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Solar Panels in EH34 (East Lothian)

See if solar pays off for you in East Lothian — 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
13.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£894
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,154
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 913 kWh/kW — 63 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 913 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)
913 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: £10,173, 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 1825 kWh 730 kWh 1095 kWh £189 £110 £298 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,894
3 kW 2738 kWh 1095 kWh 1643 kWh £283 £164 £447 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,841
4 kW 3650 kWh 1460 kWh 2190 kWh £377 £219 £596 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,788
5 kW 4563 kWh 1825 kWh 2738 kWh £472 £274 £745 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,735
6 kW 5475 kWh 2190 kWh 3285 kWh £566 £329 £894 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,682
7 kW 6388 kWh 2555 kWh 3833 kWh £660 £383 £1,044 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,629
8 kW 7300 kWh 2920 kWh 4380 kWh £755 £438 £1,193 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,576

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: £890, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1825 kWh 1095 kWh 730 kWh £283 £73 £356 £6,169 17.3 yrs £950
3 kW 2738 kWh 1643 kWh 1095 kWh £424 £110 £534 £8,204 15.4 yrs £2,475
4 kW 3650 kWh 2190 kWh 1460 kWh £566 £146 £712 £10,238 14.4 yrs £4,001
5 kW 4563 kWh 2738 kWh 1825 kWh £707 £183 £890 £12,273 13.8 yrs £5,526
6 kW 5475 kWh 3285 kWh 2190 kWh £849 £219 £1,068 £14,307 13.4 yrs £7,051
7 kW 6388 kWh 3833 kWh 2555 kWh £990 £256 £1,246 £16,342 13.1 yrs £8,576
8 kW 7300 kWh 4380 kWh 2920 kWh £1,132 £292 £1,424 £18,376 12.9 yrs £10,101

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: £962, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1825 kWh 1278 kWh 548 kWh £330 £55 £385 £7,569 19.7 yrs £128
3 kW 2738 kWh 1916 kWh 821 kWh £495 £82 £577 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,943
4 kW 3650 kWh 2555 kWh 1095 kWh £660 £110 £770 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,757
5 kW 4563 kWh 3194 kWh 1369 kWh £825 £137 £962 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,571
6 kW 5475 kWh 3833 kWh 1643 kWh £990 £164 £1,155 £15,707 13.6 yrs £7,385
7 kW 6388 kWh 4471 kWh 1916 kWh £1,155 £192 £1,347 £17,742 13.2 yrs £9,200
8 kW 7300 kWh 5110 kWh 2190 kWh £1,320 £219 £1,539 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,014

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: £984, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1825 kWh 1332 kWh 493 kWh £344 £49 £394 £9,319 23.7 yrs £-1,448
3 kW 2738 kWh 1998 kWh 739 kWh £516 £74 £590 £11,354 19.2 yrs £453
4 kW 3650 kWh 2665 kWh 986 kWh £689 £99 £787 £13,388 17.0 yrs £2,354
5 kW 4563 kWh 3331 kWh 1232 kWh £861 £123 £984 £15,423 15.7 yrs £4,255
6 kW 5475 kWh 3997 kWh 1478 kWh £1,033 £148 £1,181 £17,457 14.8 yrs £6,156
7 kW 6388 kWh 4663 kWh 1725 kWh £1,205 £172 £1,377 £19,492 14.2 yrs £8,057
8 kW 7300 kWh 5329 kWh 1971 kWh £1,377 £197 £1,574 £21,526 13.7 yrs £9,958

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: £998, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1825 kWh 1369 kWh 456 kWh £354 £46 £399 £11,069 27.7 yrs £-3,082
3 kW 2738 kWh 2053 kWh 684 kWh £531 £68 £599 £13,104 21.9 yrs £-1,124
4 kW 3650 kWh 2738 kWh 913 kWh £707 £91 £799 £15,138 19.0 yrs £835
5 kW 4563 kWh 3422 kWh 1141 kWh £884 £114 £998 £17,173 17.2 yrs £2,794
6 kW 5475 kWh 4106 kWh 1369 kWh £1,061 £137 £1,198 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,753
7 kW 6388 kWh 4791 kWh 1597 kWh £1,238 £160 £1,398 £21,242 15.2 yrs £6,711
8 kW 7300 kWh 5475 kWh 1825 kWh £1,415 £183 £1,597 £23,276 14.6 yrs £8,670

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: £1,013, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1825 kWh 1405 kWh 420 kWh £363 £42 £405 £13,519 33.4 yrs £-5,417
3 kW 2738 kWh 2108 kWh 630 kWh £545 £63 £608 £15,554 25.6 yrs £-3,400
4 kW 3650 kWh 2811 kWh 840 kWh £726 £84 £810 £17,588 21.7 yrs £-1,384
5 kW 4563 kWh 3513 kWh 1049 kWh £908 £105 £1,013 £19,623 19.4 yrs £633
6 kW 5475 kWh 4216 kWh 1259 kWh £1,089 £126 £1,215 £21,657 17.8 yrs £2,650
7 kW 6388 kWh 4919 kWh 1469 kWh £1,271 £147 £1,418 £23,692 16.7 yrs £4,666
8 kW 7300 kWh 5621 kWh 1679 kWh £1,453 £168 £1,620 £25,726 15.9 yrs £6,683

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 EH34

Figures below are tailored to EH34 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2206 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,025 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1418 of 2997
20.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,025 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
913kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~913 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

Haddington and Lammermuir, Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry

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

EH35 (East Lothian)
≈3.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH34
EH33 (East Lothian)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH34
EH36 (East Lothian)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH34
EH37 (Midlothian)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH34
EH32 (East Lothian)
≈7.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH34
EH41 (East Lothian)
≈8.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EH34

Similar sunshine across the UK

WA8 (Halton)
~912 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH34
NE71 (Northumberland)
~912 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH34
LD2 (Powys)
~913 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH34