Solar panel cost in City of Edinburgh (EH95)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH95 (City of Edinburgh) 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

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System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
11.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£873
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£12,053
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

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 890 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)
890 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: £727, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 712 kWh 1068 kWh £184 £107 £291 £3,256 11.2 yrs £2,563
3 kW 2671 kWh 1068 kWh 1602 kWh £276 £160 £436 £4,883 11.2 yrs £3,845
4 kW 3561 kWh 1424 kWh 2137 kWh £368 £214 £582 £6,511 11.2 yrs £5,126
5 kW 4451 kWh 1780 kWh 2671 kWh £460 £267 £727 £8,139 11.2 yrs £6,408
6 kW 5341 kWh 2137 kWh 3205 kWh £552 £320 £873 £9,767 11.2 yrs £7,689
7 kW 6232 kWh 2493 kWh 3739 kWh £644 £374 £1,018 £11,394 11.2 yrs £8,971
8 kW 7122 kWh 2849 kWh 4273 kWh £736 £427 £1,164 £13,022 11.2 yrs £10,252

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: £868, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1068 kWh 712 kWh £276 £71 £347 £5,356 15.4 yrs £1,592
3 kW 2671 kWh 1602 kWh 1068 kWh £414 £107 £521 £6,983 13.4 yrs £3,438
4 kW 3561 kWh 2137 kWh 1424 kWh £552 £142 £695 £8,611 12.4 yrs £5,284
5 kW 4451 kWh 2671 kWh 1780 kWh £690 £178 £868 £10,239 11.8 yrs £7,130
6 kW 5341 kWh 3205 kWh 2137 kWh £828 £214 £1,042 £11,867 11.4 yrs £8,976
7 kW 6232 kWh 3739 kWh 2493 kWh £967 £249 £1,216 £13,494 11.1 yrs £10,821
8 kW 7122 kWh 4273 kWh 2849 kWh £1,105 £285 £1,389 £15,122 10.9 yrs £12,667

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: £939, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1246 kWh 534 kWh £322 £53 £376 £6,756 18.0 yrs £756
3 kW 2671 kWh 1869 kWh 801 kWh £483 £80 £563 £8,383 14.9 yrs £2,884
4 kW 3561 kWh 2493 kWh 1068 kWh £644 £107 £751 £10,011 13.3 yrs £5,012
5 kW 4451 kWh 3116 kWh 1335 kWh £805 £134 £939 £11,639 12.4 yrs £7,141
6 kW 5341 kWh 3739 kWh 1602 kWh £967 £160 £1,127 £13,267 11.8 yrs £9,269
7 kW 6232 kWh 4362 kWh 1869 kWh £1,128 £187 £1,315 £14,894 11.3 yrs £11,397
8 kW 7122 kWh 4985 kWh 2137 kWh £1,289 £214 £1,502 £16,522 11.0 yrs £13,525

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: £960, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1300 kWh 481 kWh £336 £48 £384 £8,506 22.1 yrs £-824
3 kW 2671 kWh 1950 kWh 721 kWh £504 £72 £576 £10,133 17.6 yrs £1,388
4 kW 3561 kWh 2599 kWh 961 kWh £672 £96 £768 £11,761 15.3 yrs £3,601
5 kW 4451 kWh 3249 kWh 1202 kWh £840 £120 £960 £13,389 13.9 yrs £5,814
6 kW 5341 kWh 3899 kWh 1442 kWh £1,008 £144 £1,152 £15,017 13.0 yrs £8,027
7 kW 6232 kWh 4549 kWh 1683 kWh £1,176 £168 £1,344 £16,644 12.4 yrs £10,239
8 kW 7122 kWh 5199 kWh 1923 kWh £1,344 £192 £1,536 £18,272 11.9 yrs £12,452

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: £974, Upfront: £15,139, 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 1780 kWh 1335 kWh 445 kWh £345 £45 £390 £10,256 26.3 yrs £-2,462
3 kW 2671 kWh 2003 kWh 668 kWh £518 £67 £585 £11,883 20.3 yrs £-192
4 kW 3561 kWh 2671 kWh 890 kWh £690 £89 £779 £13,511 17.3 yrs £2,077
5 kW 4451 kWh 3338 kWh 1113 kWh £863 £111 £974 £15,139 15.5 yrs £4,346
6 kW 5341 kWh 4006 kWh 1335 kWh £1,036 £134 £1,169 £16,767 14.3 yrs £6,615
7 kW 6232 kWh 4674 kWh 1558 kWh £1,208 £156 £1,364 £18,394 13.5 yrs £8,885
8 kW 7122 kWh 5341 kWh 1780 kWh £1,381 £178 £1,559 £20,022 12.8 yrs £11,154

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: £988, Upfront: £17,589, 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 1780 kWh 1371 kWh 410 kWh £354 £41 £395 £12,706 32.1 yrs £-4,799
3 kW 2671 kWh 2056 kWh 614 kWh £532 £61 £593 £14,333 24.2 yrs £-2,473
4 kW 3561 kWh 2742 kWh 819 kWh £709 £82 £791 £15,961 20.2 yrs £-147
5 kW 4451 kWh 3427 kWh 1024 kWh £886 £102 £988 £17,589 17.8 yrs £2,178
6 kW 5341 kWh 4113 kWh 1229 kWh £1,063 £123 £1,186 £19,217 16.2 yrs £4,504
7 kW 6232 kWh 4798 kWh 1433 kWh £1,240 £143 £1,384 £20,844 15.1 yrs £6,830
8 kW 7122 kWh 5484 kWh 1638 kWh £1,418 £164 £1,581 £22,472 14.2 yrs £9,155

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 City of Edinburgh

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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Seasonal solar output in EH95

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 29 Jan 46 Feb 77 Mar 104 Apr 117 May 109 Jun 111 Jul 100 Aug 82 Sep 56 Oct 38 Nov 22 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 43.6% 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 32 kWh per month; the average month produces around 74 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 129 kWh in winter, or 297 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/day
Local Sunshine
890kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~890 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

Forth

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.