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Solar Panels in AB16 (Aberdeen City)

See if solar pays off for you in Aberdeen City — 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
£749
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,541
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 Scotland, the current unit rate is 27.06p/kWh with a 61.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 890 kWh/kW — 75 above the regional median (815).

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 890 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
61.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
890 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: £749, 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 1780 kWh 712 kWh 1068 kWh £193 £107 £299 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,919
3 kW 2670 kWh 1068 kWh 1602 kWh £289 £160 £449 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,879
4 kW 3559 kWh 1424 kWh 2136 kWh £385 £214 £599 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,839
5 kW 4449 kWh 1780 kWh 2670 kWh £482 £267 £749 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,799
6 kW 5339 kWh 2136 kWh 3204 kWh £578 £320 £898 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,758
7 kW 6229 kWh 2492 kWh 3737 kWh £674 £374 £1,048 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,718
8 kW 7119 kWh 2848 kWh 4271 kWh £771 £427 £1,198 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,678

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: £900, 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 1780 kWh 1068 kWh 712 kWh £289 £71 £360 £6,169 17.1 yrs £1,034
3 kW 2670 kWh 1602 kWh 1068 kWh £433 £107 £540 £8,204 15.2 yrs £2,601
4 kW 3559 kWh 2136 kWh 1424 kWh £578 £142 £720 £10,238 14.2 yrs £4,168
5 kW 4449 kWh 2670 kWh 1780 kWh £722 £178 £900 £12,273 13.6 yrs £5,735
6 kW 5339 kWh 3204 kWh 2136 kWh £867 £214 £1,080 £14,307 13.2 yrs £7,302
7 kW 6229 kWh 3737 kWh 2492 kWh £1,011 £249 £1,261 £16,342 13.0 yrs £8,869
8 kW 7119 kWh 4271 kWh 2848 kWh £1,156 £285 £1,441 £18,376 12.8 yrs £10,436

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: £976, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1246 kWh 534 kWh £337 £53 £391 £7,569 19.4 yrs £241
3 kW 2670 kWh 1869 kWh 801 kWh £506 £80 £586 £9,604 16.4 yrs £2,112
4 kW 3559 kWh 2492 kWh 1068 kWh £674 £107 £781 £11,638 14.9 yrs £3,982
5 kW 4449 kWh 3115 kWh 1335 kWh £843 £133 £976 £13,673 14.0 yrs £5,853
6 kW 5339 kWh 3737 kWh 1602 kWh £1,011 £160 £1,172 £15,707 13.4 yrs £7,724
7 kW 6229 kWh 4360 kWh 1869 kWh £1,180 £187 £1,367 £17,742 13.0 yrs £9,594
8 kW 7119 kWh 4983 kWh 2136 kWh £1,348 £214 £1,562 £19,776 12.7 yrs £11,465

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: £999, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1299 kWh 481 kWh £352 £48 £400 £9,319 23.3 yrs £-1,327
3 kW 2670 kWh 1949 kWh 721 kWh £527 £72 £599 £11,354 18.9 yrs £635
4 kW 3559 kWh 2598 kWh 961 kWh £703 £96 £799 £13,388 16.8 yrs £2,597
5 kW 4449 kWh 3248 kWh 1201 kWh £879 £120 £999 £15,423 15.4 yrs £4,558
6 kW 5339 kWh 3898 kWh 1442 kWh £1,055 £144 £1,199 £17,457 14.6 yrs £6,520
7 kW 6229 kWh 4547 kWh 1682 kWh £1,230 £168 £1,399 £19,492 13.9 yrs £8,482
8 kW 7119 kWh 5197 kWh 1922 kWh £1,406 £192 £1,598 £21,526 13.5 yrs £10,443

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: £1,014, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1335 kWh 445 kWh £361 £44 £406 £11,069 27.3 yrs £-2,955
3 kW 2670 kWh 2002 kWh 667 kWh £542 £67 £609 £13,104 21.5 yrs £-933
4 kW 3559 kWh 2670 kWh 890 kWh £722 £89 £811 £15,138 18.7 yrs £1,090
5 kW 4449 kWh 3337 kWh 1112 kWh £903 £111 £1,014 £17,173 16.9 yrs £3,112
6 kW 5339 kWh 4004 kWh 1335 kWh £1,084 £133 £1,217 £19,207 15.8 yrs £5,134
7 kW 6229 kWh 4672 kWh 1557 kWh £1,264 £156 £1,420 £21,242 15.0 yrs £7,157
8 kW 7119 kWh 5339 kWh 1780 kWh £1,445 £178 £1,623 £23,276 14.3 yrs £9,179

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: £1,029, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1370 kWh 409 kWh £371 £41 £412 £13,519 32.8 yrs £-5,284
3 kW 2670 kWh 2056 kWh 614 kWh £556 £61 £618 £15,554 25.2 yrs £-3,201
4 kW 3559 kWh 2741 kWh 819 kWh £742 £82 £824 £17,588 21.4 yrs £-1,117
5 kW 4449 kWh 3426 kWh 1023 kWh £927 £102 £1,029 £19,623 19.1 yrs £966
6 kW 5339 kWh 4111 kWh 1228 kWh £1,112 £123 £1,235 £21,657 17.5 yrs £3,049
7 kW 6229 kWh 4796 kWh 1433 kWh £1,298 £143 £1,441 £23,692 16.4 yrs £5,132
8 kW 7119 kWh 5482 kWh 1637 kWh £1,483 £164 £1,647 £25,726 15.6 yrs £7,215

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 AB16

Figures below are tailored to AB16 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2085 of 2997
11.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£690 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2747 of 2997
32.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£690 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
890kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~890 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

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Aberdeen City (100%)

Areas Covered

Northfield/Mastrick North, Kingswells/Sheddocksley/Summerhill, Hilton/Woodside/Stockethill, Midstocket/Rosemount, Dyce/Bucksburn/Danestone

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 Scotland

AB2 (Aberdeen City)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~898 kWh/kWp · +1% vs AB16
AB15 (Aberdeen City)
≈2.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB16
AB25 (Aberdeen City)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB16
AB24 (Aberdeen City)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~864 kWh/kWp · -3% vs AB16
AB9 (Aberdeen City)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB16
AB10 (Aberdeen City)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~869 kWh/kWp · -2% vs AB16

Similar sunshine across the UK

KA11 (North Ayrshire)
~890 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB16
SY17 (Powys)
~890 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AB16
WA15 (Trafford)
~890 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AB16