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Solar Panels in KW1 (Highland)

See if solar pays off for you in Highland — 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
14.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£686
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,971
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 Northern Scotland, the current unit rate is 27.06p/kWh with a 61.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 815 kWh/kW — 0 above the regional median (815).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 815 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
61.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
815 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: £686, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1630 kWh 652 kWh 978 kWh £176 £98 £274 £4,069 14.8 yrs £1,417
3 kW 2446 kWh 978 kWh 1467 kWh £265 £147 £411 £6,104 14.8 yrs £2,125
4 kW 3261 kWh 1304 kWh 1956 kWh £353 £196 £549 £8,138 14.8 yrs £2,834
5 kW 4076 kWh 1630 kWh 2446 kWh £441 £245 £686 £10,173 14.8 yrs £3,542
6 kW 4891 kWh 1956 kWh 2935 kWh £529 £293 £823 £12,207 14.8 yrs £4,251
7 kW 5706 kWh 2283 kWh 3424 kWh £618 £342 £960 £14,242 14.8 yrs £4,959
8 kW 6522 kWh 2609 kWh 3913 kWh £706 £391 £1,097 £16,276 14.8 yrs £5,668

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: £825, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1630 kWh 978 kWh 652 kWh £265 £65 £330 £6,169 18.7 yrs £430
3 kW 2446 kWh 1467 kWh 978 kWh £397 £98 £495 £8,204 16.6 yrs £1,694
4 kW 3261 kWh 1956 kWh 1304 kWh £529 £130 £660 £10,238 15.5 yrs £2,959
5 kW 4076 kWh 2446 kWh 1630 kWh £662 £163 £825 £12,273 14.9 yrs £4,224
6 kW 4891 kWh 2935 kWh 1956 kWh £794 £196 £990 £14,307 14.5 yrs £5,489
7 kW 5706 kWh 3424 kWh 2283 kWh £926 £228 £1,155 £16,342 14.2 yrs £6,753
8 kW 6522 kWh 3913 kWh 2609 kWh £1,059 £261 £1,320 £18,376 13.9 yrs £8,018

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: £894, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1630 kWh 1141 kWh 489 kWh £309 £49 £358 £7,569 21.2 yrs £-414
3 kW 2446 kWh 1712 kWh 734 kWh £463 £73 £537 £9,604 17.9 yrs £1,129
4 kW 3261 kWh 2283 kWh 978 kWh £618 £98 £715 £11,638 16.3 yrs £2,672
5 kW 4076 kWh 2853 kWh 1223 kWh £772 £122 £894 £13,673 15.3 yrs £4,215
6 kW 4891 kWh 3424 kWh 1467 kWh £926 £147 £1,073 £15,707 14.6 yrs £5,757
7 kW 5706 kWh 3994 kWh 1712 kWh £1,081 £171 £1,252 £17,742 14.2 yrs £7,300
8 kW 6522 kWh 4565 kWh 1956 kWh £1,235 £196 £1,431 £19,776 13.8 yrs £8,843

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: £915, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1630 kWh 1190 kWh 440 kWh £322 £44 £366 £9,319 25.5 yrs £-1,997
3 kW 2446 kWh 1785 kWh 660 kWh £483 £66 £549 £11,354 20.7 yrs £-371
4 kW 3261 kWh 2380 kWh 880 kWh £644 £88 £732 £13,388 18.3 yrs £1,255
5 kW 4076 kWh 2975 kWh 1101 kWh £805 £110 £915 £15,423 16.9 yrs £2,882
6 kW 4891 kWh 3571 kWh 1321 kWh £966 £132 £1,098 £17,457 15.9 yrs £4,508
7 kW 5706 kWh 4166 kWh 1541 kWh £1,127 £154 £1,281 £19,492 15.2 yrs £6,135
8 kW 6522 kWh 4761 kWh 1761 kWh £1,288 £176 £1,464 £21,526 14.7 yrs £7,761

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: £929, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1630 kWh 1223 kWh 408 kWh £331 £41 £372 £11,069 29.8 yrs £-3,636
3 kW 2446 kWh 1834 kWh 611 kWh £496 £61 £557 £13,104 23.5 yrs £-1,954
4 kW 3261 kWh 2446 kWh 815 kWh £662 £82 £743 £15,138 20.4 yrs £-272
5 kW 4076 kWh 3057 kWh 1019 kWh £827 £102 £929 £17,173 18.5 yrs £1,410
6 kW 4891 kWh 3668 kWh 1223 kWh £993 £122 £1,115 £19,207 17.2 yrs £3,092
7 kW 5706 kWh 4280 kWh 1427 kWh £1,158 £143 £1,301 £21,242 16.3 yrs £4,774
8 kW 6522 kWh 4891 kWh 1630 kWh £1,324 £163 £1,487 £23,276 15.7 yrs £6,456

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: £943, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1630 kWh 1255 kWh 375 kWh £340 £37 £377 £13,519 35.8 yrs £-5,975
3 kW 2446 kWh 1883 kWh 562 kWh £510 £56 £566 £15,554 27.5 yrs £-4,237
4 kW 3261 kWh 2511 kWh 750 kWh £679 £75 £754 £17,588 23.3 yrs £-2,500
5 kW 4076 kWh 3139 kWh 937 kWh £849 £94 £943 £19,623 20.8 yrs £-762
6 kW 4891 kWh 3766 kWh 1125 kWh £1,019 £112 £1,132 £21,657 19.1 yrs £976
7 kW 5706 kWh 4394 kWh 1312 kWh £1,189 £131 £1,320 £23,692 17.9 yrs £2,713
8 kW 6522 kWh 5022 kWh 1500 kWh £1,359 £150 £1,509 £25,726 17.1 yrs £4,451

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 KW1

Figures below are tailored to KW1 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2762 of 2997
12.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£632 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2867 of 2997
35.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£632 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
815kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~815 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Highland (100%)

Areas Covered

Wick and East Caithness, Thurso and Northwest Caithness

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 Northern Scotland

KW2 (Highland)
≈11.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +2% vs KW1
KW3 (Highland)
≈19.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~838 kWh/kWp · +3% vs KW1
KW12 (Highland)
≈24.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~828 kWh/kWp · +2% vs KW1
KW5 (Highland)
≈24.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~828 kWh/kWp · +2% vs KW1
KW6 (Highland)
≈29.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~814 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW1
KW14 (Highland)
≈30.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~813 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW1

Similar sunshine across the UK

OL3 (Oldham)
~815 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW1
KA4 (East Ayrshire)
~814 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW1
LA10 (Westmorland and Furness)
~816 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW1