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Solar Panels in IV16 (Highland)

See if solar pays off for you in Highland — 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
14.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£704
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,416
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

In Northern Scotland, the current unit rate is 27.06p/kWh with a 61.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 836 kWh/kW — 21 above the regional median (815).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 836 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
61.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
836 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: £704, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 669 kWh 1004 kWh £181 £100 £281 £4,069 14.5 yrs £1,559
3 kW 2509 kWh 1004 kWh 1505 kWh £272 £151 £422 £6,104 14.5 yrs £2,339
4 kW 3345 kWh 1338 kWh 2007 kWh £362 £201 £563 £8,138 14.5 yrs £3,119
5 kW 4182 kWh 1673 kWh 2509 kWh £453 £251 £704 £10,173 14.5 yrs £3,899
6 kW 5018 kWh 2007 kWh 3011 kWh £543 £301 £844 £12,207 14.5 yrs £4,678
7 kW 5855 kWh 2342 kWh 3513 kWh £634 £351 £985 £14,242 14.5 yrs £5,458
8 kW 6691 kWh 2676 kWh 4015 kWh £724 £401 £1,126 £16,276 14.5 yrs £6,238

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: £846, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1004 kWh 669 kWh £272 £67 £338 £6,169 18.2 yrs £601
3 kW 2509 kWh 1505 kWh 1004 kWh £407 £100 £508 £8,204 16.2 yrs £1,951
4 kW 3345 kWh 2007 kWh 1338 kWh £543 £134 £677 £10,238 15.1 yrs £3,302
5 kW 4182 kWh 2509 kWh 1673 kWh £679 £167 £846 £12,273 14.5 yrs £4,652
6 kW 5018 kWh 3011 kWh 2007 kWh £815 £201 £1,015 £14,307 14.1 yrs £6,003
7 kW 5855 kWh 3513 kWh 2342 kWh £951 £234 £1,185 £16,342 13.8 yrs £7,353
8 kW 6691 kWh 4015 kWh 2676 kWh £1,086 £268 £1,354 £18,376 13.6 yrs £8,704

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: £918, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1171 kWh 502 kWh £317 £50 £367 £7,569 20.6 yrs £-228
3 kW 2509 kWh 1756 kWh 753 kWh £475 £75 £551 £9,604 17.4 yrs £1,407
4 kW 3345 kWh 2342 kWh 1004 kWh £634 £100 £734 £11,638 15.9 yrs £3,043
5 kW 4182 kWh 2927 kWh 1255 kWh £792 £125 £918 £13,673 14.9 yrs £4,679
6 kW 5018 kWh 3513 kWh 1505 kWh £951 £151 £1,101 £15,707 14.3 yrs £6,315
7 kW 5855 kWh 4098 kWh 1756 kWh £1,109 £176 £1,285 £17,742 13.8 yrs £7,951
8 kW 6691 kWh 4684 kWh 2007 kWh £1,267 £201 £1,468 £19,776 13.5 yrs £9,587

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: £939, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1221 kWh 452 kWh £330 £45 £376 £9,319 24.8 yrs £-1,807
3 kW 2509 kWh 1832 kWh 677 kWh £496 £68 £563 £11,354 20.2 yrs £-86
4 kW 3345 kWh 2442 kWh 903 kWh £661 £90 £751 £13,388 17.8 yrs £1,636
5 kW 4182 kWh 3053 kWh 1129 kWh £826 £113 £939 £15,423 16.4 yrs £3,357
6 kW 5018 kWh 3663 kWh 1355 kWh £991 £135 £1,127 £17,457 15.5 yrs £5,079
7 kW 5855 kWh 4274 kWh 1581 kWh £1,157 £158 £1,315 £19,492 14.8 yrs £6,800
8 kW 6691 kWh 4884 kWh 1807 kWh £1,322 £181 £1,502 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,521

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: £953, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1255 kWh 418 kWh £339 £42 £381 £11,069 29.0 yrs £-3,443
3 kW 2509 kWh 1882 kWh 627 kWh £509 £63 £572 £13,104 22.9 yrs £-1,664
4 kW 3345 kWh 2509 kWh 836 kWh £679 £84 £763 £15,138 19.9 yrs £114
5 kW 4182 kWh 3136 kWh 1045 kWh £849 £105 £953 £17,173 18.0 yrs £1,893
6 kW 5018 kWh 3764 kWh 1255 kWh £1,018 £125 £1,144 £19,207 16.8 yrs £3,671
7 kW 5855 kWh 4391 kWh 1464 kWh £1,188 £146 £1,335 £21,242 15.9 yrs £5,450
8 kW 6691 kWh 5018 kWh 1673 kWh £1,358 £167 £1,525 £23,276 15.3 yrs £7,228

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: £968, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1673 kWh 1288 kWh 385 kWh £349 £38 £387 £13,519 34.9 yrs £-5,779
3 kW 2509 kWh 1932 kWh 577 kWh £523 £58 £581 £15,554 26.8 yrs £-3,943
4 kW 3345 kWh 2576 kWh 769 kWh £697 £77 £774 £17,588 22.7 yrs £-2,108
5 kW 4182 kWh 3220 kWh 962 kWh £871 £96 £968 £19,623 20.3 yrs £-272
6 kW 5018 kWh 3864 kWh 1154 kWh £1,046 £115 £1,161 £21,657 18.7 yrs £1,563
7 kW 5855 kWh 4508 kWh 1347 kWh £1,220 £135 £1,355 £23,692 17.5 yrs £3,399
8 kW 6691 kWh 5152 kWh 1539 kWh £1,394 £154 £1,548 £25,726 16.6 yrs £5,235

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.

Insights for IV16

Figures below are tailored to IV16 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2642 of 2997
12.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£648 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2814 of 2997
34.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£648 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
836kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~836 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Highland (100%)

Areas Covered

Cromarty Firth, Dingwall and Seaforth

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.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in Northern Scotland

IV17 (Highland)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~839 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV16
IV15 (Highland)
≈9.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~807 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV16
IV18 (Highland)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IV16
IV7 (Highland)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~817 kWh/kWp · -2% vs IV16
IV8 (Highland)
≈13.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~822 kWh/kWp · -2% vs IV16
IV9 (Highland)
≈14.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~810 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV16

Similar sunshine across the UK

G43 (Glasgow City)
~836 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV16
FK8 (Stirling)
~836 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV16
OL8 (Oldham)
~837 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV16