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 KA4 (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
15.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£798
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,746
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 814 kWh/kW — 35 below 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 814 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)
814 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: £665, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1629 kWh 651 kWh 977 kWh £168 £98 £266 £4,069 15.3 yrs £1,252
3 kW 2443 kWh 977 kWh 1466 kWh £252 £147 £399 £6,104 15.3 yrs £1,878
4 kW 3257 kWh 1303 kWh 1954 kWh £337 £195 £532 £8,138 15.3 yrs £2,504
5 kW 4071 kWh 1629 kWh 2443 kWh £421 £244 £665 £10,173 15.3 yrs £3,130
6 kW 4886 kWh 1954 kWh 2931 kWh £505 £293 £798 £12,207 15.3 yrs £3,756
7 kW 5700 kWh 2280 kWh 3420 kWh £589 £342 £931 £14,242 15.3 yrs £4,382
8 kW 6514 kWh 2606 kWh 3909 kWh £673 £391 £1,064 £16,276 15.3 yrs £5,008

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: £794, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1629 kWh 977 kWh 651 kWh £252 £65 £318 £6,169 19.4 yrs £184
3 kW 2443 kWh 1466 kWh 977 kWh £379 £98 £476 £8,204 17.2 yrs £1,326
4 kW 3257 kWh 1954 kWh 1303 kWh £505 £130 £635 £10,238 16.1 yrs £2,467
5 kW 4071 kWh 2443 kWh 1629 kWh £631 £163 £794 £12,273 15.5 yrs £3,609
6 kW 4886 kWh 2931 kWh 1954 kWh £757 £195 £953 £14,307 15.0 yrs £4,751
7 kW 5700 kWh 3420 kWh 2280 kWh £884 £228 £1,112 £16,342 14.7 yrs £5,893
8 kW 6514 kWh 3909 kWh 2606 kWh £1,010 £261 £1,271 £18,376 14.5 yrs £7,035

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: £859, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1629 kWh 1140 kWh 489 kWh £295 £49 £343 £7,569 22.0 yrs £-700
3 kW 2443 kWh 1710 kWh 733 kWh £442 £73 £515 £9,604 18.6 yrs £700
4 kW 3257 kWh 2280 kWh 977 kWh £589 £98 £687 £11,638 16.9 yrs £2,099
5 kW 4071 kWh 2850 kWh 1221 kWh £736 £122 £859 £13,673 15.9 yrs £3,499
6 kW 4886 kWh 3420 kWh 1466 kWh £884 £147 £1,030 £15,707 15.2 yrs £4,899
7 kW 5700 kWh 3990 kWh 1710 kWh £1,031 £171 £1,202 £17,742 14.8 yrs £6,299
8 kW 6514 kWh 4560 kWh 1954 kWh £1,178 £195 £1,374 £19,776 14.4 yrs £7,699

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: £878, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1629 kWh 1189 kWh 440 kWh £307 £44 £351 £9,319 26.5 yrs £-2,296
3 kW 2443 kWh 1783 kWh 660 kWh £461 £66 £527 £11,354 21.6 yrs £-818
4 kW 3257 kWh 2378 kWh 879 kWh £614 £88 £702 £13,388 19.1 yrs £659
5 kW 4071 kWh 2972 kWh 1099 kWh £768 £110 £878 £15,423 17.6 yrs £2,136
6 kW 4886 kWh 3567 kWh 1319 kWh £922 £132 £1,054 £17,457 16.6 yrs £3,613
7 kW 5700 kWh 4161 kWh 1539 kWh £1,075 £154 £1,229 £19,492 15.9 yrs £5,091
8 kW 6514 kWh 4755 kWh 1759 kWh £1,229 £176 £1,405 £21,526 15.3 yrs £6,568

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: £891, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1629 kWh 1221 kWh 407 kWh £316 £41 £356 £11,069 31.1 yrs £-3,942
3 kW 2443 kWh 1832 kWh 611 kWh £473 £61 £534 £13,104 24.5 yrs £-2,414
4 kW 3257 kWh 2443 kWh 814 kWh £631 £81 £713 £15,138 21.2 yrs £-885
5 kW 4071 kWh 3054 kWh 1018 kWh £789 £102 £891 £17,173 19.3 yrs £644
6 kW 4886 kWh 3664 kWh 1221 kWh £947 £122 £1,069 £19,207 18.0 yrs £2,173
7 kW 5700 kWh 4275 kWh 1425 kWh £1,105 £143 £1,247 £21,242 17.0 yrs £3,702
8 kW 6514 kWh 4886 kWh 1629 kWh £1,262 £163 £1,425 £23,276 16.3 yrs £5,231

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: £904, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1629 kWh 1254 kWh 375 kWh £324 £37 £361 £13,519 37.4 yrs £-6,289
3 kW 2443 kWh 1881 kWh 562 kWh £486 £56 £542 £15,554 28.7 yrs £-4,709
4 kW 3257 kWh 2508 kWh 749 kWh £648 £75 £723 £17,588 24.3 yrs £-3,128
5 kW 4071 kWh 3135 kWh 936 kWh £810 £94 £904 £19,623 21.7 yrs £-1,548
6 kW 4886 kWh 3762 kWh 1124 kWh £972 £112 £1,084 £21,657 20.0 yrs £32
7 kW 5700 kWh 4389 kWh 1311 kWh £1,134 £131 £1,265 £23,692 18.7 yrs £1,613
8 kW 6514 kWh 5016 kWh 1498 kWh £1,296 £150 £1,446 £25,726 17.8 yrs £3,193

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 KA4

Figures below are tailored to KA4 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2903 of 2997
13.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£914 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2022 of 2997
22.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£914 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
814kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~814 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 (100%)

Areas Covered

Irvine Valley, Annick, Ballochmyle, Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse

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

KA16 (East Ayrshire)
≈3.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~803 kWh/kWp · -1% vs KA4
KA17 (East Ayrshire)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~813 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA4
KA1 (East Ayrshire)
≈7.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · +6% vs KA4
KA3 (East Ayrshire)
≈8.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · +4% vs KA4
KA5 (East Ayrshire)
≈9.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~847 kWh/kWp · +4% vs KA4
KA2 (East Ayrshire)
≈10.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~865 kWh/kWp · +6% vs KA4

Similar sunshine across the UK

IV20 (Highland)
~814 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA4
KW6 (Highland)
~814 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KA4
OL3 (Oldham)
~815 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KA4