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Solar panel cost in Aberdeenshire (AB36)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for AB36 (Aberdeenshire) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

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
11.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£688
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,054
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: The official cost per kW is lower above 4 kW, so a 5–6 kW system can pay back a little faster than a 3–4 kW system on otherwise identical assumptions.
  • 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

Panel costs: Uses March 2026 TIC mean installation costs: £1,827/kW up to 4 kW and £1,628/kW above 4 kW.

Other costs: Battery prices are modelled at £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 26.42p/kWh with a 57.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 830 kWh/kW — 15 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 830 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
57.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
830 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: £688, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1660 kWh 664 kWh 996 kWh £175 £100 £275 £3,256 11.8 yrs £2,246
3 kW 2490 kWh 996 kWh 1494 kWh £263 £149 £413 £4,883 11.8 yrs £3,369
4 kW 3321 kWh 1328 kWh 1992 kWh £351 £199 £550 £6,511 11.8 yrs £4,492
5 kW 4151 kWh 1660 kWh 2490 kWh £439 £249 £688 £8,139 11.8 yrs £5,615
6 kW 4981 kWh 1992 kWh 2989 kWh £526 £299 £825 £9,767 11.8 yrs £6,738
7 kW 5811 kWh 2324 kWh 3487 kWh £614 £349 £963 £11,394 11.8 yrs £7,861
8 kW 6641 kWh 2657 kWh 3985 kWh £702 £398 £1,100 £13,022 11.8 yrs £8,984

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £824, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1660 kWh 996 kWh 664 kWh £263 £66 £330 £5,356 16.2 yrs £1,237
3 kW 2490 kWh 1494 kWh 996 kWh £395 £100 £494 £6,983 14.1 yrs £2,905
4 kW 3321 kWh 1992 kWh 1328 kWh £526 £133 £659 £8,611 13.1 yrs £4,573
5 kW 4151 kWh 2490 kWh 1660 kWh £658 £166 £824 £10,239 12.4 yrs £6,242
6 kW 4981 kWh 2989 kWh 1992 kWh £790 £199 £989 £11,867 12.0 yrs £7,910
7 kW 5811 kWh 3487 kWh 2324 kWh £921 £232 £1,154 £13,494 11.7 yrs £9,578
8 kW 6641 kWh 3985 kWh 2657 kWh £1,053 £266 £1,318 £15,122 11.5 yrs £11,246

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £892, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1660 kWh 1162 kWh 498 kWh £307 £50 £357 £6,756 18.9 yrs £382
3 kW 2490 kWh 1743 kWh 747 kWh £461 £75 £535 £8,383 15.7 yrs £2,323
4 kW 3321 kWh 2324 kWh 996 kWh £614 £100 £714 £10,011 14.0 yrs £4,264
5 kW 4151 kWh 2906 kWh 1245 kWh £768 £125 £892 £11,639 13.0 yrs £6,205
6 kW 4981 kWh 3487 kWh 1494 kWh £921 £149 £1,071 £13,267 12.4 yrs £8,146
7 kW 5811 kWh 4068 kWh 1743 kWh £1,075 £174 £1,249 £14,894 11.9 yrs £10,087
8 kW 6641 kWh 4649 kWh 1992 kWh £1,228 £199 £1,427 £16,522 11.6 yrs £12,027

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £913, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1660 kWh 1212 kWh 448 kWh £320 £45 £365 £8,506 23.3 yrs £-1,205
3 kW 2490 kWh 1818 kWh 672 kWh £480 £67 £548 £10,133 18.5 yrs £818
4 kW 3321 kWh 2424 kWh 897 kWh £640 £90 £730 £11,761 16.1 yrs £2,841
5 kW 4151 kWh 3030 kWh 1121 kWh £801 £112 £913 £13,389 14.7 yrs £4,864
6 kW 4981 kWh 3636 kWh 1345 kWh £961 £134 £1,095 £15,017 13.7 yrs £6,886
7 kW 5811 kWh 4242 kWh 1569 kWh £1,121 £157 £1,278 £16,644 13.0 yrs £8,909
8 kW 6641 kWh 4848 kWh 1793 kWh £1,281 £179 £1,460 £18,272 12.5 yrs £10,932

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £926, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1660 kWh 1245 kWh 415 kWh £329 £42 £371 £10,256 27.7 yrs £-2,846
3 kW 2490 kWh 1868 kWh 623 kWh £493 £62 £556 £11,883 21.4 yrs £-768
4 kW 3321 kWh 2490 kWh 830 kWh £658 £83 £741 £13,511 18.2 yrs £1,309
5 kW 4151 kWh 3113 kWh 1038 kWh £822 £104 £926 £15,139 16.3 yrs £3,386
6 kW 4981 kWh 3736 kWh 1245 kWh £987 £125 £1,112 £16,767 15.1 yrs £5,463
7 kW 5811 kWh 4358 kWh 1453 kWh £1,151 £145 £1,297 £18,394 14.2 yrs £7,541
8 kW 6641 kWh 4981 kWh 1660 kWh £1,316 £166 £1,482 £20,022 13.5 yrs £9,618

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £940, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1660 kWh 1278 kWh 382 kWh £338 £38 £376 £12,706 33.8 yrs £-5,186
3 kW 2490 kWh 1918 kWh 573 kWh £507 £57 £564 £14,333 25.4 yrs £-3,055
4 kW 3321 kWh 2557 kWh 764 kWh £676 £76 £752 £15,961 21.2 yrs £-923
5 kW 4151 kWh 3196 kWh 955 kWh £844 £95 £940 £17,589 18.7 yrs £1,209
6 kW 4981 kWh 3835 kWh 1146 kWh £1,013 £115 £1,128 £19,217 17.0 yrs £3,341
7 kW 5811 kWh 4475 kWh 1337 kWh £1,182 £134 £1,316 £20,844 15.8 yrs £5,472
8 kW 6641 kWh 5114 kWh 1527 kWh £1,351 £153 £1,504 £22,472 14.9 yrs £7,604

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, 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.

Before you request quotes in Aberdeenshire

Use the numbers above to sanity-check installer quotes. The main things to compare are system size, battery assumptions, payback claims, MCS certification, DNO paperwork and export assumptions.

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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for AB36

Figures below are tailored to AB36 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2838 of 2996
13.3 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£550 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2745 of 2996
38.2% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£550 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −21.9% West −20.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in AB36

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 22 Jan 41 Feb 78 Mar 102 Apr 114 May 105 Jun 105 Jul 94 Aug 77 Sep 51 Oct 30 Nov 12 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 36.0% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 25 kWh per month; the average month produces around 69 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 100 kWh in winter, or 277 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
830kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~830 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

Aberdeenshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q3 2026

Installation costs: DESNZ/MCS data, March 2026 (TIC)

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

AB35 (Aberdeenshire)
≈16.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~780 kWh/kWp · -6% vs AB36
AB34 (Aberdeenshire)
≈21.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB36
AB33 (Aberdeenshire)
≈22.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~830 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AB36
AB37 (Moray)
≈23.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~773 kWh/kWp · -7% vs AB36
AB52 (Aberdeenshire)
≈32.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~853 kWh/kWp · +3% vs AB36
AB38 (Moray)
≈32.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~799 kWh/kWp · -4% vs AB36

Similar sunshine across the UK

G11 (Glasgow City)
~830 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB36
G14 (Glasgow City)
~830 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB36
G20 (Glasgow City)
~830 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB36