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

Solar Panels in IV36 (Moray)

See if solar pays off for you in Moray — 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
14.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£691
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,096
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 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 821 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)
821 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: £691, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1642 kWh 657 kWh 985 kWh £178 £99 £276 £4,069 14.7 yrs £1,457
3 kW 2463 kWh 985 kWh 1478 kWh £267 £148 £414 £6,104 14.7 yrs £2,186
4 kW 3285 kWh 1314 kWh 1971 kWh £356 £197 £553 £8,138 14.7 yrs £2,914
5 kW 4106 kWh 1642 kWh 2463 kWh £444 £246 £691 £10,173 14.7 yrs £3,643
6 kW 4927 kWh 1971 kWh 2956 kWh £533 £296 £829 £12,207 14.7 yrs £4,371
7 kW 5748 kWh 2299 kWh 3449 kWh £622 £345 £967 £14,242 14.7 yrs £5,100
8 kW 6569 kWh 2628 kWh 3942 kWh £711 £394 £1,105 £16,276 14.7 yrs £5,828

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: £831, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1642 kWh 985 kWh 657 kWh £267 £66 £332 £6,169 18.6 yrs £478
3 kW 2463 kWh 1478 kWh 985 kWh £400 £99 £499 £8,204 16.5 yrs £1,767
4 kW 3285 kWh 1971 kWh 1314 kWh £533 £131 £665 £10,238 15.4 yrs £3,056
5 kW 4106 kWh 2463 kWh 1642 kWh £667 £164 £831 £12,273 14.8 yrs £4,344
6 kW 4927 kWh 2956 kWh 1971 kWh £800 £197 £997 £14,307 14.3 yrs £5,633
7 kW 5748 kWh 3449 kWh 2299 kWh £933 £230 £1,163 £16,342 14.0 yrs £6,922
8 kW 6569 kWh 3942 kWh 2628 kWh £1,067 £263 £1,329 £18,376 13.8 yrs £8,211

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: £901, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1642 kWh 1150 kWh 493 kWh £311 £49 £360 £7,569 21.0 yrs £-362
3 kW 2463 kWh 1724 kWh 739 kWh £467 £74 £541 £9,604 17.8 yrs £1,207
4 kW 3285 kWh 2299 kWh 985 kWh £622 £99 £721 £11,638 16.1 yrs £2,776
5 kW 4106 kWh 2874 kWh 1232 kWh £778 £123 £901 £13,673 15.2 yrs £4,345
6 kW 4927 kWh 3449 kWh 1478 kWh £933 £148 £1,081 £15,707 14.5 yrs £5,914
7 kW 5748 kWh 4024 kWh 1724 kWh £1,089 £172 £1,261 £17,742 14.1 yrs £7,483
8 kW 6569 kWh 4598 kWh 1971 kWh £1,244 £197 £1,441 £19,776 13.7 yrs £9,053

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: £922, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1642 kWh 1199 kWh 443 kWh £324 £44 £369 £9,319 25.3 yrs £-1,944
3 kW 2463 kWh 1798 kWh 665 kWh £487 £67 £553 £11,354 20.5 yrs £-291
4 kW 3285 kWh 2398 kWh 887 kWh £649 £89 £738 £13,388 18.2 yrs £1,362
5 kW 4106 kWh 2997 kWh 1109 kWh £811 £111 £922 £15,423 16.7 yrs £3,016
6 kW 4927 kWh 3597 kWh 1330 kWh £973 £133 £1,106 £17,457 15.8 yrs £4,669
7 kW 5748 kWh 4196 kWh 1552 kWh £1,135 £155 £1,291 £19,492 15.1 yrs £6,322
8 kW 6569 kWh 4796 kWh 1774 kWh £1,298 £177 £1,475 £21,526 14.6 yrs £7,975

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: £936, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1642 kWh 1232 kWh 411 kWh £333 £41 £374 £11,069 29.6 yrs £-3,582
3 kW 2463 kWh 1848 kWh 616 kWh £500 £62 £562 £13,104 23.3 yrs £-1,873
4 kW 3285 kWh 2463 kWh 821 kWh £667 £82 £749 £15,138 20.2 yrs £-163
5 kW 4106 kWh 3079 kWh 1026 kWh £833 £103 £936 £17,173 18.3 yrs £1,546
6 kW 4927 kWh 3695 kWh 1232 kWh £1,000 £123 £1,123 £19,207 17.1 yrs £3,255
7 kW 5748 kWh 4311 kWh 1437 kWh £1,167 £144 £1,310 £21,242 16.2 yrs £4,964
8 kW 6569 kWh 4927 kWh 1642 kWh £1,333 £164 £1,497 £23,276 15.5 yrs £6,673

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: £950, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1642 kWh 1265 kWh 378 kWh £342 £38 £380 £13,519 35.6 yrs £-5,920
3 kW 2463 kWh 1897 kWh 567 kWh £513 £57 £570 £15,554 27.3 yrs £-4,154
4 kW 3285 kWh 2529 kWh 755 kWh £684 £76 £760 £17,588 23.1 yrs £-2,389
5 kW 4106 kWh 3161 kWh 944 kWh £855 £94 £950 £19,623 20.7 yrs £-624
6 kW 4927 kWh 3794 kWh 1133 kWh £1,027 £113 £1,140 £21,657 19.0 yrs £1,141
7 kW 5748 kWh 4426 kWh 1322 kWh £1,198 £132 £1,330 £23,692 17.8 yrs £2,906
8 kW 6569 kWh 5058 kWh 1511 kWh £1,369 £151 £1,520 £25,726 16.9 yrs £4,672

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
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
821kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~821 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

Moray (100%)

Areas Covered

Forres, Speyside Glenlivet, Heldon and Laich

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.