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Solar Panels in IV40 (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
16.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£603
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,896
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 717 kWh/kW — 98 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 717 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)
717 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: £603, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1433 kWh 573 kWh 860 kWh £155 £86 £241 £4,069 16.9 yrs £753
3 kW 2150 kWh 860 kWh 1290 kWh £233 £129 £362 £6,104 16.9 yrs £1,130
4 kW 2866 kWh 1146 kWh 1720 kWh £310 £172 £482 £8,138 16.9 yrs £1,506
5 kW 3583 kWh 1433 kWh 2150 kWh £388 £215 £603 £10,173 16.9 yrs £1,883
6 kW 4299 kWh 1720 kWh 2580 kWh £465 £258 £723 £12,207 16.9 yrs £2,259
7 kW 5016 kWh 2006 kWh 3010 kWh £543 £301 £844 £14,242 16.9 yrs £2,636
8 kW 5732 kWh 2293 kWh 3439 kWh £620 £344 £964 £16,276 16.9 yrs £3,012

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: £725, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1433 kWh 860 kWh 573 kWh £233 £57 £290 £6,169 21.3 yrs £-369
3 kW 2150 kWh 1290 kWh 860 kWh £349 £86 £435 £8,204 18.9 yrs £497
4 kW 2866 kWh 1720 kWh 1146 kWh £465 £115 £580 £10,238 17.7 yrs £1,362
5 kW 3583 kWh 2150 kWh 1433 kWh £582 £143 £725 £12,273 16.9 yrs £2,228
6 kW 4299 kWh 2580 kWh 1720 kWh £698 £172 £870 £14,307 16.4 yrs £3,093
7 kW 5016 kWh 3010 kWh 2006 kWh £814 £201 £1,015 £16,342 16.1 yrs £3,959
8 kW 5732 kWh 3439 kWh 2293 kWh £931 £229 £1,160 £18,376 15.8 yrs £4,824

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: £786, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1433 kWh 1003 kWh 430 kWh £271 £43 £314 £7,569 24.1 yrs £-1,280
3 kW 2150 kWh 1505 kWh 645 kWh £407 £64 £472 £9,604 20.4 yrs £-170
4 kW 2866 kWh 2006 kWh 860 kWh £543 £86 £629 £11,638 18.5 yrs £940
5 kW 3583 kWh 2508 kWh 1075 kWh £679 £107 £786 £13,673 17.4 yrs £2,050
6 kW 4299 kWh 3010 kWh 1290 kWh £814 £129 £943 £15,707 16.7 yrs £3,160
7 kW 5016 kWh 3511 kWh 1505 kWh £950 £150 £1,101 £17,742 16.1 yrs £4,270
8 kW 5732 kWh 4013 kWh 1720 kWh £1,086 £172 £1,258 £19,776 15.7 yrs £5,380

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: £804, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1433 kWh 1046 kWh 387 kWh £283 £39 £322 £9,319 29.0 yrs £-2,883
3 kW 2150 kWh 1569 kWh 580 kWh £425 £58 £483 £11,354 23.5 yrs £-1,700
4 kW 2866 kWh 2092 kWh 774 kWh £566 £77 £644 £13,388 20.8 yrs £-517
5 kW 3583 kWh 2615 kWh 967 kWh £708 £97 £804 £15,423 19.2 yrs £667
6 kW 4299 kWh 3138 kWh 1161 kWh £849 £116 £965 £17,457 18.1 yrs £1,850
7 kW 5016 kWh 3662 kWh 1354 kWh £991 £135 £1,126 £19,492 17.3 yrs £3,033
8 kW 5732 kWh 4185 kWh 1548 kWh £1,132 £155 £1,287 £21,526 16.7 yrs £4,217

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: £817, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 21.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1433 kWh 1075 kWh 358 kWh £291 £36 £327 £11,069 33.9 yrs £-4,536
3 kW 2150 kWh 1612 kWh 537 kWh £436 £54 £490 £13,104 26.7 yrs £-3,303
4 kW 2866 kWh 2150 kWh 717 kWh £582 £72 £653 £15,138 23.2 yrs £-2,071
5 kW 3583 kWh 2687 kWh 896 kWh £727 £90 £817 £17,173 21.0 yrs £-839
6 kW 4299 kWh 3224 kWh 1075 kWh £873 £107 £980 £19,207 19.6 yrs £393
7 kW 5016 kWh 3762 kWh 1254 kWh £1,018 £125 £1,143 £21,242 18.6 yrs £1,626
8 kW 5732 kWh 4299 kWh 1433 kWh £1,163 £143 £1,307 £23,276 17.8 yrs £2,858

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: £829, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1433 kWh 1103 kWh 330 kWh £299 £33 £332 £13,519 40.8 yrs £-6,888
3 kW 2150 kWh 1655 kWh 494 kWh £448 £49 £497 £15,554 31.3 yrs £-5,607
4 kW 2866 kWh 2207 kWh 659 kWh £597 £66 £663 £17,588 26.5 yrs £-4,325
5 kW 3583 kWh 2759 kWh 824 kWh £747 £82 £829 £19,623 23.7 yrs £-3,044
6 kW 4299 kWh 3310 kWh 989 kWh £896 £99 £995 £21,657 21.8 yrs £-1,763
7 kW 5016 kWh 3862 kWh 1154 kWh £1,045 £115 £1,160 £23,692 20.4 yrs £-482
8 kW 5732 kWh 4414 kWh 1318 kWh £1,194 £132 £1,326 £25,726 19.4 yrs £799

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 IV40

Figures below are tailored to IV40 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2970 of 2997
14.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£556 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2967 of 2997
40.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£556 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
717kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~717 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

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh, Eilean á Chèo

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

IV41 (Highland)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~712 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IV40
IV52 (Highland)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~702 kWh/kWp · -2% vs IV40
IV42 (Highland)
≈9.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~677 kWh/kWp · -5% vs IV40
IV53 (Highland)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~678 kWh/kWp · -5% vs IV40
IV49 (Highland)
≈13.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~786 kWh/kWp · +10% vs IV40
IV54 (Highland)
≈15.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~689 kWh/kWp · -4% vs IV40

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +5% vs IV40
DL11 (North Yorkshire)
~765 kWh/kWp · +7% vs IV40
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · +7% vs IV40