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Solar panel cost in Highland (KW11)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for KW11 (Highland) 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
15.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£667
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,512
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 28.36p/kWh with a 62.07p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 770 kWh/kW — 45 below 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 770 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 28.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
28.4p/kWh
Standing charge
62.1p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
770 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: £667, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1539 kWh 616 kWh 923 kWh £175 £92 £267 £4,069 15.2 yrs £1,270
3 kW 2309 kWh 923 kWh 1385 kWh £262 £139 £400 £6,104 15.2 yrs £1,905
4 kW 3078 kWh 1231 kWh 1847 kWh £349 £185 £534 £8,138 15.2 yrs £2,540
5 kW 3848 kWh 1539 kWh 2309 kWh £437 £231 £667 £10,173 15.2 yrs £3,175
6 kW 4617 kWh 1847 kWh 2770 kWh £524 £277 £801 £12,207 15.2 yrs £3,810
7 kW 5387 kWh 2155 kWh 3232 kWh £611 £323 £934 £14,242 15.2 yrs £4,445
8 kW 6157 kWh 2463 kWh 3694 kWh £698 £369 £1,068 £16,276 15.2 yrs £5,080

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: £809, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1539 kWh 923 kWh 616 kWh £262 £62 £323 £6,169 19.1 yrs £300
3 kW 2309 kWh 1385 kWh 923 kWh £393 £92 £485 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,501
4 kW 3078 kWh 1847 kWh 1231 kWh £524 £123 £647 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,701
5 kW 3848 kWh 2309 kWh 1539 kWh £655 £154 £809 £12,273 15.2 yrs £3,901
6 kW 4617 kWh 2770 kWh 1847 kWh £786 £185 £970 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,101
7 kW 5387 kWh 3232 kWh 2155 kWh £917 £215 £1,132 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,301
8 kW 6157 kWh 3694 kWh 2463 kWh £1,048 £246 £1,294 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,502

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: £879, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1539 kWh 1077 kWh 462 kWh £306 £46 £352 £7,569 21.5 yrs £-534
3 kW 2309 kWh 1616 kWh 693 kWh £458 £69 £528 £9,604 18.2 yrs £948
4 kW 3078 kWh 2155 kWh 923 kWh £611 £92 £703 £11,638 16.5 yrs £2,431
5 kW 3848 kWh 2694 kWh 1154 kWh £764 £115 £879 £13,673 15.5 yrs £3,914
6 kW 4617 kWh 3232 kWh 1385 kWh £917 £139 £1,055 £15,707 14.9 yrs £5,397
7 kW 5387 kWh 3771 kWh 1616 kWh £1,069 £162 £1,231 £17,742 14.4 yrs £6,879
8 kW 6157 kWh 4310 kWh 1847 kWh £1,222 £185 £1,407 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,362

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: £901, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1539 kWh 1124 kWh 416 kWh £319 £42 £360 £9,319 25.9 yrs £-2,115
3 kW 2309 kWh 1685 kWh 623 kWh £478 £62 £540 £11,354 21.0 yrs £-547
4 kW 3078 kWh 2247 kWh 831 kWh £637 £83 £720 £13,388 18.6 yrs £1,020
5 kW 3848 kWh 2809 kWh 1039 kWh £797 £104 £901 £15,423 17.1 yrs £2,588
6 kW 4617 kWh 3371 kWh 1247 kWh £956 £125 £1,081 £17,457 16.2 yrs £4,155
7 kW 5387 kWh 3933 kWh 1455 kWh £1,115 £145 £1,261 £19,492 15.5 yrs £5,723
8 kW 6157 kWh 4494 kWh 1662 kWh £1,275 £166 £1,441 £21,526 14.9 yrs £7,290

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: £915, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1539 kWh 1154 kWh 385 kWh £327 £38 £366 £11,069 30.3 yrs £-3,752
3 kW 2309 kWh 1732 kWh 577 kWh £491 £58 £549 £13,104 23.9 yrs £-2,128
4 kW 3078 kWh 2309 kWh 770 kWh £655 £77 £732 £15,138 20.7 yrs £-504
5 kW 3848 kWh 2886 kWh 962 kWh £818 £96 £915 £17,173 18.8 yrs £1,120
6 kW 4617 kWh 3463 kWh 1154 kWh £982 £115 £1,098 £19,207 17.5 yrs £2,744
7 kW 5387 kWh 4040 kWh 1347 kWh £1,146 £135 £1,281 £21,242 16.6 yrs £4,369
8 kW 6157 kWh 4617 kWh 1539 kWh £1,310 £154 £1,463 £23,276 15.9 yrs £5,993

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: £929, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1539 kWh 1185 kWh 354 kWh £336 £35 £372 £13,519 36.4 yrs £-6,089
3 kW 2309 kWh 1778 kWh 531 kWh £504 £53 £557 £15,554 27.9 yrs £-4,408
4 kW 3078 kWh 2370 kWh 708 kWh £672 £71 £743 £17,588 23.7 yrs £-2,728
5 kW 3848 kWh 2963 kWh 885 kWh £840 £89 £929 £19,623 21.1 yrs £-1,047
6 kW 4617 kWh 3555 kWh 1062 kWh £1,008 £106 £1,115 £21,657 19.4 yrs £634
7 kW 5387 kWh 4148 kWh 1239 kWh £1,176 £124 £1,300 £23,692 18.2 yrs £2,314
8 kW 6157 kWh 4741 kWh 1416 kWh £1,344 £142 £1,486 £25,726 17.3 yrs £3,995

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 KW11

Figures below are tailored to KW11 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2928 of 2997
15.2 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£534 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2935 of 2997
42.4% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£227 fixed • ~£534 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.4% West −19.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
28.36p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
62.07p/day
Local Sunshine
770kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~770 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

North, West and Central Sutherland, East Sutherland and Edderton

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 Northern Scotland

KW13 (Highland)
≈23.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~780 kWh/kWp · +1% vs KW11
IV28 (Highland)
≈32.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~802 kWh/kWp · +4% vs KW11
KW8 (Highland)
≈35.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~823 kWh/kWp · +7% vs KW11
KW9 (Highland)
≈35.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · +8% vs KW11
IV27 (Highland)
≈36.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~770 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW11
KW10 (Highland)
≈37.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~801 kWh/kWp · +4% vs KW11

Similar sunshine across the UK

CA12 (Cumberland)
~767 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW11
PA14 (Inverclyde)
~772 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW11
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW11