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Solar Panels in IV8 (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
14.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£691
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,112
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 822 kWh/kW — 7 above 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 822 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)
822 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: £691, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1644 kWh 658 kWh 986 kWh £178 £99 £277 £4,069 14.7 yrs £1,462
3 kW 2466 kWh 986 kWh 1479 kWh £267 £148 £415 £6,104 14.7 yrs £2,193
4 kW 3288 kWh 1315 kWh 1973 kWh £356 £197 £553 £8,138 14.7 yrs £2,924
5 kW 4110 kWh 1644 kWh 2466 kWh £445 £247 £691 £10,173 14.7 yrs £3,655
6 kW 4931 kWh 1973 kWh 2959 kWh £534 £296 £830 £12,207 14.7 yrs £4,386
7 kW 5753 kWh 2301 kWh 3452 kWh £623 £345 £968 £14,242 14.7 yrs £5,117
8 kW 6575 kWh 2630 kWh 3945 kWh £712 £395 £1,106 £16,276 14.7 yrs £5,848

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: £832, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1644 kWh 986 kWh 658 kWh £267 £66 £333 £6,169 18.5 yrs £484
3 kW 2466 kWh 1479 kWh 986 kWh £400 £99 £499 £8,204 16.4 yrs £1,776
4 kW 3288 kWh 1973 kWh 1315 kWh £534 £132 £665 £10,238 15.4 yrs £3,068
5 kW 4110 kWh 2466 kWh 1644 kWh £667 £164 £832 £12,273 14.8 yrs £4,360
6 kW 4931 kWh 2959 kWh 1973 kWh £801 £197 £998 £14,307 14.3 yrs £5,652
7 kW 5753 kWh 3452 kWh 2301 kWh £934 £230 £1,164 £16,342 14.0 yrs £6,943
8 kW 6575 kWh 3945 kWh 2630 kWh £1,068 £263 £1,331 £18,376 13.8 yrs £8,235

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: £902, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1644 kWh 1151 kWh 493 kWh £311 £49 £361 £7,569 21.0 yrs £-355
3 kW 2466 kWh 1726 kWh 740 kWh £467 £74 £541 £9,604 17.8 yrs £1,217
4 kW 3288 kWh 2301 kWh 986 kWh £623 £99 £721 £11,638 16.1 yrs £2,789
5 kW 4110 kWh 2877 kWh 1233 kWh £778 £123 £902 £13,673 15.2 yrs £4,362
6 kW 4931 kWh 3452 kWh 1479 kWh £934 £148 £1,082 £15,707 14.5 yrs £5,934
7 kW 5753 kWh 4027 kWh 1726 kWh £1,090 £173 £1,262 £17,742 14.1 yrs £7,507
8 kW 6575 kWh 4603 kWh 1973 kWh £1,245 £197 £1,443 £19,776 13.7 yrs £9,079

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: £923, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1644 kWh 1200 kWh 444 kWh £325 £44 £369 £9,319 25.2 yrs £-1,937
3 kW 2466 kWh 1800 kWh 666 kWh £487 £67 £554 £11,354 20.5 yrs £-281
4 kW 3288 kWh 2400 kWh 888 kWh £649 £89 £738 £13,388 18.1 yrs £1,376
5 kW 4110 kWh 3000 kWh 1110 kWh £812 £111 £923 £15,423 16.7 yrs £3,032
6 kW 4931 kWh 3600 kWh 1331 kWh £974 £133 £1,107 £17,457 15.8 yrs £4,689
7 kW 5753 kWh 4200 kWh 1553 kWh £1,137 £155 £1,292 £19,492 15.1 yrs £6,345
8 kW 6575 kWh 4800 kWh 1775 kWh £1,299 £178 £1,476 £21,526 14.6 yrs £8,002

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: £937, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1644 kWh 1233 kWh 411 kWh £334 £41 £375 £11,069 29.5 yrs £-3,575
3 kW 2466 kWh 1849 kWh 616 kWh £500 £62 £562 £13,104 23.3 yrs £-1,862
4 kW 3288 kWh 2466 kWh 822 kWh £667 £82 £749 £15,138 20.2 yrs £-150
5 kW 4110 kWh 3082 kWh 1027 kWh £834 £103 £937 £17,173 18.3 yrs £1,563
6 kW 4931 kWh 3699 kWh 1233 kWh £1,001 £123 £1,124 £19,207 17.1 yrs £3,275
7 kW 5753 kWh 4315 kWh 1438 kWh £1,168 £144 £1,311 £21,242 16.2 yrs £4,988
8 kW 6575 kWh 4931 kWh 1644 kWh £1,334 £164 £1,499 £23,276 15.5 yrs £6,701

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: £951, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1644 kWh 1266 kWh 378 kWh £343 £38 £380 £13,519 35.5 yrs £-5,913
3 kW 2466 kWh 1899 kWh 567 kWh £514 £57 £570 £15,554 27.3 yrs £-4,144
4 kW 3288 kWh 2531 kWh 756 kWh £685 £76 £761 £17,588 23.1 yrs £-2,375
5 kW 4110 kWh 3164 kWh 945 kWh £856 £95 £951 £19,623 20.6 yrs £-607
6 kW 4931 kWh 3797 kWh 1134 kWh £1,028 £113 £1,141 £21,657 19.0 yrs £1,162
7 kW 5753 kWh 4430 kWh 1323 kWh £1,199 £132 £1,331 £23,692 17.8 yrs £2,931
8 kW 6575 kWh 5063 kWh 1512 kWh £1,370 £151 £1,521 £25,726 16.9 yrs £4,699

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 IV8

Figures below are tailored to IV8 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2733 of 2997
12.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£637 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2854 of 2997
35.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£637 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
822kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~822 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

Black Isle

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

IV9 (Highland)
≈5.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~810 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IV8
IV3 (Highland)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -4% vs IV8
IV99 (Highland)
≈8.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -4% vs IV8
IV1 (Highland)
≈8.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -4% vs IV8
IV10 (Highland)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~815 kWh/kWp · -1% vs IV8
IV2 (Highland)
≈9.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~736 kWh/kWp · -10% vs IV8

Similar sunshine across the UK

G65 (North Lanarkshire)
~822 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV8
OL14 (Calderdale)
~822 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV8
LL25 (Conwy)
~823 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV8