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Solar Panels in EH52 (West Lothian)

See if solar pays off for you in West 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
14.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£851
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,056
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 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 25.8p 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)
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: £10,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1735 kWh 694 kWh 1041 kWh £179 £104 £284 £4,069 14.4 yrs £1,601
3 kW 2603 kWh 1041 kWh 1562 kWh £269 £156 £425 £6,104 14.4 yrs £2,402
4 kW 3471 kWh 1388 kWh 2083 kWh £359 £208 £567 £8,138 14.4 yrs £3,202
5 kW 4339 kWh 1735 kWh 2603 kWh £448 £260 £709 £10,173 14.4 yrs £4,003
6 kW 5206 kWh 2083 kWh 3124 kWh £538 £312 £851 £12,207 14.4 yrs £4,803
7 kW 6074 kWh 2430 kWh 3645 kWh £628 £364 £992 £14,242 14.4 yrs £5,604
8 kW 6942 kWh 2777 kWh 4165 kWh £718 £417 £1,134 £16,276 14.4 yrs £6,405

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: £846, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1735 kWh 1041 kWh 694 kWh £269 £69 £338 £6,169 18.2 yrs £601
3 kW 2603 kWh 1562 kWh 1041 kWh £404 £104 £508 £8,204 16.2 yrs £1,951
4 kW 3471 kWh 2083 kWh 1388 kWh £538 £139 £677 £10,238 15.1 yrs £3,301
5 kW 4339 kWh 2603 kWh 1735 kWh £673 £174 £846 £12,273 14.5 yrs £4,652
6 kW 5206 kWh 3124 kWh 2083 kWh £807 £208 £1,015 £14,307 14.1 yrs £6,002
7 kW 6074 kWh 3645 kWh 2430 kWh £942 £243 £1,185 £16,342 13.8 yrs £7,353
8 kW 6942 kWh 4165 kWh 2777 kWh £1,076 £278 £1,354 £18,376 13.6 yrs £8,703

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: £915, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1735 kWh 1215 kWh 521 kWh £314 £52 £366 £7,569 20.7 yrs £-249
3 kW 2603 kWh 1822 kWh 781 kWh £471 £78 £549 £9,604 17.5 yrs £1,376
4 kW 3471 kWh 2430 kWh 1041 kWh £628 £104 £732 £11,638 15.9 yrs £3,001
5 kW 4339 kWh 3037 kWh 1302 kWh £785 £130 £915 £13,673 14.9 yrs £4,626
6 kW 5206 kWh 3645 kWh 1562 kWh £942 £156 £1,098 £15,707 14.3 yrs £6,252
7 kW 6074 kWh 4252 kWh 1822 kWh £1,099 £182 £1,281 £17,742 13.9 yrs £7,877
8 kW 6942 kWh 4859 kWh 2083 kWh £1,256 £208 £1,464 £19,776 13.5 yrs £9,502

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: £936, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1735 kWh 1267 kWh 469 kWh £327 £47 £374 £9,319 24.9 yrs £-1,835
3 kW 2603 kWh 1900 kWh 703 kWh £491 £70 £561 £11,354 20.2 yrs £-127
4 kW 3471 kWh 2534 kWh 937 kWh £655 £94 £748 £13,388 17.9 yrs £1,581
5 kW 4339 kWh 3167 kWh 1171 kWh £818 £117 £936 £15,423 16.5 yrs £3,289
6 kW 5206 kWh 3801 kWh 1406 kWh £982 £141 £1,123 £17,457 15.5 yrs £4,996
7 kW 6074 kWh 4434 kWh 1640 kWh £1,146 £164 £1,310 £19,492 14.9 yrs £6,704
8 kW 6942 kWh 5068 kWh 1874 kWh £1,309 £187 £1,497 £21,526 14.4 yrs £8,412

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: £949, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1735 kWh 1302 kWh 434 kWh £336 £43 £380 £11,069 29.2 yrs £-3,475
3 kW 2603 kWh 1952 kWh 651 kWh £505 £65 £570 £13,104 23.0 yrs £-1,712
4 kW 3471 kWh 2603 kWh 868 kWh £673 £87 £759 £15,138 19.9 yrs £51
5 kW 4339 kWh 3254 kWh 1085 kWh £841 £108 £949 £17,173 18.1 yrs £1,814
6 kW 5206 kWh 3905 kWh 1302 kWh £1,009 £130 £1,139 £19,207 16.9 yrs £3,576
7 kW 6074 kWh 4556 kWh 1519 kWh £1,177 £152 £1,329 £21,242 16.0 yrs £5,339
8 kW 6942 kWh 5206 kWh 1735 kWh £1,345 £174 £1,519 £23,276 15.3 yrs £7,102

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: £963, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1735 kWh 1336 kWh 399 kWh £345 £40 £385 £13,519 35.1 yrs £-5,815
3 kW 2603 kWh 2004 kWh 599 kWh £518 £60 £578 £15,554 26.9 yrs £-3,997
4 kW 3471 kWh 2673 kWh 798 kWh £691 £80 £770 £17,588 22.8 yrs £-2,179
5 kW 4339 kWh 3341 kWh 998 kWh £863 £100 £963 £19,623 20.4 yrs £-361
6 kW 5206 kWh 4009 kWh 1197 kWh £1,036 £120 £1,156 £21,657 18.7 yrs £1,456
7 kW 6074 kWh 4677 kWh 1397 kWh £1,209 £140 £1,348 £23,692 17.6 yrs £3,274
8 kW 6942 kWh 5345 kWh 1597 kWh £1,381 £160 £1,541 £25,726 16.7 yrs £5,092

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 EH52

Figures below are tailored to EH52 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2639 of 2997
12.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£974 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1657 of 2997
21.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£974 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/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 (100%)

Areas Covered

Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh, Whitburn and Blackburn, Linlithgow, East Livingston and East Calder, Almond, Bathgate

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

EH53 (West Lothian)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~845 kWh/kWp · -3% vs EH52
EH29 (City of Edinburgh)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~876 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH52
EH28 (City of Edinburgh)
≈5.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH52
EH54 (West Lothian)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -4% vs EH52
EH27 (West Lothian)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · -2% vs EH52
EH30 (City of Edinburgh)
≈7.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~881 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EH52

Similar sunshine across the UK

M27 (Salford)
~868 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH52
CA18 (Cumberland)
~868 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH52
BT44 (Causeway Coast and Glens)
~868 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH52