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Solar Panels in AB45 (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
14.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£714
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,668
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 848 kWh/kW — 33 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 848 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)
848 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: £714, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 679 kWh 1018 kWh £184 £102 £285 £4,069 14.3 yrs £1,640
3 kW 2545 kWh 1018 kWh 1527 kWh £275 £153 £428 £6,104 14.3 yrs £2,460
4 kW 3393 kWh 1357 kWh 2036 kWh £367 £204 £571 £8,138 14.3 yrs £3,280
5 kW 4242 kWh 1697 kWh 2545 kWh £459 £254 £714 £10,173 14.3 yrs £4,100
6 kW 5090 kWh 2036 kWh 3054 kWh £551 £305 £856 £12,207 14.3 yrs £4,920
7 kW 5938 kWh 2375 kWh 3563 kWh £643 £356 £999 £14,242 14.3 yrs £5,739
8 kW 6787 kWh 2715 kWh 4072 kWh £735 £407 £1,142 £16,276 14.3 yrs £6,559

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: £858, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1018 kWh 679 kWh £275 £68 £343 £6,169 18.0 yrs £698
3 kW 2545 kWh 1527 kWh 1018 kWh £413 £102 £515 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,096
4 kW 3393 kWh 2036 kWh 1357 kWh £551 £136 £687 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,495
5 kW 4242 kWh 2545 kWh 1697 kWh £689 £170 £858 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,894
6 kW 5090 kWh 3054 kWh 2036 kWh £826 £204 £1,030 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,293
7 kW 5938 kWh 3563 kWh 2375 kWh £964 £238 £1,202 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,692
8 kW 6787 kWh 4072 kWh 2715 kWh £1,102 £271 £1,373 £18,376 13.4 yrs £9,090

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: £931, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1697 kWh 1188 kWh 509 kWh £321 £51 £372 £7,569 20.3 yrs £-123
3 kW 2545 kWh 1781 kWh 763 kWh £482 £76 £558 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,565
4 kW 3393 kWh 2375 kWh 1018 kWh £643 £102 £745 £11,638 15.6 yrs £3,253
5 kW 4242 kWh 2969 kWh 1272 kWh £803 £127 £931 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,941
6 kW 5090 kWh 3563 kWh 1527 kWh £964 £153 £1,117 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,630
7 kW 5938 kWh 4157 kWh 1781 kWh £1,125 £178 £1,303 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,318
8 kW 6787 kWh 4751 kWh 2036 kWh £1,286 £204 £1,489 £19,776 13.3 yrs £10,006

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: £952, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1239 kWh 458 kWh £335 £46 £381 £9,319 24.5 yrs £-1,700
3 kW 2545 kWh 1858 kWh 687 kWh £503 £69 £571 £11,354 19.9 yrs £75
4 kW 3393 kWh 2477 kWh 916 kWh £670 £92 £762 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,850
5 kW 4242 kWh 3096 kWh 1145 kWh £838 £115 £952 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,625
6 kW 5090 kWh 3716 kWh 1374 kWh £1,005 £137 £1,143 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,401
7 kW 5938 kWh 4335 kWh 1603 kWh £1,173 £160 £1,333 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,176
8 kW 6787 kWh 4954 kWh 1832 kWh £1,341 £183 £1,524 £21,526 14.1 yrs £8,951

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: £967, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1272 kWh 424 kWh £344 £42 £387 £11,069 28.6 yrs £-3,334
3 kW 2545 kWh 1909 kWh 636 kWh £516 £64 £580 £13,104 22.6 yrs £-1,501
4 kW 3393 kWh 2545 kWh 848 kWh £689 £85 £773 £15,138 19.6 yrs £332
5 kW 4242 kWh 3181 kWh 1060 kWh £861 £106 £967 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,165
6 kW 5090 kWh 3817 kWh 1272 kWh £1,033 £127 £1,160 £19,207 16.6 yrs £3,998
7 kW 5938 kWh 4454 kWh 1485 kWh £1,205 £148 £1,354 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,831
8 kW 6787 kWh 5090 kWh 1697 kWh £1,377 £170 £1,547 £23,276 15.0 yrs £7,664

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: £981, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1697 kWh 1306 kWh 390 kWh £354 £39 £393 £13,519 34.4 yrs £-5,668
3 kW 2545 kWh 1960 kWh 585 kWh £530 £59 £589 £15,554 26.4 yrs £-3,777
4 kW 3393 kWh 2613 kWh 780 kWh £707 £78 £785 £17,588 22.4 yrs £-1,887
5 kW 4242 kWh 3266 kWh 976 kWh £884 £98 £981 £19,623 20.0 yrs £4
6 kW 5090 kWh 3919 kWh 1171 kWh £1,061 £117 £1,178 £21,657 18.4 yrs £1,895
7 kW 5938 kWh 4572 kWh 1366 kWh £1,237 £137 £1,374 £23,692 17.2 yrs £3,786
8 kW 6787 kWh 5226 kWh 1561 kWh £1,414 £156 £1,570 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,677

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 AB45

Figures below are tailored to AB45 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2586 of 2997
12.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£658 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2794 of 2997
33.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£658 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
848kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~848 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

Banff and District, Troup, Keith and Cullen

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

AB44 (Aberdeenshire)
≈2.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB45
AB53 (Aberdeenshire)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~862 kWh/kWp · +2% vs AB45
AB5 (Aberdeenshire)
≈23.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~873 kWh/kWp · +3% vs AB45
AB56 (Moray)
≈24.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · -3% vs AB45
AB54 (Aberdeenshire)
≈27.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~842 kWh/kWp · -1% vs AB45
AB55 (Moray)
≈28.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~834 kWh/kWp · -2% vs AB45

Similar sunshine across the UK

BB12 (Burnley)
~848 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB45
BB10 (Burnley)
~848 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB45
FK4 (Falkirk)
~848 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AB45