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

Solar Panels in G68 (North Lanarkshire)

See if solar pays off for you in North Lanarkshire — 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
15.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£802
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,844
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 818 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)
818 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: £668, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1637 kWh 655 kWh 982 kWh £169 £98 £267 £4,069 15.2 yrs £1,278
3 kW 2455 kWh 982 kWh 1473 kWh £254 £147 £401 £6,104 15.2 yrs £1,917
4 kW 3273 kWh 1309 kWh 1964 kWh £338 £196 £535 £8,138 15.2 yrs £2,556
5 kW 4091 kWh 1637 kWh 2455 kWh £423 £245 £668 £10,173 15.2 yrs £3,195
6 kW 4910 kWh 1964 kWh 2946 kWh £507 £295 £802 £12,207 15.2 yrs £3,834
7 kW 5728 kWh 2291 kWh 3437 kWh £592 £344 £936 £14,242 15.2 yrs £4,473
8 kW 6546 kWh 2618 kWh 3928 kWh £677 £393 £1,069 £16,276 15.2 yrs £5,112

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: £798, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1637 kWh 982 kWh 655 kWh £254 £65 £319 £6,169 19.3 yrs £215
3 kW 2455 kWh 1473 kWh 982 kWh £381 £98 £479 £8,204 17.1 yrs £1,372
4 kW 3273 kWh 1964 kWh 1309 kWh £507 £131 £638 £10,238 16.0 yrs £2,530
5 kW 4091 kWh 2455 kWh 1637 kWh £634 £164 £798 £12,273 15.4 yrs £3,687
6 kW 4910 kWh 2946 kWh 1964 kWh £761 £196 £958 £14,307 14.9 yrs £4,844
7 kW 5728 kWh 3437 kWh 2291 kWh £888 £229 £1,117 £16,342 14.6 yrs £6,002
8 kW 6546 kWh 3928 kWh 2618 kWh £1,015 £262 £1,277 £18,376 14.4 yrs £7,159

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: £863, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1637 kWh 1146 kWh 491 kWh £296 £49 £345 £7,569 21.9 yrs £-667
3 kW 2455 kWh 1718 kWh 736 kWh £444 £74 £518 £9,604 18.6 yrs £750
4 kW 3273 kWh 2291 kWh 982 kWh £592 £98 £690 £11,638 16.9 yrs £2,167
5 kW 4091 kWh 2864 kWh 1227 kWh £740 £123 £863 £13,673 15.8 yrs £3,583
6 kW 4910 kWh 3437 kWh 1473 kWh £888 £147 £1,035 £15,707 15.2 yrs £5,000
7 kW 5728 kWh 4010 kWh 1718 kWh £1,036 £172 £1,208 £17,742 14.7 yrs £6,416
8 kW 6546 kWh 4582 kWh 1964 kWh £1,184 £196 £1,380 £19,776 14.3 yrs £7,833

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: £882, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1637 kWh 1195 kWh 442 kWh £309 £44 £353 £9,319 26.4 yrs £-2,261
3 kW 2455 kWh 1792 kWh 663 kWh £463 £66 £529 £11,354 21.4 yrs £-767
4 kW 3273 kWh 2389 kWh 884 kWh £617 £88 £706 £13,388 19.0 yrs £728
5 kW 4091 kWh 2987 kWh 1105 kWh £772 £110 £882 £15,423 17.5 yrs £2,222
6 kW 4910 kWh 3584 kWh 1326 kWh £926 £133 £1,059 £17,457 16.5 yrs £3,716
7 kW 5728 kWh 4181 kWh 1547 kWh £1,080 £155 £1,235 £19,492 15.8 yrs £5,211
8 kW 6546 kWh 4779 kWh 1767 kWh £1,235 £177 £1,412 £21,526 15.2 yrs £6,705

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: £895, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1637 kWh 1227 kWh 409 kWh £317 £41 £358 £11,069 30.9 yrs £-3,908
3 kW 2455 kWh 1841 kWh 614 kWh £476 £61 £537 £13,104 24.4 yrs £-2,361
4 kW 3273 kWh 2455 kWh 818 kWh £634 £82 £716 £15,138 21.1 yrs £-815
5 kW 4091 kWh 3069 kWh 1023 kWh £793 £102 £895 £17,173 19.2 yrs £731
6 kW 4910 kWh 3682 kWh 1227 kWh £951 £123 £1,074 £19,207 17.9 yrs £2,277
7 kW 5728 kWh 4296 kWh 1432 kWh £1,110 £143 £1,253 £21,242 16.9 yrs £3,824
8 kW 6546 kWh 4910 kWh 1637 kWh £1,269 £164 £1,432 £23,276 16.3 yrs £5,370

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: £908, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1637 kWh 1260 kWh 376 kWh £326 £38 £363 £13,519 37.2 yrs £-6,254
3 kW 2455 kWh 1890 kWh 565 kWh £488 £56 £545 £15,554 28.5 yrs £-4,656
4 kW 3273 kWh 2520 kWh 753 kWh £651 £75 £727 £17,588 24.2 yrs £-3,058
5 kW 4091 kWh 3150 kWh 941 kWh £814 £94 £908 £19,623 21.6 yrs £-1,460
6 kW 4910 kWh 3780 kWh 1129 kWh £977 £113 £1,090 £21,657 19.9 yrs £139
7 kW 5728 kWh 4410 kWh 1317 kWh £1,140 £132 £1,271 £23,692 18.6 yrs £1,737
8 kW 6546 kWh 5041 kWh 1506 kWh £1,302 £151 £1,453 £25,726 17.7 yrs £3,335

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
818kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~818 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

North Lanarkshire (99%)|East Dunbartonshire (1%)

Areas Covered

Cumbernauld North, Cumbernauld East, Cumbernauld South, Kirkintilloch East and North and Twechar, Kilsyth, Denny and Banknock, Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn

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.