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Solar Panels in IV9 (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
14.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£681
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,862
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 810 kWh/kW — 5 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 810 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)
810 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: £681, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1620 kWh 648 kWh 972 kWh £175 £97 £273 £4,069 14.9 yrs £1,382
3 kW 2430 kWh 972 kWh 1458 kWh £263 £146 £409 £6,104 14.9 yrs £2,073
4 kW 3240 kWh 1296 kWh 1944 kWh £351 £194 £545 £8,138 14.9 yrs £2,764
5 kW 4050 kWh 1620 kWh 2430 kWh £438 £243 £681 £10,173 14.9 yrs £3,455
6 kW 4860 kWh 1944 kWh 2916 kWh £526 £292 £818 £12,207 14.9 yrs £4,146
7 kW 5670 kWh 2268 kWh 3402 kWh £614 £340 £954 £14,242 14.9 yrs £4,837
8 kW 6480 kWh 2592 kWh 3888 kWh £701 £389 £1,090 £16,276 14.9 yrs £5,528

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: £820, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1620 kWh 972 kWh 648 kWh £263 £65 £328 £6,169 18.8 yrs £388
3 kW 2430 kWh 1458 kWh 972 kWh £395 £97 £492 £8,204 16.7 yrs £1,631
4 kW 3240 kWh 1944 kWh 1296 kWh £526 £130 £656 £10,238 15.6 yrs £2,875
5 kW 4050 kWh 2430 kWh 1620 kWh £658 £162 £820 £12,273 15.0 yrs £4,119
6 kW 4860 kWh 2916 kWh 1944 kWh £789 £194 £983 £14,307 14.5 yrs £5,363
7 kW 5670 kWh 3402 kWh 2268 kWh £921 £227 £1,147 £16,342 14.2 yrs £6,607
8 kW 6480 kWh 3888 kWh 2592 kWh £1,052 £259 £1,311 £18,376 14.0 yrs £7,850

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: £889, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1620 kWh 1134 kWh 486 kWh £307 £49 £355 £7,569 21.3 yrs £-460
3 kW 2430 kWh 1701 kWh 729 kWh £460 £73 £533 £9,604 18.0 yrs £1,061
4 kW 3240 kWh 2268 kWh 972 kWh £614 £97 £711 £11,638 16.4 yrs £2,581
5 kW 4050 kWh 2835 kWh 1215 kWh £767 £122 £889 £13,673 15.4 yrs £4,101
6 kW 4860 kWh 3402 kWh 1458 kWh £921 £146 £1,066 £15,707 14.7 yrs £5,621
7 kW 5670 kWh 3969 kWh 1701 kWh £1,074 £170 £1,244 £17,742 14.3 yrs £7,141
8 kW 6480 kWh 4536 kWh 1944 kWh £1,227 £194 £1,422 £19,776 13.9 yrs £8,661

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: £909, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1620 kWh 1183 kWh 437 kWh £320 £44 £364 £9,319 25.6 yrs £-2,044
3 kW 2430 kWh 1774 kWh 656 kWh £480 £66 £546 £11,354 20.8 yrs £-441
4 kW 3240 kWh 2365 kWh 875 kWh £640 £87 £728 £13,388 18.4 yrs £1,162
5 kW 4050 kWh 2957 kWh 1094 kWh £800 £109 £909 £15,423 17.0 yrs £2,765
6 kW 4860 kWh 3548 kWh 1312 kWh £960 £131 £1,091 £17,457 16.0 yrs £4,369
7 kW 5670 kWh 4139 kWh 1531 kWh £1,120 £153 £1,273 £19,492 15.3 yrs £5,972
8 kW 6480 kWh 4731 kWh 1750 kWh £1,280 £175 £1,455 £21,526 14.8 yrs £7,575

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: £923, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1620 kWh 1215 kWh 405 kWh £329 £41 £369 £11,069 30.0 yrs £-3,683
3 kW 2430 kWh 1823 kWh 608 kWh £493 £61 £554 £13,104 23.7 yrs £-2,025
4 kW 3240 kWh 2430 kWh 810 kWh £658 £81 £739 £15,138 20.5 yrs £-367
5 kW 4050 kWh 3038 kWh 1013 kWh £822 £101 £923 £17,173 18.6 yrs £1,292
6 kW 4860 kWh 3645 kWh 1215 kWh £986 £122 £1,108 £19,207 17.3 yrs £2,950
7 kW 5670 kWh 4253 kWh 1418 kWh £1,151 £142 £1,293 £21,242 16.4 yrs £4,609
8 kW 6480 kWh 4860 kWh 1620 kWh £1,315 £162 £1,477 £23,276 15.8 yrs £6,267

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: £937, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1620 kWh 1247 kWh 373 kWh £338 £37 £375 £13,519 36.1 yrs £-6,023
3 kW 2430 kWh 1871 kWh 559 kWh £506 £56 £562 £15,554 27.7 yrs £-4,309
4 kW 3240 kWh 2495 kWh 745 kWh £675 £75 £750 £17,588 23.5 yrs £-2,595
5 kW 4050 kWh 3119 kWh 932 kWh £844 £93 £937 £19,623 20.9 yrs £-882
6 kW 4860 kWh 3742 kWh 1118 kWh £1,013 £112 £1,124 £21,657 19.3 yrs £832
7 kW 5670 kWh 4366 kWh 1304 kWh £1,181 £130 £1,312 £23,692 18.1 yrs £2,546
8 kW 6480 kWh 4990 kWh 1490 kWh £1,350 £149 £1,499 £25,726 17.2 yrs £4,259

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 IV9

Figures below are tailored to IV9 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2813 of 2997
13.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£628 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2877 of 2997
35.5% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£628 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
810kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~810 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

IV10 (Highland)
≈3.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~815 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV9
IV8 (Highland)
≈5.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~822 kWh/kWp · +1% vs IV9
IV99 (Highland)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV9
IV1 (Highland)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV9
IV3 (Highland)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -3% vs IV9
IV2 (Highland)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~736 kWh/kWp · -9% vs IV9

Similar sunshine across the UK

LA21 (Westmorland and Furness)
~810 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV9
ML7 (North Lanarkshire)
~810 kWh/kWp · +0% vs IV9
EH45 (Scottish Borders)
~810 kWh/kWp · -0% vs IV9