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Solar panel cost in Highland (IV43)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for IV43 (Highland) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

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
15.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£644
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,920
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 28.36p/kWh with a 62.07p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 742 kWh/kW — 73 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 742 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 28.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
28.4p/kWh
Standing charge
62.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
742 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: £644, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1485 kWh 594 kWh 891 kWh £168 £89 £257 £4,069 15.8 yrs £1,081
3 kW 2227 kWh 891 kWh 1336 kWh £253 £134 £386 £6,104 15.8 yrs £1,621
4 kW 2969 kWh 1188 kWh 1781 kWh £337 £178 £515 £8,138 15.8 yrs £2,161
5 kW 3711 kWh 1485 kWh 2227 kWh £421 £223 £644 £10,173 15.8 yrs £2,702
6 kW 4454 kWh 1781 kWh 2672 kWh £505 £267 £772 £12,207 15.8 yrs £3,242
7 kW 5196 kWh 2078 kWh 3118 kWh £589 £312 £901 £14,242 15.8 yrs £3,782
8 kW 5938 kWh 2375 kWh 3563 kWh £674 £356 £1,030 £16,276 15.8 yrs £4,323

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: £780, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1485 kWh 891 kWh 594 kWh £253 £59 £312 £6,169 19.8 yrs £71
3 kW 2227 kWh 1336 kWh 891 kWh £379 £89 £468 £8,204 17.5 yrs £1,156
4 kW 2969 kWh 1781 kWh 1188 kWh £505 £119 £624 £10,238 16.4 yrs £2,242
5 kW 3711 kWh 2227 kWh 1485 kWh £632 £148 £780 £12,273 15.7 yrs £3,327
6 kW 4454 kWh 2672 kWh 1781 kWh £758 £178 £936 £14,307 15.3 yrs £4,413
7 kW 5196 kWh 3118 kWh 2078 kWh £884 £208 £1,092 £16,342 15.0 yrs £5,498
8 kW 5938 kWh 3563 kWh 2375 kWh £1,010 £238 £1,248 £18,376 14.7 yrs £6,584

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: £848, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1485 kWh 1039 kWh 445 kWh £295 £45 £339 £7,569 22.3 yrs £-784
3 kW 2227 kWh 1559 kWh 668 kWh £442 £67 £509 £9,604 18.9 yrs £574
4 kW 2969 kWh 2078 kWh 891 kWh £589 £89 £679 £11,638 17.2 yrs £1,932
5 kW 3711 kWh 2598 kWh 1113 kWh £737 £111 £848 £13,673 16.1 yrs £3,290
6 kW 4454 kWh 3118 kWh 1336 kWh £884 £134 £1,018 £15,707 15.4 yrs £4,648
7 kW 5196 kWh 3637 kWh 1559 kWh £1,032 £156 £1,187 £17,742 14.9 yrs £6,006
8 kW 5938 kWh 4157 kWh 1781 kWh £1,179 £178 £1,357 £19,776 14.6 yrs £7,364

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: £869, 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 1485 kWh 1084 kWh 401 kWh £307 £40 £347 £9,319 26.8 yrs £-2,370
3 kW 2227 kWh 1626 kWh 601 kWh £461 £60 £521 £11,354 21.8 yrs £-931
4 kW 2969 kWh 2167 kWh 802 kWh £615 £80 £695 £13,388 19.3 yrs £509
5 kW 3711 kWh 2709 kWh 1002 kWh £768 £100 £869 £15,423 17.8 yrs £1,949
6 kW 4454 kWh 3251 kWh 1203 kWh £922 £120 £1,042 £17,457 16.7 yrs £3,389
7 kW 5196 kWh 3793 kWh 1403 kWh £1,076 £140 £1,216 £19,492 16.0 yrs £4,829
8 kW 5938 kWh 4335 kWh 1603 kWh £1,229 £160 £1,390 £21,526 15.5 yrs £6,269

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: £882, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1485 kWh 1113 kWh 371 kWh £316 £37 £353 £11,069 31.4 yrs £-4,011
3 kW 2227 kWh 1670 kWh 557 kWh £474 £56 £529 £13,104 24.8 yrs £-2,517
4 kW 2969 kWh 2227 kWh 742 kWh £632 £74 £706 £15,138 21.4 yrs £-1,023
5 kW 3711 kWh 2784 kWh 928 kWh £789 £93 £882 £17,173 19.5 yrs £472
6 kW 4454 kWh 3340 kWh 1113 kWh £947 £111 £1,059 £19,207 18.1 yrs £1,966
7 kW 5196 kWh 3897 kWh 1299 kWh £1,105 £130 £1,235 £21,242 17.2 yrs £3,460
8 kW 5938 kWh 4454 kWh 1485 kWh £1,263 £148 £1,412 £23,276 16.5 yrs £4,955

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: £896, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1485 kWh 1143 kWh 341 kWh £324 £34 £358 £13,519 37.7 yrs £-6,352
3 kW 2227 kWh 1715 kWh 512 kWh £486 £51 £538 £15,554 28.9 yrs £-4,803
4 kW 2969 kWh 2286 kWh 683 kWh £648 £68 £717 £17,588 24.5 yrs £-3,255
5 kW 3711 kWh 2858 kWh 854 kWh £810 £85 £896 £19,623 21.9 yrs £-1,706
6 kW 4454 kWh 3429 kWh 1024 kWh £973 £102 £1,075 £21,657 20.1 yrs £-157
7 kW 5196 kWh 4001 kWh 1195 kWh £1,135 £120 £1,254 £23,692 18.9 yrs £1,392
8 kW 5938 kWh 4573 kWh 1366 kWh £1,297 £137 £1,433 £25,726 17.9 yrs £2,941

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 IV43

Figures below are tailored to IV43 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2952 of 2997
15.8 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£515 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2954 of 2997
44.0% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£227 fixed • ~£515 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.0% West −19.7%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
28.36p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
62.07p/day
Local Sunshine
742kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~742 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

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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

IV44 (Highland)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~753 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV43
IV42 (Highland)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~677 kWh/kWp · -9% vs IV43
IV46 (Highland)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~782 kWh/kWp · +5% vs IV43
IV45 (Highland)
≈11.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~749 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV43
IV49 (Highland)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~786 kWh/kWp · +6% vs IV43
IV41 (Highland)
≈14.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~712 kWh/kWp · -4% vs IV43

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +2% vs IV43
DL11 (North Yorkshire)
~765 kWh/kWp · +3% vs IV43
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · +3% vs IV43