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Solar panel cost in West Lothian (EH54)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH54 (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
11.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£821
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,749
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 837 kWh/kW — 13 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 837 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)
837 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: £684, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1674 kWh 670 kWh 1004 kWh £173 £100 £274 £3,256 11.9 yrs £2,215
3 kW 2511 kWh 1004 kWh 1507 kWh £260 £151 £410 £4,883 11.9 yrs £3,323
4 kW 3348 kWh 1339 kWh 2009 kWh £346 £201 £547 £6,511 11.9 yrs £4,430
5 kW 4185 kWh 1674 kWh 2511 kWh £433 £251 £684 £8,139 11.9 yrs £5,538
6 kW 5022 kWh 2009 kWh 3013 kWh £519 £301 £821 £9,767 11.9 yrs £6,646
7 kW 5859 kWh 2344 kWh 3515 kWh £606 £352 £957 £11,394 11.9 yrs £7,753
8 kW 6696 kWh 2678 kWh 4018 kWh £692 £402 £1,094 £13,022 11.9 yrs £8,861

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: £817, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1674 kWh 1004 kWh 670 kWh £260 £67 £327 £5,356 16.4 yrs £1,177
3 kW 2511 kWh 1507 kWh 1004 kWh £389 £100 £490 £6,983 14.3 yrs £2,815
4 kW 3348 kWh 2009 kWh 1339 kWh £519 £134 £653 £8,611 13.2 yrs £4,453
5 kW 4185 kWh 2511 kWh 1674 kWh £649 £167 £817 £10,239 12.5 yrs £6,091
6 kW 5022 kWh 3013 kWh 2009 kWh £779 £201 £980 £11,867 12.1 yrs £7,730
7 kW 5859 kWh 3515 kWh 2344 kWh £909 £234 £1,143 £13,494 11.8 yrs £9,368
8 kW 6696 kWh 4018 kWh 2678 kWh £1,039 £268 £1,306 £15,122 11.6 yrs £11,006

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: £883, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1674 kWh 1172 kWh 502 kWh £303 £50 £353 £6,756 19.1 yrs £307
3 kW 2511 kWh 1758 kWh 753 kWh £454 £75 £530 £8,383 15.8 yrs £2,211
4 kW 3348 kWh 2344 kWh 1004 kWh £606 £100 £706 £10,011 14.2 yrs £4,115
5 kW 4185 kWh 2930 kWh 1256 kWh £757 £126 £883 £11,639 13.2 yrs £6,018
6 kW 5022 kWh 3515 kWh 1507 kWh £909 £151 £1,059 £13,267 12.5 yrs £7,922
7 kW 5859 kWh 4101 kWh 1758 kWh £1,060 £176 £1,236 £14,894 12.1 yrs £9,825
8 kW 6696 kWh 4687 kWh 2009 kWh £1,212 £201 £1,413 £16,522 11.7 yrs £11,729

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: £903, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1674 kWh 1222 kWh 452 kWh £316 £45 £361 £8,506 23.6 yrs £-1,284
3 kW 2511 kWh 1833 kWh 678 kWh £474 £68 £542 £10,133 18.7 yrs £700
4 kW 3348 kWh 2444 kWh 904 kWh £632 £90 £722 £11,761 16.3 yrs £2,683
5 kW 4185 kWh 3055 kWh 1130 kWh £790 £113 £903 £13,389 14.8 yrs £4,666
6 kW 5022 kWh 3666 kWh 1356 kWh £948 £136 £1,083 £15,017 13.9 yrs £6,649
7 kW 5859 kWh 4277 kWh 1582 kWh £1,106 £158 £1,264 £16,644 13.2 yrs £8,633
8 kW 6696 kWh 4888 kWh 1808 kWh £1,264 £181 £1,444 £18,272 12.7 yrs £10,616

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: £916, Upfront: £15,139, 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 1674 kWh 1256 kWh 419 kWh £325 £42 £366 £10,256 28.0 yrs £-2,927
3 kW 2511 kWh 1883 kWh 628 kWh £487 £63 £550 £11,883 21.6 yrs £-891
4 kW 3348 kWh 2511 kWh 837 kWh £649 £84 £733 £13,511 18.4 yrs £1,145
5 kW 4185 kWh 3139 kWh 1046 kWh £811 £105 £916 £15,139 16.5 yrs £3,181
6 kW 5022 kWh 3767 kWh 1256 kWh £974 £126 £1,099 £16,767 15.3 yrs £5,218
7 kW 5859 kWh 4394 kWh 1465 kWh £1,136 £146 £1,282 £18,394 14.3 yrs £7,254
8 kW 6696 kWh 5022 kWh 1674 kWh £1,298 £167 £1,466 £20,022 13.7 yrs £9,290

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: £929, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1674 kWh 1289 kWh 385 kWh £333 £39 £372 £12,706 34.2 yrs £-5,271
3 kW 2511 kWh 1934 kWh 578 kWh £500 £58 £558 £14,333 25.7 yrs £-3,182
4 kW 3348 kWh 2578 kWh 770 kWh £666 £77 £743 £15,961 21.5 yrs £-1,093
5 kW 4185 kWh 3223 kWh 963 kWh £833 £96 £929 £17,589 18.9 yrs £997
6 kW 5022 kWh 3867 kWh 1155 kWh £1,000 £116 £1,115 £19,217 17.2 yrs £3,086
7 kW 5859 kWh 4512 kWh 1348 kWh £1,166 £135 £1,301 £20,844 16.0 yrs £5,176
8 kW 6696 kWh 5156 kWh 1540 kWh £1,333 £154 £1,487 £22,472 15.1 yrs £7,265

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for EH54

Figures below are tailored to EH54 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2440 of 2996
11.9 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£821 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1931 of 2996
28.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£234 fixed • ~£821 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.4% West −19.8%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in EH54

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 24 Jan 40 Feb 70 Mar 100 Apr 113 May 107 Jun 107 Jul 96 Aug 76 Sep 51 Oct 34 Nov 19 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 39.3% 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 27 kWh per month; the average month produces around 70 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 110 kWh in winter, or 279 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/day
Local Sunshine
837kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~837 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

Livingston South, Livingston North, East Livingston and East Calder, Whitburn and Blackburn, Bathgate, Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh

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

EH53 (West Lothian)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~845 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH54
EH55 (West Lothian)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH54
EH52 (West Lothian)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~868 kWh/kWp · +4% vs EH54
EH27 (West Lothian)
≈7.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~852 kWh/kWp · +2% vs EH54
EH48 (West Lothian)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~870 kWh/kWp · +4% vs EH54
EH47 (West Lothian)
≈9.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH54

Similar sunshine across the UK

BT81 (Derry City and Strabane)
~837 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH54
OL4 (Oldham)
~837 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH54
OL8 (Oldham)
~837 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH54