Happy January 2026, fellow energy-watchers and sun-seekers! If you’ve been following the Cleary family’s journey from humble bungalow dwellers to Wigan’s premier amateur energy moguls, you’ll know it’s been quite the ride. It feels like only yesterday we were staring in horror at the world going crazy, watching energy costs soar from a manageable £120 a month to a terrifying £300. In response, we did what any sensible, technology-loving household would do: we bolted 4.05kW of solar panels to our south-facing roof and started praying for clear skies.
Now, as we cross the three-year milestone of our “Phase Six” home project, it’s time to spill the beans on how 2025 treated us. Grab a brew—ideally one boiled with 100% home-grown electrons—and let’s dive into the stats, the savings, and the sheer satisfaction of watching the meter run backwards.
The Battery Boost: Living the High-Capacity Life
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the 2025 data, we have to talk about the “new” heart of our system. While we started our journey in October 2022 with a single 5.5kWh Sunsynk battery, we quickly realised that for a four-bedroom bungalow, we wanted more “ooomph”. In September 2024, we took the plunge and added two more 5.32kWh Sunsynk batteries, bringing our total storage capacity to a beefy 16.14kWh.
This upgrade, installed by the pros from Spectra Solar Ltd from Wigan, was a bit of a financial masterstroke. Though the sticker price was £3,200, we managed to snag a £1,000 Green Living Reward cashback from our mortgage provider, bringing our out-of-pocket cost down to £2,200. Having this massive “bucket” to catch the sun’s rays has completely changed the way we interact with the grid, especially during those long British winters where the sun is more of a theoretical concept than a physical reality.
The 2025 Stat Attack: How We Fared
The numbers for 2025 are in, and they are nothing short of fascinating. Despite the British weather’s best efforts to play hard to get, our 9 x 450-Watt panels have been working overtime.
Here is the breakdown of our third full year:
• Total Household Electricity Load: 4,304 kWh
• Solar PV Generation: 4,275 kWh
• Electricity Exported to Grid: 1,887 kWh
• Electricity Imported from Grid: 3,090 kWh
Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that generation figure: 4,275 kWh! Compared to our second year, where we generated 3,704 kWh, 2025 was a bumper crop. In fact, we generated almost exactly as much electricity as we used (4,304 kWh vs 4,275 kWh). On paper, we are practically a net-zero household in terms of volume!
However, because the sun stubbornly refuses to shine at 7:00 PM when the oven is on and the lights are blazing, we still had to import 3,090 kWh from the grid. This is where the export figure of 1,887 kWh comes in—it’s the excess energy we couldn’t store or use at the time, sent off to help power our neighbours’ kettles.
Show Me the Money: Those Juicy Export Payments
One of the highlights of being an energy producer—aside from the smug satisfaction—is the actual cash landing in our bank account. Being on the E.on export tariff means we can play the market, selling high and buying low. In 2025, we received two very welcome payments for our exported energy:
• 28th May 2025: £165.66 (The “Spring Sunshine” bonus)
• 4th December 2025: £154.12 (The “Autumn Overspill” reward)
That’s a grand total of £319.78 just for having a shiny roof! When you consider that our export earnings in Year 2 were around £215, this is a significant jump. It seems our 16.14kWh battery bank and smarter usage habits are really starting to pay dividends.
The Big ROI Question: When Do We Own the Sun?
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Gary, this all sounds lovely and green, but what about the cold, hard cash?” Let’s update the Return on Investment (ROI) calculations that we’ve been tracking since year one.
The Investment So Far
To get an accurate picture, we have to look at the total cost of our solar adventure:
1. Original System (Oct 2022): £7,973
2. Battery Upgrade (Sept 2024): £2,200 (net)
• Total Investment: £10,173
The Savings Journey
Before solar, our estimated annual electricity cost was £1,500.
• Year 1 Savings: £895
• Year 2 Savings: £892
• Year 3 Savings (2025): If we estimate our import cost (3,090 kWh at roughly 30p/kWh) at £927, and subtract our £319.78 export income, our net electricity cost for the year was £607.22. Compared to our old £1,500 bill, that’s a saving of £892.78.
Total Savings to Date (3 Years): £895 + £892 + £892.78 = £2,679.78
The ROI Calculation
Using our tried-and-tested formula: ROI% = (Total Savings – Initial Cost) / Initial Cost × 100 ROI% = (£2,679.78 – £10,173) / £10,173 × 100 = -73.6%
We are still in the negative, but that’s the nature of the game! By investing an extra £2,200 in batteries, we’ve essentially moved the goalposts for our break-even point to ensure long-term stability.
Years to Break Even = Total Investment / Average Annual Savings Years to Break Even = £10,173 / ~£893 = 11.4 years
While this is longer than our original 8.9-year estimate, the peace of mind and the massive reduction in our reliance on the grid make it worth every penny. Plus, we’re now much better protected against any future energy price hikes!
Lessons from a Wigan Roof: Three Years of Wisdom
Looking back over the last three years, we’ve learned a few things that no brochure can tell you.
1. The App is Your Best Friend The Sunsynk inverter and its monitoring app are essential. We’ve become those people who check the generation stats before deciding whether to put a load of washing on. If the sun is out, the dishwasher goes on. If it’s grey, we wait. It’s a simple game of “beat the grid,” and we’re getting quite good at it.
2. Maintenance? What Maintenance? Aside from the occasional glance at the panels to make sure a rogue pigeon hasn’t moved in, the system has been entirely hassle-free. No moving parts, no noise, just silent, invisible energy generation. It’s the ultimate “set and forget” home improvement.
3. The Feel-Good Factor is Real There is a genuine sense of pride in knowing that we are reducing our carbon footprint and contributing to a healthier planet. Even when the British summer tries to play hard to get, knowing that we are less dependent on volatile fossil fuels is a massive win.
Final Thoughts: Still Smiling?
You bet we are. Three years in, our solar panels and expanded battery bank have proven to be one of the best decisions we’ve made for the Cleary family home. We’ve survived energy crises, uncooperative weather, and the steep learning curve of “energy self-consumption,” and we wouldn’t change a thing.
If you’re still on the fence about going solar, our advice remains the same: jump in. The sun is going to shine anyway (occasionally, even in Wigan), so you might as well get paid for it!
