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Solar panel cost in East Lothian (EH40)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH40 (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
10.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£914
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£13,089
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 932 kWh/kW — 83 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 932 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)
932 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: £762, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1865 kWh 746 kWh 1119 kWh £193 £112 £305 £3,256 10.7 yrs £2,839
3 kW 2797 kWh 1119 kWh 1678 kWh £289 £168 £457 £4,883 10.7 yrs £4,259
4 kW 3730 kWh 1492 kWh 2238 kWh £386 £224 £609 £6,511 10.7 yrs £5,678
5 kW 4662 kWh 1865 kWh 2797 kWh £482 £280 £762 £8,139 10.7 yrs £7,098
6 kW 5595 kWh 2238 kWh 3357 kWh £579 £336 £914 £9,767 10.7 yrs £8,518
7 kW 6527 kWh 2611 kWh 3916 kWh £675 £392 £1,067 £11,394 10.7 yrs £9,937
8 kW 7460 kWh 2984 kWh 4476 kWh £771 £448 £1,219 £13,022 10.7 yrs £11,357

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: £910, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1865 kWh 1119 kWh 746 kWh £289 £75 £364 £5,356 14.7 yrs £1,922
3 kW 2797 kWh 1678 kWh 1119 kWh £434 £112 £546 £6,983 12.8 yrs £3,932
4 kW 3730 kWh 2238 kWh 1492 kWh £579 £149 £728 £8,611 11.8 yrs £5,943
5 kW 4662 kWh 2797 kWh 1865 kWh £723 £186 £910 £10,239 11.3 yrs £7,954
6 kW 5595 kWh 3357 kWh 2238 kWh £868 £224 £1,092 £11,867 10.9 yrs £9,965
7 kW 6527 kWh 3916 kWh 2611 kWh £1,012 £261 £1,273 £13,494 10.6 yrs £11,975
8 kW 7460 kWh 4476 kWh 2984 kWh £1,157 £298 £1,455 £15,122 10.4 yrs £13,986

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: £984, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1865 kWh 1305 kWh 559 kWh £337 £56 £393 £6,756 17.2 yrs £1,113
3 kW 2797 kWh 1958 kWh 839 kWh £506 £84 £590 £8,383 14.2 yrs £3,419
4 kW 3730 kWh 2611 kWh 1119 kWh £675 £112 £787 £10,011 12.7 yrs £5,725
5 kW 4662 kWh 3264 kWh 1399 kWh £844 £140 £984 £11,639 11.8 yrs £8,032
6 kW 5595 kWh 3916 kWh 1678 kWh £1,012 £168 £1,180 £13,267 11.2 yrs £10,338
7 kW 6527 kWh 4569 kWh 1958 kWh £1,181 £196 £1,377 £14,894 10.8 yrs £12,645
8 kW 7460 kWh 5222 kWh 2238 kWh £1,350 £224 £1,574 £16,522 10.5 yrs £14,951

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: £1,006, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1865 kWh 1361 kWh 504 kWh £352 £50 £402 £8,506 21.1 yrs £-460
3 kW 2797 kWh 2042 kWh 755 kWh £528 £76 £603 £10,133 16.8 yrs £1,935
4 kW 3730 kWh 2723 kWh 1007 kWh £704 £101 £805 £11,761 14.6 yrs £4,330
5 kW 4662 kWh 3404 kWh 1259 kWh £880 £126 £1,006 £13,389 13.3 yrs £6,725
6 kW 5595 kWh 4084 kWh 1511 kWh £1,056 £151 £1,207 £15,017 12.4 yrs £9,120
7 kW 6527 kWh 4765 kWh 1762 kWh £1,232 £176 £1,408 £16,644 11.8 yrs £11,515
8 kW 7460 kWh 5446 kWh 2014 kWh £1,408 £201 £1,609 £18,272 11.4 yrs £13,910

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: £1,020, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1865 kWh 1399 kWh 466 kWh £362 £47 £408 £10,256 25.1 yrs £-2,092
3 kW 2797 kWh 2098 kWh 699 kWh £542 £70 £612 £11,883 19.4 yrs £363
4 kW 3730 kWh 2797 kWh 932 kWh £723 £93 £816 £13,511 16.5 yrs £2,817
5 kW 4662 kWh 3497 kWh 1166 kWh £904 £117 £1,020 £15,139 14.8 yrs £5,271
6 kW 5595 kWh 4196 kWh 1399 kWh £1,085 £140 £1,225 £16,767 13.7 yrs £7,725
7 kW 6527 kWh 4896 kWh 1632 kWh £1,265 £163 £1,429 £18,394 12.9 yrs £10,179
8 kW 7460 kWh 5595 kWh 1865 kWh £1,446 £186 £1,633 £20,022 12.3 yrs £12,633

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: £1,035, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1865 kWh 1436 kWh 429 kWh £371 £43 £414 £12,706 30.7 yrs £-4,423
3 kW 2797 kWh 2154 kWh 643 kWh £557 £64 £621 £14,333 23.1 yrs £-1,910
4 kW 3730 kWh 2872 kWh 858 kWh £742 £86 £828 £15,961 19.3 yrs £603
5 kW 4662 kWh 3590 kWh 1072 kWh £928 £107 £1,035 £17,589 17.0 yrs £3,116
6 kW 5595 kWh 4308 kWh 1287 kWh £1,114 £129 £1,242 £19,217 15.5 yrs £5,630
7 kW 6527 kWh 5026 kWh 1501 kWh £1,299 £150 £1,449 £20,844 14.4 yrs £8,143
8 kW 7460 kWh 5744 kWh 1716 kWh £1,485 £172 £1,656 £22,472 13.6 yrs £10,656

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for EH40

Figures below are tailored to EH40 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #1682 of 2996
10.7 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£914 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1531 of 2996
25.6% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£234 fixed • ~£914 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −22.4% West −22.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in EH40

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 30 Jan 47 Feb 82 Mar 110 Apr 124 May 115 Jun 116 Jul 106 Aug 84 Sep 58 Oct 39 Nov 22 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 42.3% 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 78 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 131 kWh in winter, or 311 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/day
Local Sunshine
932kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~932 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

Dunbar and East Linton, North Berwick Coastal

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

EH39 (East Lothian)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~914 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH40
EH41 (East Lothian)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH40
EH42 (East Lothian)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH40
EH31 (East Lothian)
≈11.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH40
EH34 (East Lothian)
≈16.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH40
EH33 (East Lothian)
≈19.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~912 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH40

Similar sunshine across the UK

CF40 (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
~933 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH40
B32 (Birmingham)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH40
B63 (Dudley)
~932 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH40