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Solar Panels in EH36 (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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£865
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,423
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 883 kWh/kW — 33 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 883 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)
883 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: £721, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1765 kWh 706 kWh 1059 kWh £182 £106 £288 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,699
3 kW 2648 kWh 1059 kWh 1589 kWh £274 £159 £433 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,549
4 kW 3531 kWh 1412 kWh 2119 kWh £365 £212 £577 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,398
5 kW 4414 kWh 1765 kWh 2648 kWh £456 £265 £721 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,248
6 kW 5296 kWh 2119 kWh 3178 kWh £547 £318 £865 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,097
7 kW 6179 kWh 2472 kWh 3707 kWh £639 £371 £1,009 £14,242 14.1 yrs £5,947
8 kW 7062 kWh 2825 kWh 4237 kWh £730 £424 £1,154 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,796

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: £861, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1765 kWh 1059 kWh 706 kWh £274 £71 £344 £6,169 17.9 yrs £718
3 kW 2648 kWh 1589 kWh 1059 kWh £411 £106 £517 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,127
4 kW 3531 kWh 2119 kWh 1412 kWh £547 £141 £689 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,535
5 kW 4414 kWh 2648 kWh 1765 kWh £684 £177 £861 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,944
6 kW 5296 kWh 3178 kWh 2119 kWh £821 £212 £1,033 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,353
7 kW 6179 kWh 3707 kWh 2472 kWh £958 £247 £1,205 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,762
8 kW 7062 kWh 4237 kWh 2825 kWh £1,095 £282 £1,377 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,171

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: £931, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1765 kWh 1236 kWh 530 kWh £319 £53 £372 £7,569 20.3 yrs £-123
3 kW 2648 kWh 1854 kWh 794 kWh £479 £79 £558 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,565
4 kW 3531 kWh 2472 kWh 1059 kWh £639 £106 £745 £11,638 15.6 yrs £3,254
5 kW 4414 kWh 3090 kWh 1324 kWh £798 £132 £931 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,942
6 kW 5296 kWh 3707 kWh 1589 kWh £958 £159 £1,117 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,631
7 kW 6179 kWh 4325 kWh 1854 kWh £1,118 £185 £1,303 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,319
8 kW 7062 kWh 4943 kWh 2119 kWh £1,277 £212 £1,489 £19,776 13.3 yrs £10,008

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: £952, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1765 kWh 1289 kWh 477 kWh £333 £48 £381 £9,319 24.5 yrs £-1,705
3 kW 2648 kWh 1933 kWh 715 kWh £500 £72 £571 £11,354 19.9 yrs £67
4 kW 3531 kWh 2578 kWh 953 kWh £666 £95 £761 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,840
5 kW 4414 kWh 3222 kWh 1192 kWh £833 £119 £952 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,612
6 kW 5296 kWh 3866 kWh 1430 kWh £999 £143 £1,142 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,384
7 kW 6179 kWh 4511 kWh 1668 kWh £1,166 £167 £1,332 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,157
8 kW 7062 kWh 5155 kWh 1907 kWh £1,332 £191 £1,523 £21,526 14.1 yrs £8,929

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: £966, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1765 kWh 1324 kWh 441 kWh £342 £44 £386 £11,069 28.7 yrs £-3,343
3 kW 2648 kWh 1986 kWh 662 kWh £513 £66 £579 £13,104 22.6 yrs £-1,515
4 kW 3531 kWh 2648 kWh 883 kWh £684 £88 £773 £15,138 19.6 yrs £313
5 kW 4414 kWh 3310 kWh 1103 kWh £855 £110 £966 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,142
6 kW 5296 kWh 3972 kWh 1324 kWh £1,026 £132 £1,159 £19,207 16.6 yrs £3,970
7 kW 6179 kWh 4634 kWh 1545 kWh £1,198 £154 £1,352 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,798
8 kW 7062 kWh 5296 kWh 1765 kWh £1,369 £177 £1,545 £23,276 15.1 yrs £7,627

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: £980, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1765 kWh 1359 kWh 406 kWh £351 £41 £392 £13,519 34.5 yrs £-5,682
3 kW 2648 kWh 2039 kWh 609 kWh £527 £61 £588 £15,554 26.5 yrs £-3,797
4 kW 3531 kWh 2719 kWh 812 kWh £703 £81 £784 £17,588 22.4 yrs £-1,913
5 kW 4414 kWh 3399 kWh 1015 kWh £878 £102 £980 £19,623 20.0 yrs £-29
6 kW 5296 kWh 4078 kWh 1218 kWh £1,054 £122 £1,176 £21,657 18.4 yrs £1,855
7 kW 6179 kWh 4758 kWh 1421 kWh £1,229 £142 £1,372 £23,692 17.3 yrs £3,740
8 kW 7062 kWh 5438 kWh 1624 kWh £1,405 £162 £1,568 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,624

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 EH36

Figures below are tailored to EH36 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2558 of 2997
12.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£991 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1578 of 2997
20.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£991 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
883kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~883 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

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

EH34 (East Lothian)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH36
EH37 (Midlothian)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH36
EH35 (East Lothian)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~911 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH36
EH38 (Scottish Borders)
≈10.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -5% vs EH36
EH33 (East Lothian)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH36
EH23 (Midlothian)
≈11.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~860 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH36

Similar sunshine across the UK

CW12 (Cheshire East)
~883 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH36
BD23 (North Yorkshire)
~883 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH36
M41 (Trafford)
~882 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH36