Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in AB44 (Aberdeenshire)

See if solar pays off for you in Aberdeenshire — 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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£716
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,739
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

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 852 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)
852 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: £716, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 681 kWh 1022 kWh £184 £102 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,663
3 kW 2555 kWh 1022 kWh 1533 kWh £277 £153 £430 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,494
4 kW 3407 kWh 1363 kWh 2044 kWh £369 £204 £573 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,325
5 kW 4259 kWh 1703 kWh 2555 kWh £461 £256 £716 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,157
6 kW 5110 kWh 2044 kWh 3066 kWh £553 £307 £860 £12,207 14.2 yrs £4,988
7 kW 5962 kWh 2385 kWh 3577 kWh £645 £358 £1,003 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,819
8 kW 6814 kWh 2725 kWh 4088 kWh £738 £409 £1,146 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,651

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: £862, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1022 kWh 681 kWh £277 £68 £345 £6,169 17.9 yrs £725
3 kW 2555 kWh 1533 kWh 1022 kWh £415 £102 £517 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,138
4 kW 3407 kWh 2044 kWh 1363 kWh £553 £136 £689 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,550
5 kW 4259 kWh 2555 kWh 1703 kWh £691 £170 £862 £12,273 14.2 yrs £4,963
6 kW 5110 kWh 3066 kWh 2044 kWh £830 £204 £1,034 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,375
7 kW 5962 kWh 3577 kWh 2385 kWh £968 £238 £1,206 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,788
8 kW 6814 kWh 4088 kWh 2725 kWh £1,106 £273 £1,379 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,200

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: £934, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1192 kWh 511 kWh £323 £51 £374 £7,569 20.3 yrs £-94
3 kW 2555 kWh 1789 kWh 767 kWh £484 £77 £561 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,609
4 kW 3407 kWh 2385 kWh 1022 kWh £645 £102 £748 £11,638 15.6 yrs £3,313
5 kW 4259 kWh 2981 kWh 1278 kWh £807 £128 £934 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,016
6 kW 5110 kWh 3577 kWh 1533 kWh £968 £153 £1,121 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,719
7 kW 5962 kWh 4173 kWh 1789 kWh £1,129 £179 £1,308 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,422
8 kW 6814 kWh 4770 kWh 2044 kWh £1,291 £204 £1,495 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,125

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: £956, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1243 kWh 460 kWh £336 £46 £382 £9,319 24.4 yrs £-1,669
3 kW 2555 kWh 1865 kWh 690 kWh £505 £69 £574 £11,354 19.8 yrs £121
4 kW 3407 kWh 2487 kWh 920 kWh £673 £92 £765 £13,388 17.5 yrs £1,911
5 kW 4259 kWh 3109 kWh 1150 kWh £841 £115 £956 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,702
6 kW 5110 kWh 3730 kWh 1380 kWh £1,009 £138 £1,147 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,492
7 kW 5962 kWh 4352 kWh 1610 kWh £1,178 £161 £1,339 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,282
8 kW 6814 kWh 4974 kWh 1840 kWh £1,346 £184 £1,530 £21,526 14.1 yrs £9,073

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: £971, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1278 kWh 426 kWh £346 £43 £388 £11,069 28.5 yrs £-3,303
3 kW 2555 kWh 1916 kWh 639 kWh £519 £64 £582 £13,104 22.5 yrs £-1,455
4 kW 3407 kWh 2555 kWh 852 kWh £691 £85 £777 £15,138 19.5 yrs £394
5 kW 4259 kWh 3194 kWh 1065 kWh £864 £106 £971 £17,173 17.7 yrs £2,242
6 kW 5110 kWh 3833 kWh 1278 kWh £1,037 £128 £1,165 £19,207 16.5 yrs £4,091
7 kW 5962 kWh 4471 kWh 1490 kWh £1,210 £149 £1,359 £21,242 15.6 yrs £5,939
8 kW 6814 kWh 5110 kWh 1703 kWh £1,383 £170 £1,553 £23,276 15.0 yrs £7,787

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: £985, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1312 kWh 392 kWh £355 £39 £394 £13,519 34.3 yrs £-5,637
3 kW 2555 kWh 1967 kWh 588 kWh £532 £59 £591 £15,554 26.3 yrs £-3,730
4 kW 3407 kWh 2623 kWh 784 kWh £710 £78 £788 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,824
5 kW 4259 kWh 3279 kWh 979 kWh £887 £98 £985 £19,623 19.9 yrs £83
6 kW 5110 kWh 3935 kWh 1175 kWh £1,065 £118 £1,182 £21,657 18.3 yrs £1,989
7 kW 5962 kWh 4591 kWh 1371 kWh £1,242 £137 £1,379 £23,692 17.2 yrs £3,896
8 kW 6814 kWh 5247 kWh 1567 kWh £1,420 £157 £1,576 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,802

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
852kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~852 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

Troup, Banff and District

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.