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Solar Panels in EH42 (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
£895
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,167
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: £746, 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 1826 kWh 730 kWh 1096 kWh £189 £110 £298 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,897
3 kW 2739 kWh 1096 kWh 1644 kWh £283 £164 £447 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,846
4 kW 3652 kWh 1461 kWh 2191 kWh £377 £219 £597 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,795
5 kW 4565 kWh 1826 kWh 2739 kWh £472 £274 £746 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,743
6 kW 5478 kWh 2191 kWh 3287 kWh £566 £329 £895 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,692
7 kW 6391 kWh 2557 kWh 3835 kWh £661 £383 £1,044 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,641
8 kW 7305 kWh 2922 kWh 4383 kWh £755 £438 £1,193 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,589

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 1826 kWh 1096 kWh 730 kWh £283 £73 £356 £6,169 17.3 yrs £954
3 kW 2739 kWh 1644 kWh 1096 kWh £425 £110 £534 £8,204 15.4 yrs £2,482
4 kW 3652 kWh 2191 kWh 1461 kWh £566 £146 £712 £10,238 14.4 yrs £4,009
5 kW 4565 kWh 2739 kWh 1826 kWh £708 £183 £890 £12,273 13.8 yrs £5,536
6 kW 5478 kWh 3287 kWh 2191 kWh £849 £219 £1,069 £14,307 13.4 yrs £7,063
7 kW 6391 kWh 3835 kWh 2557 kWh £991 £256 £1,247 £16,342 13.1 yrs £8,590
8 kW 7305 kWh 4383 kWh 2922 kWh £1,132 £292 £1,425 £18,376 12.9 yrs £10,118

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: £963, 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 1826 kWh 1278 kWh 548 kWh £330 £55 £385 £7,569 19.7 yrs £133
3 kW 2739 kWh 1917 kWh 822 kWh £495 £82 £578 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,949
4 kW 3652 kWh 2557 kWh 1096 kWh £661 £110 £770 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,766
5 kW 4565 kWh 3196 kWh 1370 kWh £826 £137 £963 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,582
6 kW 5478 kWh 3835 kWh 1644 kWh £991 £164 £1,155 £15,707 13.6 yrs £7,399
7 kW 6391 kWh 4474 kWh 1917 kWh £1,156 £192 £1,348 £17,742 13.2 yrs £9,215
8 kW 7305 kWh 5113 kWh 2191 kWh £1,321 £219 £1,540 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,032

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 1826 kWh 1333 kWh 493 kWh £344 £49 £394 £9,319 23.7 yrs £-1,444
3 kW 2739 kWh 2000 kWh 740 kWh £517 £74 £591 £11,354 19.2 yrs £460
4 kW 3652 kWh 2666 kWh 986 kWh £689 £99 £788 £13,388 17.0 yrs £2,363
5 kW 4565 kWh 3333 kWh 1233 kWh £861 £123 £984 £15,423 15.7 yrs £4,266
6 kW 5478 kWh 3999 kWh 1479 kWh £1,033 £148 £1,181 £17,457 14.8 yrs £6,169
7 kW 6391 kWh 4666 kWh 1726 kWh £1,206 £173 £1,378 £19,492 14.1 yrs £8,073
8 kW 7305 kWh 5332 kWh 1972 kWh £1,378 £197 £1,575 £21,526 13.7 yrs £9,976

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: £999, 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 1826 kWh 1370 kWh 457 kWh £354 £46 £400 £11,069 27.7 yrs £-3,078
3 kW 2739 kWh 2054 kWh 685 kWh £531 £68 £599 £13,104 21.9 yrs £-1,117
4 kW 3652 kWh 2739 kWh 913 kWh £708 £91 £799 £15,138 18.9 yrs £844
5 kW 4565 kWh 3424 kWh 1141 kWh £885 £114 £999 £17,173 17.2 yrs £2,805
6 kW 5478 kWh 4109 kWh 1370 kWh £1,062 £137 £1,199 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,767
7 kW 6391 kWh 4794 kWh 1598 kWh £1,239 £160 £1,398 £21,242 15.2 yrs £6,728
8 kW 7305 kWh 5478 kWh 1826 kWh £1,416 £183 £1,598 £23,276 14.6 yrs £8,689

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 1826 kWh 1406 kWh 420 kWh £363 £42 £405 £13,519 33.4 yrs £-5,412
3 kW 2739 kWh 2109 kWh 630 kWh £545 £63 £608 £15,554 25.6 yrs £-3,393
4 kW 3652 kWh 2812 kWh 840 kWh £727 £84 £811 £17,588 21.7 yrs £-1,374
5 kW 4565 kWh 3515 kWh 1050 kWh £908 £105 £1,013 £19,623 19.4 yrs £645
6 kW 5478 kWh 4218 kWh 1260 kWh £1,090 £126 £1,216 £21,657 17.8 yrs £2,664
7 kW 6391 kWh 4921 kWh 1470 kWh £1,272 £147 £1,419 £23,692 16.7 yrs £4,683
8 kW 7305 kWh 5625 kWh 1680 kWh £1,453 £168 £1,621 £25,726 15.9 yrs £6,701

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 EH42

Figures below are tailored to EH42 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2209 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,025 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1414 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

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, 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

EH40 (East Lothian)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~932 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EH42
TD13 (Scottish Borders)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~902 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EH42
EH39 (East Lothian)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~914 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH42
EH41 (East Lothian)
≈17.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EH42
EH31 (East Lothian)
≈19.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~940 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH42
EH34 (East Lothian)
≈25.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH42

Similar sunshine across the UK

LS4 (Leeds)
~913 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH42
SR6 (Sunderland)
~913 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH42
DD9 (Angus)
~913 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH42