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Solar panel cost in East Lothian (EH33)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH33 (East Lothian) 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

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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£923
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,865
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 27.18p/kWh with a 57.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 912 kWh/kW — 62 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 912 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.2p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.2p/kWh
Standing charge
57.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
912 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: £769, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 729 kWh 1094 kWh £198 £109 £308 £4,069 13.2 yrs £2,084
3 kW 2735 kWh 1094 kWh 1641 kWh £297 £164 £461 £6,104 13.2 yrs £3,125
4 kW 3647 kWh 1459 kWh 2188 kWh £396 £219 £615 £8,138 13.2 yrs £4,167
5 kW 4558 kWh 1823 kWh 2735 kWh £496 £273 £769 £10,173 13.2 yrs £5,209
6 kW 5470 kWh 2188 kWh 3282 kWh £595 £328 £923 £12,207 13.2 yrs £6,251
7 kW 6382 kWh 2553 kWh 3829 kWh £694 £383 £1,077 £14,242 13.2 yrs £7,292
8 kW 7293 kWh 2917 kWh 4376 kWh £793 £438 £1,231 £16,276 13.2 yrs £8,334

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: £926, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1094 kWh 729 kWh £297 £73 £370 £6,169 16.7 yrs £1,236
3 kW 2735 kWh 1641 kWh 1094 kWh £446 £109 £555 £8,204 14.8 yrs £2,905
4 kW 3647 kWh 2188 kWh 1459 kWh £595 £146 £741 £10,238 13.8 yrs £4,573
5 kW 4558 kWh 2735 kWh 1823 kWh £743 £182 £926 £12,273 13.3 yrs £6,241
6 kW 5470 kWh 3282 kWh 2188 kWh £892 £219 £1,111 £14,307 12.9 yrs £7,909
7 kW 6382 kWh 3829 kWh 2553 kWh £1,041 £255 £1,296 £16,342 12.6 yrs £9,578
8 kW 7293 kWh 4376 kWh 2917 kWh £1,189 £292 £1,481 £18,376 12.4 yrs £11,246

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: £1,004, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1276 kWh 547 kWh £347 £55 £402 £7,569 18.8 yrs £463
3 kW 2735 kWh 1914 kWh 820 kWh £520 £82 £602 £9,604 15.9 yrs £2,444
4 kW 3647 kWh 2553 kWh 1094 kWh £694 £109 £803 £11,638 14.5 yrs £4,426
5 kW 4558 kWh 3191 kWh 1367 kWh £867 £137 £1,004 £13,673 13.6 yrs £6,407
6 kW 5470 kWh 3829 kWh 1641 kWh £1,041 £164 £1,205 £15,707 13.0 yrs £8,389
7 kW 6382 kWh 4467 kWh 1914 kWh £1,214 £191 £1,406 £17,742 12.6 yrs £10,370
8 kW 7293 kWh 5105 kWh 2188 kWh £1,388 £219 £1,606 £19,776 12.3 yrs £12,352

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: £1,027, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1331 kWh 492 kWh £362 £49 £411 £9,319 22.7 yrs £-1,099
3 kW 2735 kWh 1997 kWh 738 kWh £543 £74 £616 £11,354 18.4 yrs £976
4 kW 3647 kWh 2662 kWh 985 kWh £724 £98 £822 £13,388 16.3 yrs £3,052
5 kW 4558 kWh 3328 kWh 1231 kWh £904 £123 £1,027 £15,423 15.0 yrs £5,127
6 kW 5470 kWh 3993 kWh 1477 kWh £1,085 £148 £1,233 £17,457 14.2 yrs £7,203
7 kW 6382 kWh 4659 kWh 1723 kWh £1,266 £172 £1,438 £19,492 13.6 yrs £9,278
8 kW 7293 kWh 5324 kWh 1969 kWh £1,447 £197 £1,644 £21,526 13.1 yrs £11,354

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: £1,043, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1367 kWh 456 kWh £372 £46 £417 £11,069 26.5 yrs £-2,724
3 kW 2735 kWh 2051 kWh 684 kWh £558 £68 £626 £13,104 20.9 yrs £-586
4 kW 3647 kWh 2735 kWh 912 kWh £743 £91 £835 £15,138 18.1 yrs £1,552
5 kW 4558 kWh 3419 kWh 1140 kWh £929 £114 £1,043 £17,173 16.5 yrs £3,691
6 kW 5470 kWh 4102 kWh 1367 kWh £1,115 £137 £1,252 £19,207 15.3 yrs £5,829
7 kW 6382 kWh 4786 kWh 1595 kWh £1,301 £160 £1,460 £21,242 14.5 yrs £7,967
8 kW 7293 kWh 5470 kWh 1823 kWh £1,487 £182 £1,669 £23,276 13.9 yrs £10,105

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: £1,059, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1404 kWh 419 kWh £382 £42 £424 £13,519 31.9 yrs £-5,048
3 kW 2735 kWh 2106 kWh 629 kWh £572 £63 £635 £15,554 24.5 yrs £-2,848
4 kW 3647 kWh 2808 kWh 839 kWh £763 £84 £847 £17,588 20.8 yrs £-647
5 kW 4558 kWh 3510 kWh 1048 kWh £954 £105 £1,059 £19,623 18.5 yrs £1,554
6 kW 5470 kWh 4212 kWh 1258 kWh £1,145 £126 £1,271 £21,657 17.0 yrs £3,755
7 kW 6382 kWh 4914 kWh 1468 kWh £1,336 £147 £1,482 £23,692 16.0 yrs £5,955
8 kW 7293 kWh 5616 kWh 1677 kWh £1,526 £168 £1,694 £25,726 15.2 yrs £8,156

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 EH33

Figures below are tailored to EH33 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2200 of 2997
13.2 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£923 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1423 of 2997
22.8% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£923 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.2% West −21.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.18p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.62p/day
Local Sunshine
912kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~912 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

East Lothian (100%)

Areas Covered

Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry, Haddington and Lammermuir, Preston, Seton and Gosford

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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

EH32 (East Lothian)
≈2.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH33
EH35 (East Lothian)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH33
EH34 (East Lothian)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH33
EH21 (East Lothian)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~893 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH33
EH37 (Midlothian)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH33
EH22 (Midlothian)
≈9.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH33

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS13 (Leeds)
~912 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH33
S36 (Barnsley)
~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH33
DL1 (Darlington)
~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH33