Solar panel cost in City of Edinburgh (EH99)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for EH99 (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

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
15.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£773
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,113
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

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 851 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 22.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
22.8p/kWh
Standing charge
64.8p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
851 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: £644, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 681 kWh 1022 kWh £155 £102 £258 £4,069 15.8 yrs £1,083
3 kW 2554 kWh 1022 kWh 1533 kWh £233 £153 £386 £6,104 15.8 yrs £1,625
4 kW 3406 kWh 1362 kWh 2043 kWh £311 £204 £515 £8,138 15.8 yrs £2,166
5 kW 4257 kWh 1703 kWh 2554 kWh £389 £255 £644 £10,173 15.8 yrs £2,708
6 kW 5108 kWh 2043 kWh 3065 kWh £466 £307 £773 £12,207 15.8 yrs £3,249
7 kW 5960 kWh 2384 kWh 3576 kWh £544 £358 £902 £14,242 15.8 yrs £3,791
8 kW 6811 kWh 2725 kWh 4087 kWh £622 £409 £1,030 £16,276 15.8 yrs £4,332

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: £753, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1022 kWh 681 kWh £233 £68 £301 £6,169 20.5 yrs £-144
3 kW 2554 kWh 1533 kWh 1022 kWh £350 £102 £452 £8,204 18.2 yrs £834
4 kW 3406 kWh 2043 kWh 1362 kWh £466 £136 £603 £10,238 17.0 yrs £1,812
5 kW 4257 kWh 2554 kWh 1703 kWh £583 £170 £753 £12,273 16.3 yrs £2,791
6 kW 5108 kWh 3065 kWh 2043 kWh £699 £204 £904 £14,307 15.8 yrs £3,769
7 kW 5960 kWh 3576 kWh 2384 kWh £816 £238 £1,054 £16,342 15.5 yrs £4,747
8 kW 6811 kWh 4087 kWh 2725 kWh £933 £272 £1,205 £18,376 15.2 yrs £5,725

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: £808, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1192 kWh 511 kWh £272 £51 £323 £7,569 23.4 yrs £-1,107
3 kW 2554 kWh 1788 kWh 766 kWh £408 £77 £485 £9,604 19.8 yrs £89
4 kW 3406 kWh 2384 kWh 1022 kWh £544 £102 £646 £11,638 18.0 yrs £1,286
5 kW 4257 kWh 2980 kWh 1277 kWh £680 £128 £808 £13,673 16.9 yrs £2,482
6 kW 5108 kWh 3576 kWh 1533 kWh £816 £153 £969 £15,707 16.2 yrs £3,679
7 kW 5960 kWh 4172 kWh 1788 kWh £952 £179 £1,131 £17,742 15.7 yrs £4,875
8 kW 6811 kWh 4768 kWh 2043 kWh £1,088 £204 £1,292 £19,776 15.3 yrs £6,071

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: £824, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1243 kWh 460 kWh £284 £46 £330 £9,319 28.3 yrs £-2,726
3 kW 2554 kWh 1865 kWh 690 kWh £425 £69 £494 £11,354 23.0 yrs £-1,464
4 kW 3406 kWh 2486 kWh 920 kWh £567 £92 £659 £13,388 20.3 yrs £-202
5 kW 4257 kWh 3108 kWh 1149 kWh £709 £115 £824 £15,423 18.7 yrs £1,060
6 kW 5108 kWh 3729 kWh 1379 kWh £851 £138 £989 £17,457 17.7 yrs £2,321
7 kW 5960 kWh 4351 kWh 1609 kWh £993 £161 £1,154 £19,492 16.9 yrs £3,583
8 kW 6811 kWh 4972 kWh 1839 kWh £1,135 £184 £1,319 £21,526 16.3 yrs £4,845

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: £835, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1277 kWh 426 kWh £291 £43 £334 £11,069 33.1 yrs £-4,389
3 kW 2554 kWh 1916 kWh 639 kWh £437 £64 £501 £13,104 26.2 yrs £-3,083
4 kW 3406 kWh 2554 kWh 851 kWh £583 £85 £668 £15,138 22.7 yrs £-1,778
5 kW 4257 kWh 3193 kWh 1064 kWh £729 £106 £835 £17,173 20.6 yrs £-472
6 kW 5108 kWh 3831 kWh 1277 kWh £874 £128 £1,002 £19,207 19.2 yrs £833
7 kW 5960 kWh 4470 kWh 1490 kWh £1,020 £149 £1,169 £21,242 18.2 yrs £2,139
8 kW 6811 kWh 5108 kWh 1703 kWh £1,166 £170 £1,336 £23,276 17.4 yrs £3,445

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: £846, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1703 kWh 1311 kWh 392 kWh £299 £39 £338 £13,519 40.0 yrs £-6,752
3 kW 2554 kWh 1967 kWh 587 kWh £449 £59 £508 £15,554 30.6 yrs £-5,402
4 kW 3406 kWh 2622 kWh 783 kWh £598 £78 £677 £17,588 26.0 yrs £-4,053
5 kW 4257 kWh 3278 kWh 979 kWh £748 £98 £846 £19,623 23.2 yrs £-2,704
6 kW 5108 kWh 3934 kWh 1175 kWh £898 £117 £1,015 £21,657 21.3 yrs £-1,355
7 kW 5960 kWh 4589 kWh 1371 kWh £1,047 £137 £1,184 £23,692 20.0 yrs £-5
8 kW 6811 kWh 5245 kWh 1567 kWh £1,197 £157 £1,353 £25,726 19.0 yrs £1,344

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.

Seasonal solar output in EH99

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 21 Jan 42 Feb 76 Mar 103 Apr 116 May 108 Jun 110 Jul 99 Aug 80 Sep 53 Oct 30 Nov 14 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 36.4% 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 26 kWh per month; the average month produces around 71 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 103 kWh in winter, or 284 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
22.82p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.81p/day
Local Sunshine
851kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~851 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

Corstorphine/Murrayfield, City Centre, Leith Walk

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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.