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Solar Panels in IV17 (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
14.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£705
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,464
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 839 kWh/kW — 24 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 839 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)
839 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: £705, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 671 kWh 1006 kWh £182 £101 £282 £4,069 14.4 yrs £1,575
3 kW 2516 kWh 1006 kWh 1510 kWh £272 £151 £423 £6,104 14.4 yrs £2,362
4 kW 3355 kWh 1342 kWh 2013 kWh £363 £201 £564 £8,138 14.4 yrs £3,150
5 kW 4193 kWh 1677 kWh 2516 kWh £454 £252 £705 £10,173 14.4 yrs £3,937
6 kW 5032 kWh 2013 kWh 3019 kWh £545 £302 £847 £12,207 14.4 yrs £4,724
7 kW 5871 kWh 2348 kWh 3522 kWh £635 £352 £988 £14,242 14.4 yrs £5,512
8 kW 6709 kWh 2684 kWh 4026 kWh £726 £403 £1,129 £16,276 14.4 yrs £6,299

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: £849, 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 1677 kWh 1006 kWh 671 kWh £272 £67 £339 £6,169 18.2 yrs £619
3 kW 2516 kWh 1510 kWh 1006 kWh £408 £101 £509 £8,204 16.1 yrs £1,979
4 kW 3355 kWh 2013 kWh 1342 kWh £545 £134 £679 £10,238 15.1 yrs £3,339
5 kW 4193 kWh 2516 kWh 1677 kWh £681 £168 £849 £12,273 14.5 yrs £4,698
6 kW 5032 kWh 3019 kWh 2013 kWh £817 £201 £1,018 £14,307 14.1 yrs £6,058
7 kW 5871 kWh 3522 kWh 2348 kWh £953 £235 £1,188 £16,342 13.8 yrs £7,418
8 kW 6709 kWh 4026 kWh 2684 kWh £1,089 £268 £1,358 £18,376 13.5 yrs £8,777

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: £920, 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 1677 kWh 1174 kWh 503 kWh £318 £50 £368 £7,569 20.6 yrs £-208
3 kW 2516 kWh 1761 kWh 755 kWh £477 £75 £552 £9,604 17.4 yrs £1,437
4 kW 3355 kWh 2348 kWh 1006 kWh £635 £101 £736 £11,638 15.8 yrs £3,083
5 kW 4193 kWh 2935 kWh 1258 kWh £794 £126 £920 £13,673 14.9 yrs £4,729
6 kW 5032 kWh 3522 kWh 1510 kWh £953 £151 £1,104 £15,707 14.2 yrs £6,375
7 kW 5871 kWh 4109 kWh 1761 kWh £1,112 £176 £1,288 £17,742 13.8 yrs £8,021
8 kW 6709 kWh 4696 kWh 2013 kWh £1,271 £201 £1,472 £19,776 13.4 yrs £9,667

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: £942, 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 1677 kWh 1224 kWh 453 kWh £331 £45 £377 £9,319 24.7 yrs £-1,787
3 kW 2516 kWh 1837 kWh 679 kWh £497 £68 £565 £11,354 20.1 yrs £-55
4 kW 3355 kWh 2449 kWh 906 kWh £663 £91 £753 £13,388 17.8 yrs £1,677
5 kW 4193 kWh 3061 kWh 1132 kWh £828 £113 £942 £15,423 16.4 yrs £3,408
6 kW 5032 kWh 3673 kWh 1359 kWh £994 £136 £1,130 £17,457 15.5 yrs £5,140
7 kW 5871 kWh 4286 kWh 1585 kWh £1,160 £159 £1,318 £19,492 14.8 yrs £6,872
8 kW 6709 kWh 4898 kWh 1811 kWh £1,325 £181 £1,506 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,603

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: £956, 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 1677 kWh 1258 kWh 419 kWh £340 £42 £382 £11,069 29.0 yrs £-3,422
3 kW 2516 kWh 1887 kWh 629 kWh £511 £63 £574 £13,104 22.8 yrs £-1,633
4 kW 3355 kWh 2516 kWh 839 kWh £681 £84 £765 £15,138 19.8 yrs £156
5 kW 4193 kWh 3145 kWh 1048 kWh £851 £105 £956 £17,173 18.0 yrs £1,944
6 kW 5032 kWh 3774 kWh 1258 kWh £1,021 £126 £1,147 £19,207 16.7 yrs £3,733
7 kW 5871 kWh 4403 kWh 1468 kWh £1,191 £147 £1,338 £21,242 15.9 yrs £5,522
8 kW 6709 kWh 5032 kWh 1677 kWh £1,362 £168 £1,529 £23,276 15.2 yrs £7,311

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: £970, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1677 kWh 1292 kWh 386 kWh £349 £39 £388 £13,519 34.8 yrs £-5,758
3 kW 2516 kWh 1937 kWh 579 kWh £524 £58 £582 £15,554 26.7 yrs £-3,912
4 kW 3355 kWh 2583 kWh 772 kWh £699 £77 £776 £17,588 22.7 yrs £-2,066
5 kW 4193 kWh 3229 kWh 964 kWh £874 £96 £970 £19,623 20.2 yrs £-219
6 kW 5032 kWh 3875 kWh 1157 kWh £1,048 £116 £1,164 £21,657 18.6 yrs £1,627
7 kW 5871 kWh 4520 kWh 1350 kWh £1,223 £135 £1,358 £23,692 17.4 yrs £3,473
8 kW 6709 kWh 5166 kWh 1543 kWh £1,398 £154 £1,552 £25,726 16.6 yrs £5,319

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 IV17

Figures below are tailored to IV17 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2643 of 2997
12.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£650 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2809 of 2997
34.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£650 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
839kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~839 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

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

IV18 (Highland)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IV17
IV16 (Highland)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~836 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV17
IV11 (Highland)
≈13.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~801 kWh/kWp · -5% vs IV17
IV10 (Highland)
≈14.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~815 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV17
IV9 (Highland)
≈15.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~810 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV17
IV15 (Highland)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~807 kWh/kWp · -4% vs IV17

Similar sunshine across the UK

SK10 (Cheshire East)
~839 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV17
OL13 (Rossendale)
~838 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV17
BT43 (Mid and East Antrim)
~838 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV17