Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in KA11 (North Ayrshire)

See if solar pays off for you in North Ayrshire — 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
14.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£872
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,601
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

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 890 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.8p/kWh
Standing charge
56.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
890 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: £727, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 712 kWh 1068 kWh £184 £107 £291 £4,069 14.0 yrs £1,746
3 kW 2670 kWh 1068 kWh 1602 kWh £276 £160 £436 £6,104 14.0 yrs £2,620
4 kW 3560 kWh 1424 kWh 2136 kWh £368 £214 £582 £8,138 14.0 yrs £3,493
5 kW 4450 kWh 1780 kWh 2670 kWh £460 £267 £727 £10,173 14.0 yrs £4,366
6 kW 5340 kWh 2136 kWh 3204 kWh £552 £320 £872 £12,207 14.0 yrs £5,239
7 kW 6230 kWh 2492 kWh 3738 kWh £644 £374 £1,018 £14,242 14.0 yrs £6,112
8 kW 7120 kWh 2848 kWh 4272 kWh £736 £427 £1,163 £16,276 14.0 yrs £6,985

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: £868, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1068 kWh 712 kWh £276 £71 £347 £6,169 17.8 yrs £774
3 kW 2670 kWh 1602 kWh 1068 kWh £414 £107 £521 £8,204 15.8 yrs £2,211
4 kW 3560 kWh 2136 kWh 1424 kWh £552 £142 £694 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,648
5 kW 4450 kWh 2670 kWh 1780 kWh £690 £178 £868 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,085
6 kW 5340 kWh 3204 kWh 2136 kWh £828 £214 £1,041 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,522
7 kW 6230 kWh 3738 kWh 2492 kWh £966 £249 £1,215 £16,342 13.4 yrs £7,959
8 kW 7120 kWh 4272 kWh 2848 kWh £1,104 £285 £1,389 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,396

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: £938, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1246 kWh 534 kWh £322 £53 £375 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-62
3 kW 2670 kWh 1869 kWh 801 kWh £483 £80 £563 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,657
4 kW 3560 kWh 2492 kWh 1068 kWh £644 £107 £751 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,376
5 kW 4450 kWh 3115 kWh 1335 kWh £805 £133 £938 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,095
6 kW 5340 kWh 3738 kWh 1602 kWh £966 £160 £1,126 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,814
7 kW 6230 kWh 4361 kWh 1869 kWh £1,127 £187 £1,314 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,533
8 kW 7120 kWh 4984 kWh 2136 kWh £1,288 £214 £1,501 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,252

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: £960, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1780 kWh 1299 kWh 481 kWh £336 £48 £384 £9,319 24.3 yrs £-1,643
3 kW 2670 kWh 1949 kWh 721 kWh £504 £72 £576 £11,354 19.7 yrs £161
4 kW 3560 kWh 2599 kWh 961 kWh £671 £96 £768 £13,388 17.4 yrs £1,964
5 kW 4450 kWh 3248 kWh 1201 kWh £839 £120 £960 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,768
6 kW 5340 kWh 3898 kWh 1442 kWh £1,007 £144 £1,151 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,571
7 kW 6230 kWh 4548 kWh 1682 kWh £1,175 £168 £1,343 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,375
8 kW 7120 kWh 5197 kWh 1922 kWh £1,343 £192 £1,535 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,179

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: £974, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1335 kWh 445 kWh £345 £44 £389 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,280
3 kW 2670 kWh 2002 kWh 667 kWh £517 £67 £584 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,420
4 kW 3560 kWh 2670 kWh 890 kWh £690 £89 £779 £15,138 19.4 yrs £440
5 kW 4450 kWh 3337 kWh 1112 kWh £862 £111 £974 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,300
6 kW 5340 kWh 4005 kWh 1335 kWh £1,035 £133 £1,168 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,160
7 kW 6230 kWh 4672 kWh 1557 kWh £1,207 £156 £1,363 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,020
8 kW 7120 kWh 5340 kWh 1780 kWh £1,380 £178 £1,558 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,880

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: £988, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1780 kWh 1371 kWh 409 kWh £354 £41 £395 £13,519 34.2 yrs £-5,617
3 kW 2670 kWh 2056 kWh 614 kWh £531 £61 £593 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,701
4 kW 3560 kWh 2741 kWh 819 kWh £708 £82 £790 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,785
5 kW 4450 kWh 3426 kWh 1023 kWh £885 £102 £988 £19,623 19.9 yrs £132
6 kW 5340 kWh 4112 kWh 1228 kWh £1,062 £123 £1,185 £21,657 18.3 yrs £2,048
7 kW 6230 kWh 4797 kWh 1433 kWh £1,240 £143 £1,383 £23,692 17.1 yrs £3,964
8 kW 7120 kWh 5482 kWh 1638 kWh £1,417 £164 £1,580 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,881

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
890kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~890 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

North Ayrshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Irvine East, Irvine South, Irvine West, Annick

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.