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Solar Panels in EH91 (City of Edinburgh)

See if solar pays off for you in City of Edinburgh — 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
14.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£865
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,409
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 882 kWh/kW — 32 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 882 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)
882 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: £721, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1764 kWh 706 kWh 1059 kWh £182 £106 £288 £4,069 14.1 yrs £1,695
3 kW 2646 kWh 1059 kWh 1588 kWh £274 £159 £432 £6,104 14.1 yrs £2,543
4 kW 3529 kWh 1411 kWh 2117 kWh £365 £212 £576 £8,138 14.1 yrs £3,391
5 kW 4411 kWh 1764 kWh 2646 kWh £456 £265 £721 £10,173 14.1 yrs £4,238
6 kW 5293 kWh 2117 kWh 3176 kWh £547 £318 £865 £12,207 14.1 yrs £5,086
7 kW 6175 kWh 2470 kWh 3705 kWh £638 £371 £1,009 £14,242 14.1 yrs £5,934
8 kW 7057 kWh 2823 kWh 4234 kWh £729 £423 £1,153 £16,276 14.1 yrs £6,781

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: £860, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1764 kWh 1059 kWh 706 kWh £274 £71 £344 £6,169 17.9 yrs £713
3 kW 2646 kWh 1588 kWh 1059 kWh £410 £106 £516 £8,204 15.9 yrs £2,120
4 kW 3529 kWh 2117 kWh 1411 kWh £547 £141 £688 £10,238 14.9 yrs £3,526
5 kW 4411 kWh 2646 kWh 1764 kWh £684 £176 £860 £12,273 14.3 yrs £4,933
6 kW 5293 kWh 3176 kWh 2117 kWh £821 £212 £1,032 £14,307 13.9 yrs £6,340
7 kW 6175 kWh 3705 kWh 2470 kWh £957 £247 £1,204 £16,342 13.6 yrs £7,746
8 kW 7057 kWh 4234 kWh 2823 kWh £1,094 £282 £1,376 £18,376 13.4 yrs £9,153

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: £930, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1764 kWh 1235 kWh 529 kWh £319 £53 £372 £7,569 20.3 yrs £-128
3 kW 2646 kWh 1853 kWh 794 kWh £479 £79 £558 £9,604 17.2 yrs £1,558
4 kW 3529 kWh 2470 kWh 1059 kWh £638 £106 £744 £11,638 15.6 yrs £3,244
5 kW 4411 kWh 3088 kWh 1323 kWh £798 £132 £930 £13,673 14.7 yrs £4,930
6 kW 5293 kWh 3705 kWh 1588 kWh £957 £159 £1,116 £15,707 14.1 yrs £6,617
7 kW 6175 kWh 4323 kWh 1853 kWh £1,117 £185 £1,302 £17,742 13.6 yrs £8,303
8 kW 7057 kWh 4940 kWh 2117 kWh £1,277 £212 £1,488 £19,776 13.3 yrs £9,989

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: £951, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1764 kWh 1288 kWh 476 kWh £333 £48 £380 £9,319 24.5 yrs £-1,710
3 kW 2646 kWh 1932 kWh 715 kWh £499 £71 £571 £11,354 19.9 yrs £60
4 kW 3529 kWh 2576 kWh 953 kWh £666 £95 £761 £13,388 17.6 yrs £1,830
5 kW 4411 kWh 3220 kWh 1191 kWh £832 £119 £951 £15,423 16.2 yrs £3,600
6 kW 5293 kWh 3864 kWh 1429 kWh £998 £143 £1,141 £17,457 15.3 yrs £5,370
7 kW 6175 kWh 4508 kWh 1667 kWh £1,165 £167 £1,332 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,139
8 kW 7057 kWh 5152 kWh 1905 kWh £1,331 £191 £1,522 £21,526 14.1 yrs £8,909

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: £965, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1764 kWh 1323 kWh 441 kWh £342 £44 £386 £11,069 28.7 yrs £-3,348
3 kW 2646 kWh 1985 kWh 662 kWh £513 £66 £579 £13,104 22.6 yrs £-1,523
4 kW 3529 kWh 2646 kWh 882 kWh £684 £88 £772 £15,138 19.6 yrs £303
5 kW 4411 kWh 3308 kWh 1103 kWh £855 £110 £965 £17,173 17.8 yrs £2,129
6 kW 5293 kWh 3970 kWh 1323 kWh £1,026 £132 £1,158 £19,207 16.6 yrs £3,955
7 kW 6175 kWh 4631 kWh 1544 kWh £1,197 £154 £1,351 £21,242 15.7 yrs £5,781
8 kW 7057 kWh 5293 kWh 1764 kWh £1,368 £176 £1,544 £23,276 15.1 yrs £7,607

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: £979, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1764 kWh 1359 kWh 406 kWh £351 £41 £392 £13,519 34.5 yrs £-5,687
3 kW 2646 kWh 2038 kWh 609 kWh £527 £61 £587 £15,554 26.5 yrs £-3,805
4 kW 3529 kWh 2717 kWh 812 kWh £702 £81 £783 £17,588 22.5 yrs £-1,923
5 kW 4411 kWh 3396 kWh 1014 kWh £878 £101 £979 £19,623 20.0 yrs £-41
6 kW 5293 kWh 4076 kWh 1217 kWh £1,053 £122 £1,175 £21,657 18.4 yrs £1,840
7 kW 6175 kWh 4755 kWh 1420 kWh £1,229 £142 £1,371 £23,692 17.3 yrs £3,722
8 kW 7057 kWh 5434 kWh 1623 kWh £1,404 £162 £1,566 £25,726 16.4 yrs £5,604

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 EH91

Figures below are tailored to EH91 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2559 of 2997
12.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£990 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1574 of 2997
20.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£990 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
882kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~882 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

City of Edinburgh (100%)

Areas Covered

Sighthill/Gorgie, Corstorphine/Murrayfield

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

EH14 (City of Edinburgh)
≈1.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH91
EH12 (City of Edinburgh)
≈2.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH91
EH11 (City of Edinburgh)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~894 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH91
EH13 (City of Edinburgh)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~893 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH91
EH4 (City of Edinburgh)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~892 kWh/kWp · +1% vs EH91
EH28 (City of Edinburgh)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~877 kWh/kWp · -1% vs EH91

Similar sunshine across the UK

M41 (Trafford)
~882 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH91
BL6 (Bolton)
~882 kWh/kWp · -0% vs EH91
CW12 (Cheshire East)
~883 kWh/kWp · +0% vs EH91