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Solar Panels in IV41 (Highland)

See if solar pays off for you in Highland — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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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
17.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£599
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,795
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 712 kWh/kW — 103 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 712 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)
712 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: £599, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1423 kWh 569 kWh 854 kWh £154 £85 £239 £4,069 17.0 yrs £721
3 kW 2135 kWh 854 kWh 1281 kWh £231 £128 £359 £6,104 17.0 yrs £1,081
4 kW 2847 kWh 1139 kWh 1708 kWh £308 £171 £479 £8,138 17.0 yrs £1,441
5 kW 3559 kWh 1423 kWh 2135 kWh £385 £214 £599 £10,173 17.0 yrs £1,801
6 kW 4270 kWh 1708 kWh 2562 kWh £462 £256 £718 £12,207 17.0 yrs £2,162
7 kW 4982 kWh 1993 kWh 2989 kWh £539 £299 £838 £14,242 17.0 yrs £2,522
8 kW 5694 kWh 2278 kWh 3416 kWh £616 £342 £958 £16,276 17.0 yrs £2,882

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: £720, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1423 kWh 854 kWh 569 kWh £231 £57 £288 £6,169 21.4 yrs £-408
3 kW 2135 kWh 1281 kWh 854 kWh £347 £85 £432 £8,204 19.0 yrs £438
4 kW 2847 kWh 1708 kWh 1139 kWh £462 £114 £576 £10,238 17.8 yrs £1,284
5 kW 3559 kWh 2135 kWh 1423 kWh £578 £142 £720 £12,273 17.0 yrs £2,130
6 kW 4270 kWh 2562 kWh 1708 kWh £693 £171 £864 £14,307 16.6 yrs £2,976
7 kW 4982 kWh 2989 kWh 1993 kWh £809 £199 £1,008 £16,342 16.2 yrs £3,822
8 kW 5694 kWh 3416 kWh 2278 kWh £924 £228 £1,152 £18,376 15.9 yrs £4,668

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: £781, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1423 kWh 996 kWh 427 kWh £270 £43 £312 £7,569 24.2 yrs £-1,322
3 kW 2135 kWh 1495 kWh 641 kWh £404 £64 £468 £9,604 20.5 yrs £-234
4 kW 2847 kWh 1993 kWh 854 kWh £539 £85 £625 £11,638 18.6 yrs £855
5 kW 3559 kWh 2491 kWh 1068 kWh £674 £107 £781 £13,673 17.5 yrs £1,944
6 kW 4270 kWh 2989 kWh 1281 kWh £809 £128 £937 £15,707 16.8 yrs £3,033
7 kW 4982 kWh 3487 kWh 1495 kWh £944 £149 £1,093 £17,742 16.2 yrs £4,122
8 kW 5694 kWh 3986 kWh 1708 kWh £1,079 £171 £1,249 £19,776 15.8 yrs £5,210

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: £799, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 19.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1423 kWh 1039 kWh 384 kWh £281 £38 £320 £9,319 29.2 yrs £-2,927
3 kW 2135 kWh 1559 kWh 576 kWh £422 £58 £479 £11,354 23.7 yrs £-1,765
4 kW 2847 kWh 2078 kWh 769 kWh £562 £77 £639 £13,388 20.9 yrs £-603
5 kW 3559 kWh 2598 kWh 961 kWh £703 £96 £799 £15,423 19.3 yrs £558
6 kW 4270 kWh 3117 kWh 1153 kWh £844 £115 £959 £17,457 18.2 yrs £1,720
7 kW 4982 kWh 3637 kWh 1345 kWh £984 £135 £1,119 £19,492 17.4 yrs £2,882
8 kW 5694 kWh 4156 kWh 1537 kWh £1,125 £154 £1,278 £21,526 16.8 yrs £4,043

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: £811, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 21.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1423 kWh 1068 kWh 356 kWh £289 £36 £324 £11,069 34.1 yrs £-4,580
3 kW 2135 kWh 1601 kWh 534 kWh £433 £53 £487 £13,104 26.9 yrs £-3,369
4 kW 2847 kWh 2135 kWh 712 kWh £578 £71 £649 £15,138 23.3 yrs £-2,159
5 kW 3559 kWh 2669 kWh 890 kWh £722 £89 £811 £17,173 21.2 yrs £-949
6 kW 4270 kWh 3203 kWh 1068 kWh £867 £107 £973 £19,207 19.7 yrs £261
7 kW 4982 kWh 3737 kWh 1246 kWh £1,011 £125 £1,136 £21,242 18.7 yrs £1,472
8 kW 5694 kWh 4270 kWh 1423 kWh £1,156 £142 £1,298 £23,276 17.9 yrs £2,682

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: £823, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1423 kWh 1096 kWh 327 kWh £297 £33 £329 £13,519 41.1 yrs £-6,932
3 kW 2135 kWh 1644 kWh 491 kWh £445 £49 £494 £15,554 31.5 yrs £-5,674
4 kW 2847 kWh 2192 kWh 655 kWh £593 £65 £659 £17,588 26.7 yrs £-4,415
5 kW 3559 kWh 2740 kWh 818 kWh £741 £82 £823 £19,623 23.8 yrs £-3,156
6 kW 4270 kWh 3288 kWh 982 kWh £890 £98 £988 £21,657 21.9 yrs £-1,897
7 kW 4982 kWh 3836 kWh 1146 kWh £1,038 £115 £1,153 £23,692 20.6 yrs £-638
8 kW 5694 kWh 4384 kWh 1310 kWh £1,186 £131 £1,317 £25,726 19.5 yrs £620

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 IV41

Figures below are tailored to IV41 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2974 of 2997
14.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£552 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2972 of 2997
40.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£552 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
712kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~712 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

Eilean á Chèo, Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh

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

IV40 (Highland)
≈2.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~717 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV41
IV42 (Highland)
≈7.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~677 kWh/kWp · -5% vs IV41
IV52 (Highland)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~702 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IV41
IV49 (Highland)
≈11.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~786 kWh/kWp · +10% vs IV41
IV53 (Highland)
≈13.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~678 kWh/kWp · -5% vs IV41
IV43 (Highland)
≈14.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~742 kWh/kWp · +4% vs IV41

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +6% vs IV41
PH31 (Highland)
~711 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV41
IV26 (Highland)
~711 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV41