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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
10.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£894
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,578
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

In Southern Scotland, the current unit rate is 25.85p/kWh with a 64.17p/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 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)
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: £745, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.9 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 £189 £109 £298 £3,256 10.9 yrs £2,703
3 kW 2735 kWh 1094 kWh 1641 kWh £283 £164 £447 £4,883 10.9 yrs £4,055
4 kW 3647 kWh 1459 kWh 2188 kWh £377 £219 £596 £6,511 10.9 yrs £5,406
5 kW 4558 kWh 1823 kWh 2735 kWh £471 £273 £745 £8,139 10.9 yrs £6,758
6 kW 5470 kWh 2188 kWh 3282 kWh £566 £328 £894 £9,767 10.9 yrs £8,109
7 kW 6382 kWh 2553 kWh 3829 kWh £660 £383 £1,043 £11,394 10.9 yrs £9,461
8 kW 7293 kWh 2917 kWh 4376 kWh £754 £438 £1,192 £13,022 10.9 yrs £10,812

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: £889, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1094 kWh 729 kWh £283 £73 £356 £5,356 15.1 yrs £1,759
3 kW 2735 kWh 1641 kWh 1094 kWh £424 £109 £534 £6,983 13.1 yrs £3,688
4 kW 3647 kWh 2188 kWh 1459 kWh £566 £146 £711 £8,611 12.1 yrs £5,618
5 kW 4558 kWh 2735 kWh 1823 kWh £707 £182 £889 £10,239 11.5 yrs £7,547
6 kW 5470 kWh 3282 kWh 2188 kWh £848 £219 £1,067 £11,867 11.1 yrs £9,477
7 kW 6382 kWh 3829 kWh 2553 kWh £990 £255 £1,245 £13,494 10.8 yrs £11,406
8 kW 7293 kWh 4376 kWh 2917 kWh £1,131 £292 £1,423 £15,122 10.6 yrs £13,336

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: £962, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.1 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 £330 £55 £385 £6,756 17.6 yrs £937
3 kW 2735 kWh 1914 kWh 820 kWh £495 £82 £577 £8,383 14.5 yrs £3,155
4 kW 3647 kWh 2553 kWh 1094 kWh £660 £109 £769 £10,011 13.0 yrs £5,374
5 kW 4558 kWh 3191 kWh 1367 kWh £825 £137 £962 £11,639 12.1 yrs £7,592
6 kW 5470 kWh 3829 kWh 1641 kWh £990 £164 £1,154 £13,267 11.5 yrs £9,811
7 kW 6382 kWh 4467 kWh 1914 kWh £1,155 £191 £1,346 £14,894 11.1 yrs £12,029
8 kW 7293 kWh 5105 kWh 2188 kWh £1,320 £219 £1,539 £16,522 10.7 yrs £14,248

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: £983, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1331 kWh 492 kWh £344 £49 £393 £8,506 21.6 yrs £-640
3 kW 2735 kWh 1997 kWh 738 kWh £516 £74 £590 £10,133 17.2 yrs £1,666
4 kW 3647 kWh 2662 kWh 985 kWh £688 £98 £787 £11,761 15.0 yrs £3,971
5 kW 4558 kWh 3328 kWh 1231 kWh £860 £123 £983 £13,389 13.6 yrs £6,276
6 kW 5470 kWh 3993 kWh 1477 kWh £1,032 £148 £1,180 £15,017 12.7 yrs £8,581
7 kW 6382 kWh 4659 kWh 1723 kWh £1,204 £172 £1,377 £16,644 12.1 yrs £10,886
8 kW 7293 kWh 5324 kWh 1969 kWh £1,376 £197 £1,573 £18,272 11.6 yrs £13,192

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: £998, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1823 kWh 1367 kWh 456 kWh £353 £46 £399 £10,256 25.7 yrs £-2,274
3 kW 2735 kWh 2051 kWh 684 kWh £530 £68 £599 £11,883 19.9 yrs £89
4 kW 3647 kWh 2735 kWh 912 kWh £707 £91 £798 £13,511 16.9 yrs £2,452
5 kW 4558 kWh 3419 kWh 1140 kWh £884 £114 £998 £15,139 15.2 yrs £4,815
6 kW 5470 kWh 4102 kWh 1367 kWh £1,060 £137 £1,197 £16,767 14.0 yrs £7,178
7 kW 6382 kWh 4786 kWh 1595 kWh £1,237 £160 £1,397 £18,394 13.2 yrs £9,541
8 kW 7293 kWh 5470 kWh 1823 kWh £1,414 £182 £1,596 £20,022 12.5 yrs £11,904

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: £1,012, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.4 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 £363 £42 £405 £12,706 31.4 yrs £-4,608
3 kW 2735 kWh 2106 kWh 629 kWh £544 £63 £607 £14,333 23.6 yrs £-2,188
4 kW 3647 kWh 2808 kWh 839 kWh £726 £84 £810 £15,961 19.7 yrs £233
5 kW 4558 kWh 3510 kWh 1048 kWh £907 £105 £1,012 £17,589 17.4 yrs £2,654
6 kW 5470 kWh 4212 kWh 1258 kWh £1,089 £126 £1,215 £19,217 15.8 yrs £5,075
7 kW 6382 kWh 4914 kWh 1468 kWh £1,270 £147 £1,417 £20,844 14.7 yrs £7,496
8 kW 7293 kWh 5616 kWh 1677 kWh £1,452 £168 £1,619 £22,472 13.9 yrs £9,916

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 East Lothian

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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Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for EH33

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

Solar Payback Index Rank #1877 of 2996
10.9 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£894 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1634 of 2996
26.2% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£234 fixed • ~£894 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.2% West −21.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in EH33

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 29 Jan 46 Feb 80 Mar 107 Apr 120 May 112 Jun 114 Jul 103 Aug 82 Sep 57 Oct 38 Nov 22 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 43.1% 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 33 kWh per month; the average month produces around 76 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 131 kWh in winter, or 304 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/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, 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.

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