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Solar Panels in EH1 (City of Edinburgh)

See if solar pays off for you in City of Edinburgh — 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
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£860
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,303
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 Southern Scotland, the current unit rate is 25.84p/kWh with a 56.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 878 kWh/kW — 28 above the regional median (850).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 878 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.8p/kWh
Standing charge
56.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
878 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 1756 kWh 702 kWh 1053 kWh £181 £105 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,667
3 kW 2633 kWh 1053 kWh 1580 kWh £272 £158 £430 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,500
4 kW 3511 kWh 1404 kWh 2107 kWh £363 £211 £574 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,334
5 kW 4389 kWh 1756 kWh 2633 kWh £454 £263 £717 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,167
6 kW 5267 kWh 2107 kWh 3160 kWh £544 £316 £860 £12,207 14.2 yrs £5,001
7 kW 6145 kWh 2458 kWh 3687 kWh £635 £369 £1,004 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,834
8 kW 7022 kWh 2809 kWh 4213 kWh £726 £421 £1,147 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,668

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: £856, 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 1756 kWh 1053 kWh 702 kWh £272 £70 £342 £6,169 18.0 yrs £679
3 kW 2633 kWh 1580 kWh 1053 kWh £408 £105 £514 £8,204 16.0 yrs £2,069
4 kW 3511 kWh 2107 kWh 1404 kWh £544 £140 £685 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,459
5 kW 4389 kWh 2633 kWh 1756 kWh £680 £176 £856 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,848
6 kW 5267 kWh 3160 kWh 2107 kWh £817 £211 £1,027 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,238
7 kW 6145 kWh 3687 kWh 2458 kWh £953 £246 £1,198 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,628
8 kW 7022 kWh 4213 kWh 2809 kWh £1,089 £281 £1,370 £18,376 13.4 yrs £9,017

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: £926, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1756 kWh 1229 kWh 527 kWh £318 £53 £370 £7,569 20.4 yrs £-165
3 kW 2633 kWh 1843 kWh 790 kWh £476 £79 £555 £9,604 17.3 yrs £1,503
4 kW 3511 kWh 2458 kWh 1053 kWh £635 £105 £740 £11,638 15.7 yrs £3,171
5 kW 4389 kWh 3072 kWh 1317 kWh £794 £132 £926 £13,673 14.8 yrs £4,839
6 kW 5267 kWh 3687 kWh 1580 kWh £953 £158 £1,111 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,506
7 kW 6145 kWh 4301 kWh 1843 kWh £1,111 £184 £1,296 £17,742 13.7 yrs £8,174
8 kW 7022 kWh 4916 kWh 2107 kWh £1,270 £211 £1,481 £19,776 13.4 yrs £9,842

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: £946, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1756 kWh 1282 kWh 474 kWh £331 £47 £379 £9,319 24.6 yrs £-1,748
3 kW 2633 kWh 1922 kWh 711 kWh £497 £71 £568 £11,354 20.0 yrs £4
4 kW 3511 kWh 2563 kWh 948 kWh £662 £95 £757 £13,388 17.7 yrs £1,755
5 kW 4389 kWh 3204 kWh 1185 kWh £828 £119 £946 £15,423 16.3 yrs £3,506
6 kW 5267 kWh 3845 kWh 1422 kWh £993 £142 £1,136 £17,457 15.4 yrs £5,257
7 kW 6145 kWh 4486 kWh 1659 kWh £1,159 £166 £1,325 £19,492 14.7 yrs £7,008
8 kW 7022 kWh 5126 kWh 1896 kWh £1,325 £190 £1,514 £21,526 14.2 yrs £8,759

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: £960, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1756 kWh 1317 kWh 439 kWh £340 £44 £384 £11,069 28.8 yrs £-3,386
3 kW 2633 kWh 1975 kWh 658 kWh £510 £66 £576 £13,104 22.7 yrs £-1,580
4 kW 3511 kWh 2633 kWh 878 kWh £680 £88 £768 £15,138 19.7 yrs £227
5 kW 4389 kWh 3292 kWh 1097 kWh £851 £110 £960 £17,173 17.9 yrs £2,034
6 kW 5267 kWh 3950 kWh 1317 kWh £1,021 £132 £1,152 £19,207 16.7 yrs £3,841
7 kW 6145 kWh 4609 kWh 1536 kWh £1,191 £154 £1,344 £21,242 15.8 yrs £5,648
8 kW 7022 kWh 5267 kWh 1756 kWh £1,361 £176 £1,537 £23,276 15.1 yrs £7,454

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: £974, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1756 kWh 1352 kWh 404 kWh £349 £40 £390 £13,519 34.7 yrs £-5,725
3 kW 2633 kWh 2028 kWh 606 kWh £524 £61 £585 £15,554 26.6 yrs £-3,863
4 kW 3511 kWh 2704 kWh 808 kWh £699 £81 £779 £17,588 22.6 yrs £-2,000
5 kW 4389 kWh 3380 kWh 1009 kWh £873 £101 £974 £19,623 20.1 yrs £-138
6 kW 5267 kWh 4055 kWh 1211 kWh £1,048 £121 £1,169 £21,657 18.5 yrs £1,724
7 kW 6145 kWh 4731 kWh 1413 kWh £1,223 £141 £1,364 £23,692 17.4 yrs £3,587
8 kW 7022 kWh 5407 kWh 1615 kWh £1,397 £162 £1,559 £25,726 16.5 yrs £5,449

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 EH1

Figures below are tailored to EH1 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2596 of 2997
12.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£986 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1596 of 2997
20.9% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£986 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
878kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~878 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

City of Edinburgh (100%)

Areas Covered

City Centre, Leith Walk, Corstorphine/Murrayfield, Leith, Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart

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 Southern Scotland

EH2 (City of Edinburgh)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~878 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH1
EH8 (City of Edinburgh)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~870 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EH1
EH99 (City of Edinburgh)
≈0.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH1
EH3 (City of Edinburgh)
≈1.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EH1
EH7 (City of Edinburgh)
≈1.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH1
EH9 (City of Edinburgh)
≈1.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~889 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH1

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL37 (Gwynedd)
~878 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH1
BT68 (Mid Ulster)
~878 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH1
LL20 (Denbighshire)
~877 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH1