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Solar panel cost in East Ayrshire (KA3)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for KA3 (East Ayrshire) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£861
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,319
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 Southern Scotland, the current unit rate is 27.18p/kWh with a 57.62p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 851 kWh/kW — 1 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 851 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.2p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.2p/kWh
Standing charge
57.6p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
851 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: £718, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1701 kWh 680 kWh 1021 kWh £185 £102 £287 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,671
3 kW 2552 kWh 1021 kWh 1531 kWh £277 £153 £431 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,507
4 kW 3402 kWh 1361 kWh 2041 kWh £370 £204 £574 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,343
5 kW 4253 kWh 1701 kWh 2552 kWh £462 £255 £718 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,178
6 kW 5103 kWh 2041 kWh 3062 kWh £555 £306 £861 £12,207 14.2 yrs £5,014
7 kW 5954 kWh 2382 kWh 3572 kWh £647 £357 £1,005 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,850
8 kW 6805 kWh 2722 kWh 4083 kWh £740 £408 £1,148 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,685

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: £864, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1701 kWh 1021 kWh 680 kWh £277 £68 £345 £6,169 17.9 yrs £740
3 kW 2552 kWh 1531 kWh 1021 kWh £416 £102 £518 £8,204 15.8 yrs £2,161
4 kW 3402 kWh 2041 kWh 1361 kWh £555 £136 £691 £10,238 14.8 yrs £3,581
5 kW 4253 kWh 2552 kWh 1701 kWh £694 £170 £864 £12,273 14.2 yrs £5,001
6 kW 5103 kWh 3062 kWh 2041 kWh £832 £204 £1,036 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,421
7 kW 5954 kWh 3572 kWh 2382 kWh £971 £238 £1,209 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,841
8 kW 6805 kWh 4083 kWh 2722 kWh £1,110 £272 £1,382 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,262

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: £937, 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 1701 kWh 1191 kWh 510 kWh £324 £51 £375 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-75
3 kW 2552 kWh 1786 kWh 766 kWh £485 £77 £562 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,637
4 kW 3402 kWh 2382 kWh 1021 kWh £647 £102 £749 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,350
5 kW 4253 kWh 2977 kWh 1276 kWh £809 £128 £937 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,062
6 kW 5103 kWh 3572 kWh 1531 kWh £971 £153 £1,124 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,775
7 kW 5954 kWh 4168 kWh 1786 kWh £1,133 £179 £1,311 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,487
8 kW 6805 kWh 4763 kWh 2041 kWh £1,295 £204 £1,499 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,200

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: £959, 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 1701 kWh 1242 kWh 459 kWh £338 £46 £383 £9,319 24.3 yrs £-1,650
3 kW 2552 kWh 1863 kWh 689 kWh £506 £69 £575 £11,354 19.7 yrs £150
4 kW 3402 kWh 2484 kWh 919 kWh £675 £92 £767 £13,388 17.5 yrs £1,951
5 kW 4253 kWh 3105 kWh 1148 kWh £844 £115 £959 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,751
6 kW 5103 kWh 3726 kWh 1378 kWh £1,013 £138 £1,150 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,551
7 kW 5954 kWh 4346 kWh 1608 kWh £1,181 £161 £1,342 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,351
8 kW 6805 kWh 4967 kWh 1837 kWh £1,350 £184 £1,534 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,151

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: £973, 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 1701 kWh 1276 kWh 425 kWh £347 £43 £389 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,283
3 kW 2552 kWh 1914 kWh 638 kWh £520 £64 £584 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,424
4 kW 3402 kWh 2552 kWh 851 kWh £694 £85 £779 £15,138 19.4 yrs £434
5 kW 4253 kWh 3190 kWh 1063 kWh £867 £106 £973 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,293
6 kW 5103 kWh 3828 kWh 1276 kWh £1,040 £128 £1,168 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,152
7 kW 5954 kWh 4466 kWh 1489 kWh £1,214 £149 £1,363 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,010
8 kW 6805 kWh 5103 kWh 1701 kWh £1,387 £170 £1,557 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,869

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 1701 kWh 1310 kWh 391 kWh £356 £39 £395 £13,519 34.2 yrs £-5,616
3 kW 2552 kWh 1965 kWh 587 kWh £534 £59 £593 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,699
4 kW 3402 kWh 2620 kWh 783 kWh £712 £78 £790 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,782
5 kW 4253 kWh 3275 kWh 978 kWh £890 £98 £988 £19,623 19.9 yrs £135
6 kW 5103 kWh 3930 kWh 1174 kWh £1,068 £117 £1,185 £21,657 18.3 yrs £2,052
7 kW 5954 kWh 4585 kWh 1369 kWh £1,246 £137 £1,383 £23,692 17.1 yrs £3,969
8 kW 6805 kWh 5240 kWh 1565 kWh £1,424 £157 £1,581 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,886

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 KA3

Figures below are tailored to KA3 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2717 of 2997
14.2 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£861 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1714 of 2997
24.4% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£861 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.4% West −20.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.18p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.62p/day
Local Sunshine
851kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~851 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 (99%)|North Ayrshire (1%)

Areas Covered

Annick, Kilmarnock East and Hurlford, Kilmarnock North, Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse, Irvine East, Garnock Valley

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · +2% vs KA3
KA2 (East Ayrshire)
≈5.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~865 kWh/kWp · +2% vs KA3
KA4 (East Ayrshire)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~814 kWh/kWp · -4% vs KA3
KA11 (North Ayrshire)
≈8.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~890 kWh/kWp · +5% vs KA3
KA12 (North Ayrshire)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · +5% vs KA3
KA16 (East Ayrshire)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~803 kWh/kWp · -6% vs KA3

Similar sunshine across the UK

SK22 (High Peak)
~850 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA3
SK2 (Stockport)
~851 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KA3
BB94 (Pendle)
~850 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA3