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

Solar Panels in KA24 (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
£875
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,657
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 892 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)
892 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: £729, 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 1785 kWh 714 kWh 1071 kWh £184 £107 £292 £4,069 14.0 yrs £1,761
3 kW 2677 kWh 1071 kWh 1606 kWh £277 £161 £437 £6,104 14.0 yrs £2,642
4 kW 3569 kWh 1428 kWh 2141 kWh £369 £214 £583 £8,138 14.0 yrs £3,523
5 kW 4461 kWh 1785 kWh 2677 kWh £461 £268 £729 £10,173 14.0 yrs £4,404
6 kW 5354 kWh 2141 kWh 3212 kWh £553 £321 £875 £12,207 14.0 yrs £5,284
7 kW 6246 kWh 2498 kWh 3748 kWh £646 £375 £1,020 £14,242 14.0 yrs £6,165
8 kW 7138 kWh 2855 kWh 4283 kWh £738 £428 £1,166 £16,276 14.0 yrs £7,046

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: £870, 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 1785 kWh 1071 kWh 714 kWh £277 £71 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £792
3 kW 2677 kWh 1606 kWh 1071 kWh £415 £107 £522 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,238
4 kW 3569 kWh 2141 kWh 1428 kWh £553 £143 £696 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,684
5 kW 4461 kWh 2677 kWh 1785 kWh £692 £178 £870 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,130
6 kW 5354 kWh 3212 kWh 2141 kWh £830 £214 £1,044 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,576
7 kW 6246 kWh 3748 kWh 2498 kWh £968 £250 £1,218 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,022
8 kW 7138 kWh 4283 kWh 2855 kWh £1,107 £286 £1,392 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,468

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: £941, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1785 kWh 1249 kWh 535 kWh £323 £54 £376 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-43
3 kW 2677 kWh 1874 kWh 803 kWh £484 £80 £564 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,686
4 kW 3569 kWh 2498 kWh 1071 kWh £646 £107 £753 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,415
5 kW 4461 kWh 3123 kWh 1338 kWh £807 £134 £941 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,144
6 kW 5354 kWh 3748 kWh 1606 kWh £968 £161 £1,129 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,872
7 kW 6246 kWh 4372 kWh 1874 kWh £1,130 £187 £1,317 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,601
8 kW 7138 kWh 4997 kWh 2141 kWh £1,291 £214 £1,505 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,330

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: £962, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1785 kWh 1303 kWh 482 kWh £337 £48 £385 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,623
3 kW 2677 kWh 1954 kWh 723 kWh £505 £72 £577 £11,354 19.7 yrs £191
4 kW 3569 kWh 2605 kWh 964 kWh £673 £96 £770 £13,388 17.4 yrs £2,004
5 kW 4461 kWh 3257 kWh 1205 kWh £842 £120 £962 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,818
6 kW 5354 kWh 3908 kWh 1445 kWh £1,010 £145 £1,154 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,631
7 kW 6246 kWh 4559 kWh 1686 kWh £1,178 £169 £1,347 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,445
8 kW 7138 kWh 5211 kWh 1927 kWh £1,346 £193 £1,539 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,258

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: £976, 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 1785 kWh 1338 kWh 446 kWh £346 £45 £390 £11,069 28.3 yrs £-3,260
3 kW 2677 kWh 2008 kWh 669 kWh £519 £67 £586 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,390
4 kW 3569 kWh 2677 kWh 892 kWh £692 £89 £781 £15,138 19.4 yrs £480
5 kW 4461 kWh 3346 kWh 1115 kWh £865 £112 £976 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,350
6 kW 5354 kWh 4015 kWh 1338 kWh £1,038 £134 £1,171 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,220
7 kW 6246 kWh 4684 kWh 1561 kWh £1,210 £156 £1,367 £21,242 15.5 yrs £6,090
8 kW 7138 kWh 5354 kWh 1785 kWh £1,383 £178 £1,562 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,961

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: £990, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1785 kWh 1374 kWh 410 kWh £355 £41 £396 £13,519 34.1 yrs £-5,597
3 kW 2677 kWh 2061 kWh 616 kWh £533 £62 £594 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,670
4 kW 3569 kWh 2748 kWh 821 kWh £710 £82 £792 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,744
5 kW 4461 kWh 3435 kWh 1026 kWh £888 £103 £990 £19,623 19.8 yrs £183
6 kW 5354 kWh 4122 kWh 1231 kWh £1,065 £123 £1,188 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,110
7 kW 6246 kWh 4809 kWh 1437 kWh £1,243 £144 £1,386 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,036
8 kW 7138 kWh 5496 kWh 1642 kWh £1,420 £164 £1,584 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,963

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
892kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~892 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

Garnock Valley, Kilwinning, North Coast

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.