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Solar Panels in AB52 (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
£717
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,761
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 853 kWh/kW — 38 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 853 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)
853 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: £717, 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 1706 kWh 682 kWh 1023 kWh £185 £102 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,670
3 kW 2558 kWh 1023 kWh 1535 kWh £277 £153 £430 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,504
4 kW 3411 kWh 1364 kWh 2047 kWh £369 £205 £574 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,339
5 kW 4264 kWh 1706 kWh 2558 kWh £462 £256 £717 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,174
6 kW 5116 kWh 2047 kWh 3070 kWh £554 £307 £861 £12,207 14.2 yrs £5,009
7 kW 5969 kWh 2388 kWh 3582 kWh £646 £358 £1,004 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,844
8 kW 6822 kWh 2729 kWh 4093 kWh £738 £409 £1,148 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,679

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: £863, 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 1706 kWh 1023 kWh 682 kWh £277 £68 £345 £6,169 17.9 yrs £733
3 kW 2558 kWh 1535 kWh 1023 kWh £415 £102 £518 £8,204 15.8 yrs £2,150
4 kW 3411 kWh 2047 kWh 1364 kWh £554 £136 £690 £10,238 14.8 yrs £3,567
5 kW 4264 kWh 2558 kWh 1706 kWh £692 £171 £863 £12,273 14.2 yrs £4,984
6 kW 5116 kWh 3070 kWh 2047 kWh £831 £205 £1,035 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,400
7 kW 5969 kWh 3582 kWh 2388 kWh £969 £239 £1,208 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,817
8 kW 6822 kWh 4093 kWh 2729 kWh £1,108 £273 £1,380 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,234

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: £936, 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 1706 kWh 1194 kWh 512 kWh £323 £51 £374 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-85
3 kW 2558 kWh 1791 kWh 767 kWh £485 £77 £561 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,623
4 kW 3411 kWh 2388 kWh 1023 kWh £646 £102 £748 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,331
5 kW 4264 kWh 2985 kWh 1279 kWh £808 £128 £936 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,038
6 kW 5116 kWh 3582 kWh 1535 kWh £969 £153 £1,123 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,746
7 kW 5969 kWh 4178 kWh 1791 kWh £1,131 £179 £1,310 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,454
8 kW 6822 kWh 4775 kWh 2047 kWh £1,292 £205 £1,497 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,162

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: £957, 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 1706 kWh 1245 kWh 460 kWh £337 £46 £383 £9,319 24.3 yrs £-1,660
3 kW 2558 kWh 1868 kWh 691 kWh £505 £69 £574 £11,354 19.8 yrs £135
4 kW 3411 kWh 2490 kWh 921 kWh £674 £92 £766 £13,388 17.5 yrs £1,930
5 kW 4264 kWh 3113 kWh 1151 kWh £842 £115 £957 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,725
6 kW 5116 kWh 3735 kWh 1381 kWh £1,011 £138 £1,149 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,520
7 kW 5969 kWh 4358 kWh 1612 kWh £1,179 £161 £1,340 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,315
8 kW 6822 kWh 4980 kWh 1842 kWh £1,348 £184 £1,532 £21,526 14.1 yrs £9,110

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: £972, 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 1706 kWh 1279 kWh 426 kWh £346 £43 £389 £11,069 28.5 yrs £-3,294
3 kW 2558 kWh 1919 kWh 640 kWh £519 £64 £583 £13,104 22.5 yrs £-1,440
4 kW 3411 kWh 2558 kWh 853 kWh £692 £85 £778 £15,138 19.5 yrs £413
5 kW 4264 kWh 3198 kWh 1066 kWh £865 £107 £972 £17,173 17.7 yrs £2,266
6 kW 5116 kWh 3837 kWh 1279 kWh £1,038 £128 £1,166 £19,207 16.5 yrs £4,119
7 kW 5969 kWh 4477 kWh 1492 kWh £1,211 £149 £1,361 £21,242 15.6 yrs £5,972
8 kW 6822 kWh 5116 kWh 1706 kWh £1,385 £171 £1,555 £23,276 15.0 yrs £7,825

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: £986, 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 1706 kWh 1313 kWh 392 kWh £355 £39 £395 £13,519 34.3 yrs £-5,627
3 kW 2558 kWh 1970 kWh 588 kWh £533 £59 £592 £15,554 26.3 yrs £-3,716
4 kW 3411 kWh 2626 kWh 785 kWh £711 £78 £789 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,805
5 kW 4264 kWh 3283 kWh 981 kWh £888 £98 £986 £19,623 19.9 yrs £107
6 kW 5116 kWh 3940 kWh 1177 kWh £1,066 £118 £1,184 £21,657 18.3 yrs £2,018
7 kW 5969 kWh 4596 kWh 1373 kWh £1,244 £137 £1,381 £23,692 17.2 yrs £3,930
8 kW 6822 kWh 5253 kWh 1569 kWh £1,421 £157 £1,578 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,841

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 AB52

Figures below are tailored to AB52 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2539 of 2997
12.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£661 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2793 of 2997
33.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£661 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
853kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~853 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

West Garioch, Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford, Inverurie 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.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in Northern Scotland

AB5 (Aberdeenshire)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~873 kWh/kWp · +2% vs AB52
AB33 (Aberdeenshire)
≈13.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~830 kWh/kWp · -3% vs AB52
AB51 (Aberdeenshire)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~873 kWh/kWp · +2% vs AB52
AB54 (Aberdeenshire)
≈15.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~842 kWh/kWp · -1% vs AB52
AB53 (Aberdeenshire)
≈24.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~862 kWh/kWp · +1% vs AB52
AB32 (Aberdeenshire)
≈28.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +5% vs AB52

Similar sunshine across the UK

FK2 (Falkirk)
~853 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB52
FK13 (Clackmannanshire)
~852 kWh/kWp · -0% vs AB52
M8 (Manchester)
~853 kWh/kWp · +0% vs AB52