Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in KA2 (East Ayrshire)

See if solar pays off for you in East 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
14.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£848
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,985
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 Southern Scotland, the current unit rate is 25.84p/kWh with a 56.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 865 kWh/kW — 15 above the regional median (850).

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 865 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)
865 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: £706, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1730 kWh 692 kWh 1038 kWh £179 £104 £283 £4,069 14.4 yrs £1,582
3 kW 2595 kWh 1038 kWh 1557 kWh £268 £156 £424 £6,104 14.4 yrs £2,373
4 kW 3459 kWh 1384 kWh 2076 kWh £358 £208 £565 £8,138 14.4 yrs £3,164
5 kW 4324 kWh 1730 kWh 2595 kWh £447 £259 £706 £10,173 14.4 yrs £3,955
6 kW 5189 kWh 2076 kWh 3113 kWh £536 £311 £848 £12,207 14.4 yrs £4,747
7 kW 6054 kWh 2422 kWh 3632 kWh £626 £363 £989 £14,242 14.4 yrs £5,538
8 kW 6919 kWh 2767 kWh 4151 kWh £715 £415 £1,130 £16,276 14.4 yrs £6,329

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: £843, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1730 kWh 1038 kWh 692 kWh £268 £69 £337 £6,169 18.3 yrs £578
3 kW 2595 kWh 1557 kWh 1038 kWh £402 £104 £506 £8,204 16.2 yrs £1,917
4 kW 3459 kWh 2076 kWh 1384 kWh £536 £138 £675 £10,238 15.2 yrs £3,256
5 kW 4324 kWh 2595 kWh 1730 kWh £670 £173 £843 £12,273 14.6 yrs £4,595
6 kW 5189 kWh 3113 kWh 2076 kWh £805 £208 £1,012 £14,307 14.1 yrs £5,934
7 kW 6054 kWh 3632 kWh 2422 kWh £939 £242 £1,181 £16,342 13.8 yrs £7,273
8 kW 6919 kWh 4151 kWh 2767 kWh £1,073 £277 £1,349 £18,376 13.6 yrs £8,612

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: £912, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1730 kWh 1211 kWh 519 kWh £313 £52 £365 £7,569 20.8 yrs £-274
3 kW 2595 kWh 1816 kWh 778 kWh £469 £78 £547 £9,604 17.6 yrs £1,339
4 kW 3459 kWh 2422 kWh 1038 kWh £626 £104 £730 £11,638 16.0 yrs £2,952
5 kW 4324 kWh 3027 kWh 1297 kWh £782 £130 £912 £13,673 15.0 yrs £4,565
6 kW 5189 kWh 3632 kWh 1557 kWh £939 £156 £1,094 £15,707 14.4 yrs £6,178
7 kW 6054 kWh 4238 kWh 1816 kWh £1,095 £182 £1,277 £17,742 13.9 yrs £7,791
8 kW 6919 kWh 4843 kWh 2076 kWh £1,251 £208 £1,459 £19,776 13.6 yrs £9,404

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: £932, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1730 kWh 1263 kWh 467 kWh £326 £47 £373 £9,319 25.0 yrs £-1,860
3 kW 2595 kWh 1894 kWh 701 kWh £489 £70 £559 £11,354 20.3 yrs £-164
4 kW 3459 kWh 2525 kWh 934 kWh £653 £93 £746 £13,388 17.9 yrs £1,531
5 kW 4324 kWh 3157 kWh 1168 kWh £816 £117 £932 £15,423 16.5 yrs £3,226
6 kW 5189 kWh 3788 kWh 1401 kWh £979 £140 £1,119 £17,457 15.6 yrs £4,921
7 kW 6054 kWh 4419 kWh 1635 kWh £1,142 £163 £1,305 £19,492 14.9 yrs £6,617
8 kW 6919 kWh 5051 kWh 1868 kWh £1,305 £187 £1,492 £21,526 14.4 yrs £8,312

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: £946, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1730 kWh 1297 kWh 432 kWh £335 £43 £378 £11,069 29.2 yrs £-3,500
3 kW 2595 kWh 1946 kWh 649 kWh £503 £65 £568 £13,104 23.1 yrs £-1,750
4 kW 3459 kWh 2595 kWh 865 kWh £670 £86 £757 £15,138 20.0 yrs £0
5 kW 4324 kWh 3243 kWh 1081 kWh £838 £108 £946 £17,173 18.2 yrs £1,750
6 kW 5189 kWh 3892 kWh 1297 kWh £1,006 £130 £1,135 £19,207 16.9 yrs £3,500
7 kW 6054 kWh 4540 kWh 1513 kWh £1,173 £151 £1,325 £21,242 16.0 yrs £5,250
8 kW 6919 kWh 5189 kWh 1730 kWh £1,341 £173 £1,514 £23,276 15.4 yrs £7,000

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: £960, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1730 kWh 1332 kWh 398 kWh £344 £40 £384 £13,519 35.2 yrs £-5,840
3 kW 2595 kWh 1998 kWh 597 kWh £516 £60 £576 £15,554 27.0 yrs £-4,036
4 kW 3459 kWh 2664 kWh 796 kWh £688 £80 £768 £17,588 22.9 yrs £-2,231
5 kW 4324 kWh 3330 kWh 995 kWh £860 £99 £960 £19,623 20.4 yrs £-426
6 kW 5189 kWh 3996 kWh 1193 kWh £1,032 £119 £1,152 £21,657 18.8 yrs £1,379
7 kW 6054 kWh 4661 kWh 1392 kWh £1,205 £139 £1,344 £23,692 17.6 yrs £3,184
8 kW 6919 kWh 5327 kWh 1591 kWh £1,377 £159 £1,536 £25,726 16.8 yrs £4,989

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 KA2

Figures below are tailored to KA2 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2677 of 2997
12.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£971 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1663 of 2997
21.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£971 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
865kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~865 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

East Ayrshire (59%)|South Ayrshire (39%)|North Ayrshire (2%)

Areas Covered

Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse, Kyle, Irvine South, Kilmarnock South, Irvine East

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 Southern Scotland

KA1 (East Ayrshire)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KA2
KA11 (North Ayrshire)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~890 kWh/kWp · +3% vs KA2
KA3 (East Ayrshire)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KA2
KA12 (North Ayrshire)
≈7.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · +4% vs KA2
KA10 (South Ayrshire)
≈8.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · +2% vs KA2
KA4 (East Ayrshire)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~814 kWh/kWp · -6% vs KA2

Similar sunshine across the UK

CA10 (Westmorland and Furness)
~865 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KA2
BB0 (Blackburn with Darwen)
~864 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA2
AB23 (Aberdeen City)
~864 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA2