Solar panel cost in City of Edinburgh (EH29)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH29 (City of Edinburgh) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

Solar Calculator

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System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
11.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£859
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,697
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: The official cost per kW is lower above 4 kW, so a 5–6 kW system can pay back a little faster than a 3–4 kW system on otherwise identical assumptions.
  • 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

Panel costs: Uses March 2026 TIC mean installation costs: £1,827/kW up to 4 kW and £1,628/kW above 4 kW.

Other costs: Battery prices are modelled at £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 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 876 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.9p/kWh
Standing charge
64.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
876 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: £715, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 701 kWh 1051 kWh £181 £105 £286 £3,256 11.4 yrs £2,468
3 kW 2627 kWh 1051 kWh 1576 kWh £272 £158 £429 £4,883 11.4 yrs £3,702
4 kW 3503 kWh 1401 kWh 2102 kWh £362 £210 £572 £6,511 11.4 yrs £4,936
5 kW 4378 kWh 1751 kWh 2627 kWh £453 £263 £715 £8,139 11.4 yrs £6,170
6 kW 5254 kWh 2102 kWh 3152 kWh £543 £315 £859 £9,767 11.4 yrs £7,404
7 kW 6130 kWh 2452 kWh 3678 kWh £634 £368 £1,002 £11,394 11.4 yrs £8,638
8 kW 7006 kWh 2802 kWh 4203 kWh £724 £420 £1,145 £13,022 11.4 yrs £9,872

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £854, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1051 kWh 701 kWh £272 £70 £342 £5,356 15.7 yrs £1,478
3 kW 2627 kWh 1576 kWh 1051 kWh £407 £105 £513 £6,983 13.6 yrs £3,268
4 kW 3503 kWh 2102 kWh 1401 kWh £543 £140 £683 £8,611 12.6 yrs £5,057
5 kW 4378 kWh 2627 kWh 1751 kWh £679 £175 £854 £10,239 12.0 yrs £6,846
6 kW 5254 kWh 3152 kWh 2102 kWh £815 £210 £1,025 £11,867 11.6 yrs £8,635
7 kW 6130 kWh 3678 kWh 2452 kWh £951 £245 £1,196 £13,494 11.3 yrs £10,424
8 kW 7006 kWh 4203 kWh 2802 kWh £1,087 £280 £1,367 £15,122 11.1 yrs £12,213

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £924, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1226 kWh 525 kWh £317 £53 £369 £6,756 18.3 yrs £634
3 kW 2627 kWh 1839 kWh 788 kWh £475 £79 £554 £8,383 15.1 yrs £2,700
4 kW 3503 kWh 2452 kWh 1051 kWh £634 £105 £739 £10,011 13.5 yrs £4,767
5 kW 4378 kWh 3065 kWh 1314 kWh £792 £131 £924 £11,639 12.6 yrs £6,834
6 kW 5254 kWh 3678 kWh 1576 kWh £951 £158 £1,108 £13,267 12.0 yrs £8,901
7 kW 6130 kWh 4291 kWh 1839 kWh £1,109 £184 £1,293 £14,894 11.5 yrs £10,967
8 kW 7006 kWh 4904 kWh 2102 kWh £1,268 £210 £1,478 £16,522 11.2 yrs £13,034

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £944, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1751 kWh 1279 kWh 473 kWh £330 £47 £378 £8,506 22.5 yrs £-950
3 kW 2627 kWh 1918 kWh 709 kWh £496 £71 £567 £10,133 17.9 yrs £1,200
4 kW 3503 kWh 2557 kWh 946 kWh £661 £95 £756 £11,761 15.6 yrs £3,350
5 kW 4378 kWh 3196 kWh 1182 kWh £826 £118 £944 £13,389 14.2 yrs £5,500
6 kW 5254 kWh 3836 kWh 1419 kWh £991 £142 £1,133 £15,017 13.2 yrs £7,650
7 kW 6130 kWh 4475 kWh 1655 kWh £1,157 £166 £1,322 £16,644 12.6 yrs £9,800
8 kW 7006 kWh 5114 kWh 1891 kWh £1,322 £189 £1,511 £18,272 12.1 yrs £11,950

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £958, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1314 kWh 438 kWh £340 £44 £383 £10,256 26.8 yrs £-2,589
3 kW 2627 kWh 1970 kWh 657 kWh £509 £66 £575 £11,883 20.7 yrs £-383
4 kW 3503 kWh 2627 kWh 876 kWh £679 £88 £767 £13,511 17.6 yrs £1,822
5 kW 4378 kWh 3284 kWh 1095 kWh £849 £109 £958 £15,139 15.8 yrs £4,028
6 kW 5254 kWh 3941 kWh 1314 kWh £1,019 £131 £1,150 £16,767 14.6 yrs £6,233
7 kW 6130 kWh 4597 kWh 1532 kWh £1,188 £153 £1,342 £18,394 13.7 yrs £8,439
8 kW 7006 kWh 5254 kWh 1751 kWh £1,358 £175 £1,533 £20,022 13.1 yrs £10,645

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £972, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 18.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1349 kWh 403 kWh £349 £40 £389 £12,706 32.7 yrs £-4,928
3 kW 2627 kWh 2023 kWh 604 kWh £523 £60 £583 £14,333 24.6 yrs £-2,667
4 kW 3503 kWh 2697 kWh 806 kWh £697 £81 £778 £15,961 20.5 yrs £-406
5 kW 4378 kWh 3371 kWh 1007 kWh £872 £101 £972 £17,589 18.1 yrs £1,855
6 kW 5254 kWh 4046 kWh 1208 kWh £1,046 £121 £1,167 £19,217 16.5 yrs £4,117
7 kW 6130 kWh 4720 kWh 1410 kWh £1,220 £141 £1,361 £20,844 15.3 yrs £6,378
8 kW 7006 kWh 5394 kWh 1611 kWh £1,394 £161 £1,556 £22,472 14.4 yrs £8,639

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, 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.

Before you request quotes in City of Edinburgh

Use the numbers above to sanity-check installer quotes. The main things to compare are system size, battery assumptions, payback claims, MCS certification, DNO paperwork and export assumptions.

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Seasonal solar output in EH29

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 26 Jan 43 Feb 75 Mar 103 Apr 117 May 111 Jun 111 Jul 99 Aug 80 Sep 54 Oct 36 Nov 21 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 40.9% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 30 kWh per month; the average month produces around 73 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 119 kWh in winter, or 292 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/day
Local Sunshine
876kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~876 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 (99%)|West Lothian (1%)

Areas Covered

Almond, Inverleith, Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh, Drum Brae/Gyle

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q3 2026

Installation costs: DESNZ/MCS data, March 2026 (TIC)

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.