter output, so most kits sold here are around 0.8 kWp — two panels and a microinverter.

Advanced. Kit cost and self-consumption

Modelling shading and yield.

Something went wrong.

Here's what we found.

We don't have detailed building data for this address. This estimate assumes a clear horizon — actual yield will be lower if nearby buildings or trees shade your panel.
Net earner
Kit cost . incl. VAT
Annual generation . kWh / year
Payback . years

What the sun sees from your balcony

Grey is the sky blocked by nearby buildings (LIDAR-derived). Gold arcs trace the sun on midsummer, the equinox, and midwinter. Where a gold arc dips into the grey, the sun is hidden then.

  • Midsummer
  • Equinox
  • Midwinter
  • Panel faces
Generation by month
How we worked this out
Panel orientation
.
Panel tilt
.
Approximate observer height
.
Building height (LIDAR)
.
Address precision
.
System size
.
    Tariff and savings
    Tariff
    .
    Solar-weighted import rate
    .
    Annual savings
    .
    Lifetime savings (20 years, net of capex)
    .

    Self-consumption fraction defaults to 60% (spec §3.7). Time-of-use tariffs use a typical-day model. Refresh quarterly.

    Tell me when kits arrive in the UK.

    Plug-in solar is in regulatory limbo here — the kits available elsewhere in Europe aren't legally for sale in Britain yet. We're tracking the market. Leave your email and we'll let you know when things change.

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