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

Solar Panels in G79 (South Lanarkshire)

See if solar pays off for you in South 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
15.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£814
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,150
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 831 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)
831 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: £679, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1662 kWh 665 kWh 997 kWh £172 £100 £271 £4,069 15.0 yrs £1,359
3 kW 2492 kWh 997 kWh 1495 kWh £258 £150 £407 £6,104 15.0 yrs £2,039
4 kW 3323 kWh 1329 kWh 1994 kWh £343 £199 £543 £8,138 15.0 yrs £2,719
5 kW 4154 kWh 1662 kWh 2492 kWh £429 £249 £679 £10,173 15.0 yrs £3,399
6 kW 4984 kWh 1994 kWh 2991 kWh £515 £299 £814 £12,207 15.0 yrs £4,078
7 kW 5815 kWh 2326 kWh 3489 kWh £601 £349 £950 £14,242 15.0 yrs £4,758
8 kW 6646 kWh 2658 kWh 3988 kWh £687 £399 £1,086 £16,276 15.0 yrs £5,438

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: £810, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1662 kWh 997 kWh 665 kWh £258 £66 £324 £6,169 19.0 yrs £312
3 kW 2492 kWh 1495 kWh 997 kWh £386 £100 £486 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,518
4 kW 3323 kWh 1994 kWh 1329 kWh £515 £133 £648 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,724
5 kW 4154 kWh 2492 kWh 1662 kWh £644 £166 £810 £12,273 15.1 yrs £3,930
6 kW 4984 kWh 2991 kWh 1994 kWh £773 £199 £972 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,136
7 kW 5815 kWh 3489 kWh 2326 kWh £902 £233 £1,134 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,343
8 kW 6646 kWh 3988 kWh 2658 kWh £1,030 £266 £1,296 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,549

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: £876, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1662 kWh 1163 kWh 498 kWh £301 £50 £350 £7,569 21.6 yrs £-561
3 kW 2492 kWh 1745 kWh 748 kWh £451 £75 £526 £9,604 18.3 yrs £908
4 kW 3323 kWh 2326 kWh 997 kWh £601 £100 £701 £11,638 16.6 yrs £2,377
5 kW 4154 kWh 2908 kWh 1246 kWh £751 £125 £876 £13,673 15.6 yrs £3,846
6 kW 4984 kWh 3489 kWh 1495 kWh £902 £150 £1,051 £15,707 14.9 yrs £5,316
7 kW 5815 kWh 4071 kWh 1745 kWh £1,052 £174 £1,226 £17,742 14.5 yrs £6,785
8 kW 6646 kWh 4652 kWh 1994 kWh £1,202 £199 £1,402 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,254

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: £896, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1662 kWh 1213 kWh 449 kWh £313 £45 £358 £9,319 26.0 yrs £-2,154
3 kW 2492 kWh 1819 kWh 673 kWh £470 £67 £537 £11,354 21.1 yrs £-605
4 kW 3323 kWh 2426 kWh 897 kWh £627 £90 £717 £13,388 18.7 yrs £943
5 kW 4154 kWh 3032 kWh 1122 kWh £784 £112 £896 £15,423 17.2 yrs £2,491
6 kW 4984 kWh 3639 kWh 1346 kWh £940 £135 £1,075 £17,457 16.2 yrs £4,039
7 kW 5815 kWh 4245 kWh 1570 kWh £1,097 £157 £1,254 £19,492 15.5 yrs £5,588
8 kW 6646 kWh 4852 kWh 1794 kWh £1,254 £179 £1,433 £21,526 15.0 yrs £7,136

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: £909, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1662 kWh 1246 kWh 415 kWh £322 £42 £364 £11,069 30.4 yrs £-3,798
3 kW 2492 kWh 1869 kWh 623 kWh £483 £62 £545 £13,104 24.0 yrs £-2,197
4 kW 3323 kWh 2492 kWh 831 kWh £644 £83 £727 £15,138 20.8 yrs £-597
5 kW 4154 kWh 3115 kWh 1038 kWh £805 £104 £909 £17,173 18.9 yrs £1,004
6 kW 4984 kWh 3738 kWh 1246 kWh £966 £125 £1,091 £19,207 17.6 yrs £2,605
7 kW 5815 kWh 4361 kWh 1454 kWh £1,127 £145 £1,272 £21,242 16.7 yrs £4,206
8 kW 6646 kWh 4984 kWh 1662 kWh £1,288 £166 £1,454 £23,276 16.0 yrs £5,807

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: £922, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1662 kWh 1279 kWh 382 kWh £331 £38 £369 £13,519 36.7 yrs £-6,143
3 kW 2492 kWh 1919 kWh 573 kWh £496 £57 £553 £15,554 28.1 yrs £-4,490
4 kW 3323 kWh 2559 kWh 764 kWh £661 £76 £738 £17,588 23.8 yrs £-2,836
5 kW 4154 kWh 3198 kWh 955 kWh £826 £96 £922 £19,623 21.3 yrs £-1,183
6 kW 4984 kWh 3838 kWh 1146 kWh £992 £115 £1,106 £21,657 19.6 yrs £471
7 kW 5815 kWh 4478 kWh 1338 kWh £1,157 £134 £1,291 £23,692 18.4 yrs £2,124
8 kW 6646 kWh 5117 kWh 1529 kWh £1,322 £153 £1,475 £25,726 17.4 yrs £3,778

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
831kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~831 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

South Lanarkshire (100%)

Areas Covered

East Kilbride West

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.