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Solar Panels in IV27 (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
15.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£648
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,020
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 770 kWh/kW — 45 below 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 770 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)
770 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: £648, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1540 kWh 616 kWh 924 kWh £167 £92 £259 £4,069 15.7 yrs £1,113
3 kW 2310 kWh 924 kWh 1386 kWh £250 £139 £389 £6,104 15.7 yrs £1,669
4 kW 3080 kWh 1232 kWh 1848 kWh £333 £185 £518 £8,138 15.7 yrs £2,225
5 kW 3850 kWh 1540 kWh 2310 kWh £417 £231 £648 £10,173 15.7 yrs £2,782
6 kW 4620 kWh 1848 kWh 2772 kWh £500 £277 £777 £12,207 15.7 yrs £3,338
7 kW 5390 kWh 2156 kWh 3234 kWh £583 £323 £907 £14,242 15.7 yrs £3,894
8 kW 6160 kWh 2464 kWh 3696 kWh £667 £370 £1,036 £16,276 15.7 yrs £4,451

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: £779, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1540 kWh 924 kWh 616 kWh £250 £62 £312 £6,169 19.8 yrs £64
3 kW 2310 kWh 1386 kWh 924 kWh £375 £92 £467 £8,204 17.5 yrs £1,145
4 kW 3080 kWh 1848 kWh 1232 kWh £500 £123 £623 £10,238 16.4 yrs £2,227
5 kW 3850 kWh 2310 kWh 1540 kWh £625 £154 £779 £12,273 15.8 yrs £3,309
6 kW 4620 kWh 2772 kWh 1848 kWh £750 £185 £935 £14,307 15.3 yrs £4,391
7 kW 5390 kWh 3234 kWh 2156 kWh £875 £216 £1,091 £16,342 15.0 yrs £5,472
8 kW 6160 kWh 3696 kWh 2464 kWh £1,000 £246 £1,247 £18,376 14.7 yrs £6,554

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: £845, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1540 kWh 1078 kWh 462 kWh £292 £46 £338 £7,569 22.4 yrs £-811
3 kW 2310 kWh 1617 kWh 693 kWh £438 £69 £507 £9,604 18.9 yrs £533
4 kW 3080 kWh 2156 kWh 924 kWh £583 £92 £676 £11,638 17.2 yrs £1,878
5 kW 3850 kWh 2695 kWh 1155 kWh £729 £115 £845 £13,673 16.2 yrs £3,222
6 kW 4620 kWh 3234 kWh 1386 kWh £875 £139 £1,014 £15,707 15.5 yrs £4,567
7 kW 5390 kWh 3773 kWh 1617 kWh £1,021 £162 £1,183 £17,742 15.0 yrs £5,911
8 kW 6160 kWh 4312 kWh 1848 kWh £1,167 £185 £1,352 £19,776 14.6 yrs £7,256

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: £864, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1540 kWh 1124 kWh 416 kWh £304 £42 £346 £9,319 27.0 yrs £-2,403
3 kW 2310 kWh 1686 kWh 624 kWh £456 £62 £519 £11,354 21.9 yrs £-980
4 kW 3080 kWh 2248 kWh 832 kWh £608 £83 £692 £13,388 19.4 yrs £443
5 kW 3850 kWh 2810 kWh 1039 kWh £761 £104 £864 £15,423 17.8 yrs £1,866
6 kW 4620 kWh 3373 kWh 1247 kWh £913 £125 £1,037 £17,457 16.8 yrs £3,290
7 kW 5390 kWh 3935 kWh 1455 kWh £1,065 £146 £1,210 £19,492 16.1 yrs £4,713
8 kW 6160 kWh 4497 kWh 1663 kWh £1,217 £166 £1,383 £21,526 15.6 yrs £6,136

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: £878, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1540 kWh 1155 kWh 385 kWh £313 £38 £351 £11,069 31.5 yrs £-4,048
3 kW 2310 kWh 1732 kWh 577 kWh £469 £58 £527 £13,104 24.9 yrs £-2,573
4 kW 3080 kWh 2310 kWh 770 kWh £625 £77 £702 £15,138 21.6 yrs £-1,097
5 kW 3850 kWh 2887 kWh 962 kWh £781 £96 £878 £17,173 19.6 yrs £379
6 kW 4620 kWh 3465 kWh 1155 kWh £938 £115 £1,053 £19,207 18.2 yrs £1,855
7 kW 5390 kWh 4042 kWh 1347 kWh £1,094 £135 £1,229 £21,242 17.3 yrs £3,331
8 kW 6160 kWh 4620 kWh 1540 kWh £1,250 £154 £1,404 £23,276 16.6 yrs £4,807

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: £891, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 22.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1540 kWh 1186 kWh 354 kWh £321 £35 £356 £13,519 37.9 yrs £-6,393
3 kW 2310 kWh 1779 kWh 531 kWh £481 £53 £534 £15,554 29.1 yrs £-4,865
4 kW 3080 kWh 2372 kWh 708 kWh £642 £71 £713 £17,588 24.7 yrs £-3,337
5 kW 3850 kWh 2964 kWh 885 kWh £802 £89 £891 £19,623 22.0 yrs £-1,808
6 kW 4620 kWh 3557 kWh 1063 kWh £963 £106 £1,069 £21,657 20.3 yrs £-280
7 kW 5390 kWh 4150 kWh 1240 kWh £1,123 £124 £1,247 £23,692 19.0 yrs £1,249
8 kW 6160 kWh 4743 kWh 1417 kWh £1,283 £142 £1,425 £25,726 18.1 yrs £2,777

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 IV27

Figures below are tailored to IV27 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2926 of 2997
13.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£597 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2934 of 2997
37.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£597 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
770kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~770 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

North, West and Central Sutherland

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

KW11 (Highland)
≈36.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~770 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV27
IV28 (Highland)
≈45.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~802 kWh/kWp · +4% vs IV27
IV26 (Highland)
≈45.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~711 kWh/kWp · -8% vs IV27
IV24 (Highland)
≈47.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~798 kWh/kWp · +4% vs IV27
IV23 (Highland)
≈52.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~729 kWh/kWp · -5% vs IV27
KW10 (Highland)
≈55.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~801 kWh/kWp · +4% vs IV27

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA14 (Inverclyde)
~772 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV27
CA12 (Cumberland)
~767 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV27
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV27