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Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in EH45 (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
15.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£794
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,632
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 810 kWh/kW — 40 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 810 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)
810 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: £661, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 648 kWh 972 kWh £167 £97 £265 £4,069 15.4 yrs £1,221
3 kW 2429 kWh 972 kWh 1457 kWh £251 £146 £397 £6,104 15.4 yrs £1,832
4 kW 3238 kWh 1295 kWh 1943 kWh £335 £194 £529 £8,138 15.4 yrs £2,443
5 kW 4048 kWh 1619 kWh 2429 kWh £418 £243 £661 £10,173 15.4 yrs £3,053
6 kW 4858 kWh 1943 kWh 2915 kWh £502 £291 £794 £12,207 15.4 yrs £3,664
7 kW 5667 kWh 2267 kWh 3400 kWh £586 £340 £926 £14,242 15.4 yrs £4,275
8 kW 6477 kWh 2591 kWh 3886 kWh £669 £389 £1,058 £16,276 15.4 yrs £4,885

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: £790, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 972 kWh 648 kWh £251 £65 £316 £6,169 19.5 yrs £147
3 kW 2429 kWh 1457 kWh 972 kWh £377 £97 £474 £8,204 17.3 yrs £1,271
4 kW 3238 kWh 1943 kWh 1295 kWh £502 £130 £632 £10,238 16.2 yrs £2,394
5 kW 4048 kWh 2429 kWh 1619 kWh £628 £162 £790 £12,273 15.5 yrs £3,518
6 kW 4858 kWh 2915 kWh 1943 kWh £753 £194 £947 £14,307 15.1 yrs £4,642
7 kW 5667 kWh 3400 kWh 2267 kWh £879 £227 £1,105 £16,342 14.8 yrs £5,765
8 kW 6477 kWh 3886 kWh 2591 kWh £1,004 £259 £1,263 £18,376 14.5 yrs £6,889

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: £854, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 1133 kWh 486 kWh £293 £49 £341 £7,569 22.2 yrs £-740
3 kW 2429 kWh 1700 kWh 729 kWh £439 £73 £512 £9,604 18.7 yrs £640
4 kW 3238 kWh 2267 kWh 972 kWh £586 £97 £683 £11,638 17.0 yrs £2,020
5 kW 4048 kWh 2834 kWh 1214 kWh £732 £121 £854 £13,673 16.0 yrs £3,401
6 kW 4858 kWh 3400 kWh 1457 kWh £879 £146 £1,024 £15,707 15.3 yrs £4,781
7 kW 5667 kWh 3967 kWh 1700 kWh £1,025 £170 £1,195 £17,742 14.8 yrs £6,161
8 kW 6477 kWh 4534 kWh 1943 kWh £1,172 £194 £1,366 £19,776 14.5 yrs £7,541

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: £873, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 1182 kWh 437 kWh £305 £44 £349 £9,319 26.7 yrs £-2,336
3 kW 2429 kWh 1773 kWh 656 kWh £458 £66 £524 £11,354 21.7 yrs £-879
4 kW 3238 kWh 2364 kWh 874 kWh £611 £87 £698 £13,388 19.2 yrs £578
5 kW 4048 kWh 2955 kWh 1093 kWh £764 £109 £873 £15,423 17.7 yrs £2,035
6 kW 4858 kWh 3546 kWh 1312 kWh £916 £131 £1,047 £17,457 16.7 yrs £3,492
7 kW 5667 kWh 4137 kWh 1530 kWh £1,069 £153 £1,222 £19,492 15.9 yrs £4,949
8 kW 6477 kWh 4728 kWh 1749 kWh £1,222 £175 £1,397 £21,526 15.4 yrs £6,406

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: £886, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1619 kWh 1214 kWh 405 kWh £314 £40 £354 £11,069 31.2 yrs £-3,983
3 kW 2429 kWh 1822 kWh 607 kWh £471 £61 £531 £13,104 24.7 yrs £-2,475
4 kW 3238 kWh 2429 kWh 810 kWh £628 £81 £709 £15,138 21.4 yrs £-967
5 kW 4048 kWh 3036 kWh 1012 kWh £785 £101 £886 £17,173 19.4 yrs £542
6 kW 4858 kWh 3643 kWh 1214 kWh £941 £121 £1,063 £19,207 18.1 yrs £2,050
7 kW 5667 kWh 4250 kWh 1417 kWh £1,098 £142 £1,240 £21,242 17.1 yrs £3,558
8 kW 6477 kWh 4858 kWh 1619 kWh £1,255 £162 £1,417 £23,276 16.4 yrs £5,067

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: £899, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 1247 kWh 372 kWh £322 £37 £359 £13,519 37.6 yrs £-6,331
3 kW 2429 kWh 1870 kWh 559 kWh £483 £56 £539 £15,554 28.8 yrs £-4,771
4 kW 3238 kWh 2494 kWh 745 kWh £644 £74 £719 £17,588 24.5 yrs £-3,211
5 kW 4048 kWh 3117 kWh 931 kWh £805 £93 £899 £19,623 21.8 yrs £-1,652
6 kW 4858 kWh 3740 kWh 1117 kWh £967 £112 £1,078 £21,657 20.1 yrs £-92
7 kW 5667 kWh 4364 kWh 1303 kWh £1,128 £130 £1,258 £23,692 18.8 yrs £1,467
8 kW 6477 kWh 4987 kWh 1490 kWh £1,289 £149 £1,438 £25,726 17.9 yrs £3,027

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 EH45

Figures below are tailored to EH45 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2897 of 2997
13.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£909 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2045 of 2997
22.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£909 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
810kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~810 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 West, Tweeddale East

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

EH44 (Scottish Borders)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~826 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EH45
EH43 (Scottish Borders)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~833 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH45
EH46 (Scottish Borders)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH45
EH26 (Midlothian)
≈20.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH45
EH38 (Scottish Borders)
≈20.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · +3% vs EH45
ML12 (South Lanarkshire)
≈22.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~811 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH45

Similar sunshine across the UK

G63 (Stirling)
~810 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH45
IV4 (Highland)
~809 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH45
PA68 (Argyll and Bute)
~809 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH45