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Solar panel cost in West Lothian (EH49)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH49 (West 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
11.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£851
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£11,508
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 868 kWh/kW — 18 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 868 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)
868 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: £709, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1736 kWh 694 kWh 1042 kWh £180 £104 £284 £3,256 11.5 yrs £2,418
3 kW 2604 kWh 1042 kWh 1562 kWh £269 £156 £425 £4,883 11.5 yrs £3,627
4 kW 3472 kWh 1389 kWh 2083 kWh £359 £208 £567 £6,511 11.5 yrs £4,835
5 kW 4340 kWh 1736 kWh 2604 kWh £449 £260 £709 £8,139 11.5 yrs £6,044
6 kW 5208 kWh 2083 kWh 3125 kWh £539 £312 £851 £9,767 11.5 yrs £7,253
7 kW 6076 kWh 2430 kWh 3646 kWh £628 £365 £993 £11,394 11.5 yrs £8,462
8 kW 6944 kWh 2778 kWh 4166 kWh £718 £417 £1,135 £13,022 11.5 yrs £9,671

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: £847, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1736 kWh 1042 kWh 694 kWh £269 £69 £339 £5,356 15.8 yrs £1,418
3 kW 2604 kWh 1562 kWh 1042 kWh £404 £104 £508 £6,983 13.7 yrs £3,178
4 kW 3472 kWh 2083 kWh 1389 kWh £539 £139 £677 £8,611 12.7 yrs £4,937
5 kW 4340 kWh 2604 kWh 1736 kWh £673 £174 £847 £10,239 12.1 yrs £6,696
6 kW 5208 kWh 3125 kWh 2083 kWh £808 £208 £1,016 £11,867 11.7 yrs £8,455
7 kW 6076 kWh 3646 kWh 2430 kWh £942 £243 £1,185 £13,494 11.4 yrs £10,214
8 kW 6944 kWh 4166 kWh 2778 kWh £1,077 £278 £1,355 £15,122 11.2 yrs £11,973

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: £916, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1736 kWh 1215 kWh 521 kWh £314 £52 £366 £6,756 18.4 yrs £569
3 kW 2604 kWh 1823 kWh 781 kWh £471 £78 £549 £8,383 15.3 yrs £2,603
4 kW 3472 kWh 2430 kWh 1042 kWh £628 £104 £732 £10,011 13.7 yrs £4,637
5 kW 4340 kWh 3038 kWh 1302 kWh £785 £130 £916 £11,639 12.7 yrs £6,672
6 kW 5208 kWh 3646 kWh 1562 kWh £942 £156 £1,099 £13,267 12.1 yrs £8,706
7 kW 6076 kWh 4253 kWh 1823 kWh £1,099 £182 £1,282 £14,894 11.6 yrs £10,740
8 kW 6944 kWh 4861 kWh 2083 kWh £1,257 £208 £1,465 £16,522 11.3 yrs £12,775

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: £936, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1736 kWh 1267 kWh 469 kWh £328 £47 £374 £8,506 22.7 yrs £-1,016
3 kW 2604 kWh 1901 kWh 703 kWh £491 £70 £562 £10,133 18.0 yrs £1,101
4 kW 3472 kWh 2535 kWh 937 kWh £655 £94 £749 £11,761 15.7 yrs £3,218
5 kW 4340 kWh 3168 kWh 1172 kWh £819 £117 £936 £13,389 14.3 yrs £5,334
6 kW 5208 kWh 3802 kWh 1406 kWh £983 £141 £1,123 £15,017 13.4 yrs £7,451
7 kW 6076 kWh 4435 kWh 1641 kWh £1,147 £164 £1,311 £16,644 12.7 yrs £9,568
8 kW 6944 kWh 5069 kWh 1875 kWh £1,310 £187 £1,498 £18,272 12.2 yrs £11,685

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: £950, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1736 kWh 1302 kWh 434 kWh £337 £43 £380 £10,256 27.0 yrs £-2,656
3 kW 2604 kWh 1953 kWh 651 kWh £505 £65 £570 £11,883 20.8 yrs £-484
4 kW 3472 kWh 2604 kWh 868 kWh £673 £87 £760 £13,511 17.8 yrs £1,688
5 kW 4340 kWh 3255 kWh 1085 kWh £841 £108 £950 £15,139 15.9 yrs £3,860
6 kW 5208 kWh 3906 kWh 1302 kWh £1,010 £130 £1,140 £16,767 14.7 yrs £6,031
7 kW 6076 kWh 4557 kWh 1519 kWh £1,178 £152 £1,330 £18,394 13.8 yrs £8,203
8 kW 6944 kWh 5208 kWh 1736 kWh £1,346 £174 £1,520 £20,022 13.2 yrs £10,375

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: £964, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1736 kWh 1337 kWh 399 kWh £346 £40 £385 £12,706 33.0 yrs £-4,996
3 kW 2604 kWh 2005 kWh 599 kWh £518 £60 £578 £14,333 24.8 yrs £-2,769
4 kW 3472 kWh 2673 kWh 799 kWh £691 £80 £771 £15,961 20.7 yrs £-542
5 kW 4340 kWh 3342 kWh 998 kWh £864 £100 £964 £17,589 18.3 yrs £1,685
6 kW 5208 kWh 4010 kWh 1198 kWh £1,037 £120 £1,156 £19,217 16.6 yrs £3,912
7 kW 6076 kWh 4679 kWh 1397 kWh £1,209 £140 £1,349 £20,844 15.5 yrs £6,139
8 kW 6944 kWh 5347 kWh 1597 kWh £1,382 £160 £1,542 £22,472 14.6 yrs £8,366

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 West 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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Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for EH49

Figures below are tailored to EH49 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2285 of 2996
11.5 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£851 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1801 of 2996
27.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£234 fixed • ~£851 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.7% West −20.9%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in EH49

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 25 Jan 43 Feb 74 Mar 103 Apr 117 May 110 Jun 111 Jul 98 Aug 79 Sep 54 Oct 35 Nov 20 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 40.3% 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 29 kWh per month; the average month produces around 72 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 117 kWh in winter, or 289 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/day
Local Sunshine
868kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~868 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

West Lothian (90%)|Falkirk (10%)

Areas Covered

Linlithgow, Upper Braes, Bo'ness and Blackness, Armadale and Blackridge

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

EH51 (Falkirk)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH49
FK3 (Falkirk)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH49
EH48 (West Lothian)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~870 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH49
EH52 (West Lothian)
≈9.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~868 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH49
FK2 (Falkirk)
≈10.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~853 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH49
EH54 (West Lothian)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -4% vs EH49

Similar sunshine across the UK

CA18 (Cumberland)
~868 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH49
BT44 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
~868 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH49
M16 (Trafford)
~868 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH49