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Solar Panels in IV63 (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
16.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£635
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,692
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 754 kWh/kW — 61 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 754 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)
754 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: £635, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1509 kWh 604 kWh 905 kWh £163 £91 £254 £4,069 16.0 yrs £1,008
3 kW 2263 kWh 905 kWh 1358 kWh £245 £136 £381 £6,104 16.0 yrs £1,511
4 kW 3018 kWh 1207 kWh 1811 kWh £327 £181 £508 £8,138 16.0 yrs £2,015
5 kW 3772 kWh 1509 kWh 2263 kWh £408 £226 £635 £10,173 16.0 yrs £2,519
6 kW 4526 kWh 1811 kWh 2716 kWh £490 £272 £762 £12,207 16.0 yrs £3,023
7 kW 5281 kWh 2112 kWh 3168 kWh £572 £317 £888 £14,242 16.0 yrs £3,527
8 kW 6035 kWh 2414 kWh 3621 kWh £653 £362 £1,015 £16,276 16.0 yrs £4,031

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: £763, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1509 kWh 905 kWh 604 kWh £245 £60 £305 £6,169 20.2 yrs £-63
3 kW 2263 kWh 1358 kWh 905 kWh £367 £91 £458 £8,204 17.9 yrs £956
4 kW 3018 kWh 1811 kWh 1207 kWh £490 £121 £611 £10,238 16.8 yrs £1,974
5 kW 3772 kWh 2263 kWh 1509 kWh £612 £151 £763 £12,273 16.1 yrs £2,993
6 kW 4526 kWh 2716 kWh 1811 kWh £735 £181 £916 £14,307 15.6 yrs £4,012
7 kW 5281 kWh 3168 kWh 2112 kWh £857 £211 £1,069 £16,342 15.3 yrs £5,030
8 kW 6035 kWh 3621 kWh 2414 kWh £980 £241 £1,221 £18,376 15.0 yrs £6,049

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: £828, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1509 kWh 1056 kWh 453 kWh £286 £45 £331 £7,569 22.9 yrs £-948
3 kW 2263 kWh 1584 kWh 679 kWh £429 £68 £497 £9,604 19.3 yrs £328
4 kW 3018 kWh 2112 kWh 905 kWh £572 £91 £662 £11,638 17.6 yrs £1,604
5 kW 3772 kWh 2640 kWh 1132 kWh £714 £113 £828 £13,673 16.5 yrs £2,880
6 kW 4526 kWh 3168 kWh 1358 kWh £857 £136 £993 £15,707 15.8 yrs £4,156
7 kW 5281 kWh 3696 kWh 1584 kWh £1,000 £158 £1,159 £17,742 15.3 yrs £5,432
8 kW 6035 kWh 4225 kWh 1811 kWh £1,143 £181 £1,324 £19,776 14.9 yrs £6,708

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: £847, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1509 kWh 1101 kWh 407 kWh £298 £41 £339 £9,319 27.5 yrs £-2,544
3 kW 2263 kWh 1652 kWh 611 kWh £447 £61 £508 £11,354 22.3 yrs £-1,190
4 kW 3018 kWh 2203 kWh 815 kWh £596 £81 £678 £13,388 19.8 yrs £163
5 kW 3772 kWh 2753 kWh 1018 kWh £745 £102 £847 £15,423 18.2 yrs £1,516
6 kW 4526 kWh 3304 kWh 1222 kWh £894 £122 £1,016 £17,457 17.2 yrs £2,869
7 kW 5281 kWh 3855 kWh 1426 kWh £1,043 £143 £1,186 £19,492 16.4 yrs £4,223
8 kW 6035 kWh 4406 kWh 1629 kWh £1,192 £163 £1,355 £21,526 15.9 yrs £5,576

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: £860, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1509 kWh 1132 kWh 377 kWh £306 £38 £344 £11,069 32.2 yrs £-4,191
3 kW 2263 kWh 1697 kWh 566 kWh £459 £57 £516 £13,104 25.4 yrs £-2,786
4 kW 3018 kWh 2263 kWh 754 kWh £612 £75 £688 £15,138 22.0 yrs £-1,381
5 kW 3772 kWh 2829 kWh 943 kWh £766 £94 £860 £17,173 20.0 yrs £24
6 kW 4526 kWh 3395 kWh 1132 kWh £919 £113 £1,032 £19,207 18.6 yrs £1,428
7 kW 5281 kWh 3960 kWh 1320 kWh £1,072 £132 £1,204 £21,242 17.6 yrs £2,833
8 kW 6035 kWh 4526 kWh 1509 kWh £1,225 £151 £1,376 £23,276 16.9 yrs £4,238

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: £873, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 22.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1509 kWh 1162 kWh 347 kWh £314 £35 £349 £13,519 38.7 yrs £-6,538
3 kW 2263 kWh 1743 kWh 521 kWh £472 £52 £524 £15,554 29.7 yrs £-5,081
4 kW 3018 kWh 2323 kWh 694 kWh £629 £69 £698 £17,588 25.2 yrs £-3,625
5 kW 3772 kWh 2904 kWh 868 kWh £786 £87 £873 £19,623 22.5 yrs £-2,169
6 kW 4526 kWh 3485 kWh 1041 kWh £943 £104 £1,047 £21,657 20.7 yrs £-713
7 kW 5281 kWh 4066 kWh 1215 kWh £1,100 £121 £1,222 £23,692 19.4 yrs £743
8 kW 6035 kWh 4647 kWh 1388 kWh £1,257 £139 £1,396 £25,726 18.4 yrs £2,199

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 IV63

Figures below are tailored to IV63 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2945 of 2997
13.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£585 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2947 of 2997
38.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£585 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
754kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~754 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

Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness Central, 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

IV4 (Highland)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~809 kWh/kWp · +7% vs IV63
IV5 (Highland)
≈16.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~793 kWh/kWp · +5% vs IV63
IV6 (Highland)
≈21.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~798 kWh/kWp · +6% vs IV63
IV3 (Highland)
≈21.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · +5% vs IV63
IV1 (Highland)
≈22.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · +5% vs IV63
IV2 (Highland)
≈22.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~736 kWh/kWp · -2% vs IV63

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV63
DL11 (North Yorkshire)
~765 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV63
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · +2% vs IV63