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Solar Panels in EH44 (Scottish Borders)

See if solar pays off for you in Scottish Borders — 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
15.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£809
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,021
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 826 kWh/kW — 24 below 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 826 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)
826 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: £674, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1651 kWh 660 kWh 991 kWh £171 £99 £270 £4,069 15.1 yrs £1,325
3 kW 2476 kWh 991 kWh 1486 kWh £256 £149 £405 £6,104 15.1 yrs £1,988
4 kW 3302 kWh 1321 kWh 1981 kWh £341 £198 £539 £8,138 15.1 yrs £2,650
5 kW 4128 kWh 1651 kWh 2476 kWh £427 £248 £674 £10,173 15.1 yrs £3,313
6 kW 4953 kWh 1981 kWh 2972 kWh £512 £297 £809 £12,207 15.1 yrs £3,975
7 kW 5778 kWh 2311 kWh 3467 kWh £597 £347 £944 £14,242 15.1 yrs £4,638
8 kW 6604 kWh 2642 kWh 3962 kWh £683 £396 £1,079 £16,276 15.1 yrs £5,301

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: £805, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1651 kWh 991 kWh 660 kWh £256 £66 £322 £6,169 19.2 yrs £271
3 kW 2476 kWh 1486 kWh 991 kWh £384 £99 £483 £8,204 17.0 yrs £1,457
4 kW 3302 kWh 1981 kWh 1321 kWh £512 £132 £644 £10,238 15.9 yrs £2,642
5 kW 4128 kWh 2476 kWh 1651 kWh £640 £165 £805 £12,273 15.2 yrs £3,828
6 kW 4953 kWh 2972 kWh 1981 kWh £768 £198 £966 £14,307 14.8 yrs £5,014
7 kW 5778 kWh 3467 kWh 2311 kWh £896 £231 £1,127 £16,342 14.5 yrs £6,199
8 kW 6604 kWh 3962 kWh 2642 kWh £1,024 £264 £1,288 £18,376 14.3 yrs £7,385

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: £870, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1651 kWh 1156 kWh 495 kWh £299 £50 £348 £7,569 21.7 yrs £-606
3 kW 2476 kWh 1734 kWh 743 kWh £448 £74 £522 £9,604 18.4 yrs £841
4 kW 3302 kWh 2311 kWh 991 kWh £597 £99 £696 £11,638 16.7 yrs £2,288
5 kW 4128 kWh 2889 kWh 1238 kWh £747 £124 £870 £13,673 15.7 yrs £3,736
6 kW 4953 kWh 3467 kWh 1486 kWh £896 £149 £1,044 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,183
7 kW 5778 kWh 4045 kWh 1734 kWh £1,045 £173 £1,219 £17,742 14.6 yrs £6,630
8 kW 6604 kWh 4623 kWh 1981 kWh £1,195 £198 £1,393 £19,776 14.2 yrs £8,077

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: £890, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1651 kWh 1205 kWh 446 kWh £311 £45 £356 £9,319 26.2 yrs £-2,199
3 kW 2476 kWh 1808 kWh 669 kWh £467 £67 £534 £11,354 21.3 yrs £-673
4 kW 3302 kWh 2410 kWh 892 kWh £623 £89 £712 £13,388 18.8 yrs £852
5 kW 4128 kWh 3013 kWh 1114 kWh £779 £111 £890 £15,423 17.3 yrs £2,378
6 kW 4953 kWh 3616 kWh 1337 kWh £934 £134 £1,068 £17,457 16.3 yrs £3,903
7 kW 5778 kWh 4218 kWh 1560 kWh £1,090 £156 £1,246 £19,492 15.6 yrs £5,429
8 kW 6604 kWh 4821 kWh 1783 kWh £1,246 £178 £1,424 £21,526 15.1 yrs £6,955

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: £903, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1651 kWh 1238 kWh 413 kWh £320 £41 £361 £11,069 30.6 yrs £-3,844
3 kW 2476 kWh 1857 kWh 619 kWh £480 £62 £542 £13,104 24.2 yrs £-2,266
4 kW 3302 kWh 2476 kWh 826 kWh £640 £83 £722 £15,138 21.0 yrs £-688
5 kW 4128 kWh 3096 kWh 1032 kWh £800 £103 £903 £17,173 19.0 yrs £889
6 kW 4953 kWh 3715 kWh 1238 kWh £960 £124 £1,084 £19,207 17.7 yrs £2,467
7 kW 5778 kWh 4334 kWh 1445 kWh £1,120 £144 £1,264 £21,242 16.8 yrs £4,045
8 kW 6604 kWh 4953 kWh 1651 kWh £1,280 £165 £1,445 £23,276 16.1 yrs £5,623

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: £916, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1651 kWh 1271 kWh 380 kWh £328 £38 £366 £13,519 36.9 yrs £-6,190
3 kW 2476 kWh 1907 kWh 570 kWh £493 £57 £550 £15,554 28.3 yrs £-4,559
4 kW 3302 kWh 2543 kWh 759 kWh £657 £76 £733 £17,588 24.0 yrs £-2,929
5 kW 4128 kWh 3178 kWh 949 kWh £821 £95 £916 £19,623 21.4 yrs £-1,299
6 kW 4953 kWh 3814 kWh 1139 kWh £985 £114 £1,099 £21,657 19.7 yrs £331
7 kW 5778 kWh 4449 kWh 1329 kWh £1,150 £133 £1,283 £23,692 18.5 yrs £1,961
8 kW 6604 kWh 5085 kWh 1519 kWh £1,314 £152 £1,466 £25,726 17.5 yrs £3,591

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 EH44

Figures below are tailored to EH44 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2867 of 2997
13.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£927 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1963 of 2997
22.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£927 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
826kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~826 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

Scottish Borders (100%)

Areas Covered

Tweeddale East, Tweeddale West

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

EH43 (Scottish Borders)
≈3.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH44
EH45 (Scottish Borders)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~810 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH44
TD1 (Scottish Borders)
≈15.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · +7% vs EH44
TD7 (Scottish Borders)
≈16.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · +7% vs EH44
EH38 (Scottish Borders)
≈19.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH44
TD6 (Scottish Borders)
≈22.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · +9% vs EH44

Similar sunshine across the UK

IV14 (Highland)
~825 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH44
LL39 (Gwynedd)
~825 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH44
PH16 (Perth and Kinross)
~825 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH44