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Solar Panels in EH23 (Midlothian)

See if solar pays off for you in Midlothian — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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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
14.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£843
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,857
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 860 kWh/kW — 10 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 860 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)
860 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: £702, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1719 kWh 688 kWh 1032 kWh £178 £103 £281 £4,069 14.5 yrs £1,548
3 kW 2579 kWh 1032 kWh 1547 kWh £267 £155 £421 £6,104 14.5 yrs £2,322
4 kW 3439 kWh 1375 kWh 2063 kWh £355 £206 £562 £8,138 14.5 yrs £3,096
5 kW 4298 kWh 1719 kWh 2579 kWh £444 £258 £702 £10,173 14.5 yrs £3,870
6 kW 5158 kWh 2063 kWh 3095 kWh £533 £309 £843 £12,207 14.5 yrs £4,644
7 kW 6017 kWh 2407 kWh 3610 kWh £622 £361 £983 £14,242 14.5 yrs £5,419
8 kW 6877 kWh 2751 kWh 4126 kWh £711 £413 £1,123 £16,276 14.5 yrs £6,193

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: £838, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1719 kWh 1032 kWh 688 kWh £267 £69 £335 £6,169 18.4 yrs £537
3 kW 2579 kWh 1547 kWh 1032 kWh £400 £103 £503 £8,204 16.3 yrs £1,856
4 kW 3439 kWh 2063 kWh 1375 kWh £533 £138 £671 £10,238 15.3 yrs £3,175
5 kW 4298 kWh 2579 kWh 1719 kWh £666 £172 £838 £12,273 14.6 yrs £4,494
6 kW 5158 kWh 3095 kWh 2063 kWh £800 £206 £1,006 £14,307 14.2 yrs £5,812
7 kW 6017 kWh 3610 kWh 2407 kWh £933 £241 £1,174 £16,342 13.9 yrs £7,131
8 kW 6877 kWh 4126 kWh 2751 kWh £1,066 £275 £1,341 £18,376 13.7 yrs £8,450

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: £906, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1719 kWh 1203 kWh 516 kWh £311 £52 £363 £7,569 20.9 yrs £-318
3 kW 2579 kWh 1805 kWh 774 kWh £466 £77 £544 £9,604 17.7 yrs £1,273
4 kW 3439 kWh 2407 kWh 1032 kWh £622 £103 £725 £11,638 16.0 yrs £2,864
5 kW 4298 kWh 3009 kWh 1289 kWh £777 £129 £906 £13,673 15.1 yrs £4,455
6 kW 5158 kWh 3610 kWh 1547 kWh £933 £155 £1,088 £15,707 14.4 yrs £6,046
7 kW 6017 kWh 4212 kWh 1805 kWh £1,088 £181 £1,269 £17,742 14.0 yrs £7,637
8 kW 6877 kWh 4814 kWh 2063 kWh £1,244 £206 £1,450 £19,776 13.6 yrs £9,229

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: £927, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1719 kWh 1255 kWh 464 kWh £324 £46 £371 £9,319 25.1 yrs £-1,904
3 kW 2579 kWh 1883 kWh 696 kWh £486 £70 £556 £11,354 20.4 yrs £-232
4 kW 3439 kWh 2510 kWh 928 kWh £649 £93 £741 £13,388 18.1 yrs £1,441
5 kW 4298 kWh 3138 kWh 1161 kWh £811 £116 £927 £15,423 16.6 yrs £3,114
6 kW 5158 kWh 3765 kWh 1393 kWh £973 £139 £1,112 £17,457 15.7 yrs £4,787
7 kW 6017 kWh 4393 kWh 1625 kWh £1,135 £162 £1,298 £19,492 15.0 yrs £6,459
8 kW 6877 kWh 5020 kWh 1857 kWh £1,297 £186 £1,483 £21,526 14.5 yrs £8,132

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: £940, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1719 kWh 1289 kWh 430 kWh £333 £43 £376 £11,069 29.4 yrs £-3,546
3 kW 2579 kWh 1934 kWh 645 kWh £500 £64 £564 £13,104 23.2 yrs £-1,818
4 kW 3439 kWh 2579 kWh 860 kWh £666 £86 £752 £15,138 20.1 yrs £-91
5 kW 4298 kWh 3224 kWh 1075 kWh £833 £107 £940 £17,173 18.3 yrs £1,636
6 kW 5158 kWh 3868 kWh 1289 kWh £1,000 £129 £1,129 £19,207 17.0 yrs £3,363
7 kW 6017 kWh 4513 kWh 1504 kWh £1,166 £150 £1,317 £21,242 16.1 yrs £5,091
8 kW 6877 kWh 5158 kWh 1719 kWh £1,333 £172 £1,505 £23,276 15.5 yrs £6,818

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: £954, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1719 kWh 1324 kWh 395 kWh £342 £40 £382 £13,519 35.4 yrs £-5,887
3 kW 2579 kWh 1986 kWh 593 kWh £513 £59 £572 £15,554 27.2 yrs £-4,105
4 kW 3439 kWh 2648 kWh 791 kWh £684 £79 £763 £17,588 23.0 yrs £-2,323
5 kW 4298 kWh 3310 kWh 989 kWh £855 £99 £954 £19,623 20.6 yrs £-542
6 kW 5158 kWh 3971 kWh 1186 kWh £1,026 £119 £1,145 £21,657 18.9 yrs £1,240
7 kW 6017 kWh 4633 kWh 1384 kWh £1,197 £138 £1,336 £23,692 17.7 yrs £3,022
8 kW 6877 kWh 5295 kWh 1582 kWh £1,368 £158 £1,526 £25,726 16.9 yrs £4,804

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 EH23

Figures below are tailored to EH23 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2668 of 2997
12.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£965 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1693 of 2997
21.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£965 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
860kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~860 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

Midlothian (100%)

Areas Covered

Midlothian South, Midlothian East, Dalkeith, Tweeddale West

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

EH19 (Midlothian)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH23
EH22 (Midlothian)
≈5.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EH23
EH24 (Midlothian)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH23
EH37 (Midlothian)
≈5.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH23
EH18 (Midlothian)
≈5.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~862 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH23
EH20 (Midlothian)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH23

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL23 (Gwynedd)
~860 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH23
PR5 (South Ribble)
~860 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH23
BT54 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
~860 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH23