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Solar Panels in IV53 (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
17.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£571
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,096
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

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 678 kWh/kW — 136 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 678 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)
678 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: £571, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1357 kWh 543 kWh 814 kWh £147 £81 £228 £4,069 17.8 yrs £497
3 kW 2035 kWh 814 kWh 1221 kWh £220 £122 £342 £6,104 17.8 yrs £745
4 kW 2714 kWh 1086 kWh 1628 kWh £294 £163 £457 £8,138 17.8 yrs £994
5 kW 3392 kWh 1357 kWh 2035 kWh £367 £204 £571 £10,173 17.8 yrs £1,242
6 kW 4071 kWh 1628 kWh 2443 kWh £441 £244 £685 £12,207 17.8 yrs £1,491
7 kW 4749 kWh 1900 kWh 2850 kWh £514 £285 £799 £14,242 17.8 yrs £1,739
8 kW 5428 kWh 2171 kWh 3257 kWh £588 £326 £913 £16,276 17.8 yrs £1,988

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: £686, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 17.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1357 kWh 814 kWh 543 kWh £220 £54 £275 £6,169 22.5 yrs £-677
3 kW 2035 kWh 1221 kWh 814 kWh £330 £81 £412 £8,204 19.9 yrs £34
4 kW 2714 kWh 1628 kWh 1086 kWh £441 £109 £549 £10,238 18.6 yrs £746
5 kW 3392 kWh 2035 kWh 1357 kWh £551 £136 £686 £12,273 17.9 yrs £1,457
6 kW 4071 kWh 2443 kWh 1628 kWh £661 £163 £824 £14,307 17.4 yrs £2,169
7 kW 4749 kWh 2850 kWh 1900 kWh £771 £190 £961 £16,342 17.0 yrs £2,880
8 kW 5428 kWh 3257 kWh 2171 kWh £881 £217 £1,098 £18,376 16.7 yrs £3,592

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: £744, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 18.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1357 kWh 950 kWh 407 kWh £257 £41 £298 £7,569 25.4 yrs £-1,614
3 kW 2035 kWh 1425 kWh 611 kWh £386 £61 £447 £9,604 21.5 yrs £-671
4 kW 2714 kWh 1900 kWh 814 kWh £514 £81 £595 £11,638 19.5 yrs £272
5 kW 3392 kWh 2375 kWh 1018 kWh £643 £102 £744 £13,673 18.4 yrs £1,215
6 kW 4071 kWh 2850 kWh 1221 kWh £771 £122 £893 £15,707 17.6 yrs £2,158
7 kW 4749 kWh 3325 kWh 1425 kWh £900 £142 £1,042 £17,742 17.0 yrs £3,101
8 kW 5428 kWh 3800 kWh 1628 kWh £1,028 £163 £1,191 £19,776 16.6 yrs £4,044

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: £762, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 20.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1357 kWh 991 kWh 366 kWh £268 £37 £305 £9,319 30.6 yrs £-3,225
3 kW 2035 kWh 1486 kWh 550 kWh £402 £55 £457 £11,354 24.8 yrs £-2,213
4 kW 2714 kWh 1981 kWh 733 kWh £536 £73 £609 £13,388 22.0 yrs £-1,200
5 kW 3392 kWh 2476 kWh 916 kWh £670 £92 £762 £15,423 20.2 yrs £-188
6 kW 4071 kWh 2972 kWh 1099 kWh £804 £110 £914 £17,457 19.1 yrs £825
7 kW 4749 kWh 3467 kWh 1282 kWh £938 £128 £1,066 £19,492 18.3 yrs £1,837
8 kW 5428 kWh 3962 kWh 1466 kWh £1,072 £147 £1,219 £21,526 17.7 yrs £2,849

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: £773, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 22.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1357 kWh 1018 kWh 339 kWh £275 £34 £309 £11,069 35.8 yrs £-4,883
3 kW 2035 kWh 1527 kWh 509 kWh £413 £51 £464 £13,104 28.2 yrs £-3,824
4 kW 2714 kWh 2035 kWh 678 kWh £551 £68 £619 £15,138 24.5 yrs £-2,765
5 kW 3392 kWh 2544 kWh 848 kWh £688 £85 £773 £17,173 22.2 yrs £-1,706
6 kW 4071 kWh 3053 kWh 1018 kWh £826 £102 £928 £19,207 20.7 yrs £-648
7 kW 4749 kWh 3562 kWh 1187 kWh £964 £119 £1,083 £21,242 19.6 yrs £411
8 kW 5428 kWh 4071 kWh 1357 kWh £1,102 £136 £1,237 £23,276 18.8 yrs £1,470

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: £785, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 25.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1357 kWh 1045 kWh 312 kWh £283 £31 £314 £13,519 43.1 yrs £-7,240
3 kW 2035 kWh 1567 kWh 468 kWh £424 £47 £471 £15,554 33.0 yrs £-6,135
4 kW 2714 kWh 2090 kWh 624 kWh £565 £62 £628 £17,588 28.0 yrs £-5,030
5 kW 3392 kWh 2612 kWh 780 kWh £707 £78 £785 £19,623 25.0 yrs £-3,925
6 kW 4071 kWh 3135 kWh 936 kWh £848 £94 £942 £21,657 23.0 yrs £-2,820
7 kW 4749 kWh 3657 kWh 1092 kWh £990 £109 £1,099 £23,692 21.6 yrs £-1,715
8 kW 5428 kWh 4179 kWh 1248 kWh £1,131 £125 £1,256 £25,726 20.5 yrs £-610

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 IV53

Figures below are tailored to IV53 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2991 of 2997
15.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£526 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2990 of 2997
42.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£526 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
678kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~678 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

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

IV52 (Highland)
≈5.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~702 kWh/kWp · +3% vs IV53
IV54 (Highland)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~689 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV53
IV40 (Highland)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~717 kWh/kWp · +6% vs IV53
IV41 (Highland)
≈13.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~712 kWh/kWp · +5% vs IV53
IV42 (Highland)
≈20.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~677 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV53
IV49 (Highland)
≈23.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~786 kWh/kWp · +16% vs IV53

Similar sunshine across the UK

IV42 (Highland)
~677 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV53
PA26 (Argyll and Bute)
~684 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV53
PH35 (Highland)
~687 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV53