Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in FK2 (Falkirk)

See if solar pays off for you in Falkirk — 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
14.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£836
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,695
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 853 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)
853 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: £697, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1706 kWh 682 kWh 1024 kWh £176 £102 £279 £4,069 14.6 yrs £1,505
3 kW 2559 kWh 1024 kWh 1535 kWh £264 £154 £418 £6,104 14.6 yrs £2,257
4 kW 3412 kWh 1365 kWh 2047 kWh £353 £205 £557 £8,138 14.6 yrs £3,010
5 kW 4265 kWh 1706 kWh 2559 kWh £441 £256 £697 £10,173 14.6 yrs £3,762
6 kW 5118 kWh 2047 kWh 3071 kWh £529 £307 £836 £12,207 14.6 yrs £4,514
7 kW 5971 kWh 2388 kWh 3583 kWh £617 £358 £975 £14,242 14.6 yrs £5,267
8 kW 6824 kWh 2730 kWh 4094 kWh £705 £409 £1,115 £16,276 14.6 yrs £6,019

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: £832, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1706 kWh 1024 kWh 682 kWh £264 £68 £333 £6,169 18.5 yrs £486
3 kW 2559 kWh 1535 kWh 1024 kWh £397 £102 £499 £8,204 16.4 yrs £1,779
4 kW 3412 kWh 2047 kWh 1365 kWh £529 £136 £665 £10,238 15.4 yrs £3,071
5 kW 4265 kWh 2559 kWh 1706 kWh £661 £171 £832 £12,273 14.8 yrs £4,364
6 kW 5118 kWh 3071 kWh 2047 kWh £793 £205 £998 £14,307 14.3 yrs £5,657
7 kW 5971 kWh 3583 kWh 2388 kWh £926 £239 £1,165 £16,342 14.0 yrs £6,950
8 kW 6824 kWh 4094 kWh 2730 kWh £1,058 £273 £1,331 £18,376 13.8 yrs £8,243

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: £899, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1706 kWh 1194 kWh 512 kWh £309 £51 £360 £7,569 21.0 yrs £-374
3 kW 2559 kWh 1791 kWh 768 kWh £463 £77 £540 £9,604 17.8 yrs £1,189
4 kW 3412 kWh 2388 kWh 1024 kWh £617 £102 £720 £11,638 16.2 yrs £2,752
5 kW 4265 kWh 2985 kWh 1279 kWh £771 £128 £899 £13,673 15.2 yrs £4,315
6 kW 5118 kWh 3583 kWh 1535 kWh £926 £154 £1,079 £15,707 14.6 yrs £5,878
7 kW 5971 kWh 4180 kWh 1791 kWh £1,080 £179 £1,259 £17,742 14.1 yrs £7,441
8 kW 6824 kWh 4777 kWh 2047 kWh £1,234 £205 £1,439 £19,776 13.7 yrs £9,004

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: £920, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1706 kWh 1245 kWh 461 kWh £322 £46 £368 £9,319 25.3 yrs £-1,962
3 kW 2559 kWh 1868 kWh 691 kWh £483 £69 £552 £11,354 20.6 yrs £-318
4 kW 3412 kWh 2491 kWh 921 kWh £644 £92 £736 £13,388 18.2 yrs £1,327
5 kW 4265 kWh 3113 kWh 1152 kWh £805 £115 £920 £15,423 16.8 yrs £2,971
6 kW 5118 kWh 3736 kWh 1382 kWh £965 £138 £1,104 £17,457 15.8 yrs £4,615
7 kW 5971 kWh 4359 kWh 1612 kWh £1,126 £161 £1,288 £19,492 15.1 yrs £6,259
8 kW 6824 kWh 4981 kWh 1842 kWh £1,287 £184 £1,471 £21,526 14.6 yrs £7,903

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: £933, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1706 kWh 1279 kWh 426 kWh £331 £43 £373 £11,069 29.7 yrs £-3,604
3 kW 2559 kWh 1919 kWh 640 kWh £496 £64 £560 £13,104 23.4 yrs £-1,905
4 kW 3412 kWh 2559 kWh 853 kWh £661 £85 £747 £15,138 20.3 yrs £-207
5 kW 4265 kWh 3199 kWh 1066 kWh £827 £107 £933 £17,173 18.4 yrs £1,491
6 kW 5118 kWh 3838 kWh 1279 kWh £992 £128 £1,120 £19,207 17.2 yrs £3,189
7 kW 5971 kWh 4478 kWh 1493 kWh £1,157 £149 £1,306 £21,242 16.3 yrs £4,887
8 kW 6824 kWh 5118 kWh 1706 kWh £1,322 £171 £1,493 £23,276 15.6 yrs £6,585

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: £947, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1706 kWh 1314 kWh 392 kWh £339 £39 £379 £13,519 35.7 yrs £-5,946
3 kW 2559 kWh 1970 kWh 589 kWh £509 £59 £568 £15,554 27.4 yrs £-4,193
4 kW 3412 kWh 2627 kWh 785 kWh £679 £78 £757 £17,588 23.2 yrs £-2,441
5 kW 4265 kWh 3284 kWh 981 kWh £849 £98 £947 £19,623 20.7 yrs £-689
6 kW 5118 kWh 3941 kWh 1177 kWh £1,018 £118 £1,136 £21,657 19.1 yrs £1,063
7 kW 5971 kWh 4598 kWh 1373 kWh £1,188 £137 £1,325 £23,692 17.9 yrs £2,816
8 kW 6824 kWh 5254 kWh 1570 kWh £1,358 £157 £1,515 £25,726 17.0 yrs £4,568

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
853kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~853 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

Falkirk (99%)|Stirling (1%)

Areas Covered

Falkirk North, Lower Braes, Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst, Upper Braes, Falkirk South, Bannockburn, Bo'ness and Blackness + 1 more

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.