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Solar Panels in KW12 (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
14.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£696
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,239
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 828 kWh/kW — 13 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 828 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)
828 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: £696, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1656 kWh 662 kWh 994 kWh £179 £99 £279 £4,069 14.6 yrs £1,503
3 kW 2484 kWh 994 kWh 1490 kWh £269 £149 £418 £6,104 14.6 yrs £2,254
4 kW 3312 kWh 1325 kWh 1987 kWh £358 £199 £557 £8,138 14.6 yrs £3,006
5 kW 4140 kWh 1656 kWh 2484 kWh £448 £248 £696 £10,173 14.6 yrs £3,757
6 kW 4968 kWh 1987 kWh 2981 kWh £538 £298 £836 £12,207 14.6 yrs £4,508
7 kW 5796 kWh 2318 kWh 3477 kWh £627 £348 £975 £14,242 14.6 yrs £5,260
8 kW 6624 kWh 2649 kWh 3974 kWh £717 £397 £1,114 £16,276 14.6 yrs £6,011

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: £838, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1656 kWh 994 kWh 662 kWh £269 £66 £335 £6,169 18.4 yrs £533
3 kW 2484 kWh 1490 kWh 994 kWh £403 £99 £503 £8,204 16.3 yrs £1,849
4 kW 3312 kWh 1987 kWh 1325 kWh £538 £132 £670 £10,238 15.3 yrs £3,166
5 kW 4140 kWh 2484 kWh 1656 kWh £672 £166 £838 £12,273 14.6 yrs £4,482
6 kW 4968 kWh 2981 kWh 1987 kWh £807 £199 £1,005 £14,307 14.2 yrs £5,798
7 kW 5796 kWh 3477 kWh 2318 kWh £941 £232 £1,173 £16,342 13.9 yrs £7,115
8 kW 6624 kWh 3974 kWh 2649 kWh £1,075 £265 £1,340 £18,376 13.7 yrs £8,431

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: £908, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1656 kWh 1159 kWh 497 kWh £314 £50 £363 £7,569 20.8 yrs £-302
3 kW 2484 kWh 1739 kWh 745 kWh £470 £75 £545 £9,604 17.6 yrs £1,297
4 kW 3312 kWh 2318 kWh 994 kWh £627 £99 £727 £11,638 16.0 yrs £2,896
5 kW 4140 kWh 2898 kWh 1242 kWh £784 £124 £908 £13,673 15.1 yrs £4,495
6 kW 4968 kWh 3477 kWh 1490 kWh £941 £149 £1,090 £15,707 14.4 yrs £6,093
7 kW 5796 kWh 4057 kWh 1739 kWh £1,098 £174 £1,272 £17,742 14.0 yrs £7,692
8 kW 6624 kWh 4637 kWh 1987 kWh £1,255 £199 £1,453 £19,776 13.6 yrs £9,291

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: £930, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1656 kWh 1209 kWh 447 kWh £327 £45 £372 £9,319 25.1 yrs £-1,883
3 kW 2484 kWh 1813 kWh 671 kWh £491 £67 £558 £11,354 20.4 yrs £-199
4 kW 3312 kWh 2418 kWh 894 kWh £654 £89 £744 £13,388 18.0 yrs £1,485
5 kW 4140 kWh 3022 kWh 1118 kWh £818 £112 £930 £15,423 16.6 yrs £3,168
6 kW 4968 kWh 3626 kWh 1341 kWh £981 £134 £1,115 £17,457 15.7 yrs £4,852
7 kW 5796 kWh 4231 kWh 1565 kWh £1,145 £156 £1,301 £19,492 15.0 yrs £6,536
8 kW 6624 kWh 4835 kWh 1788 kWh £1,308 £179 £1,487 £21,526 14.5 yrs £8,219

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: £944, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1656 kWh 1242 kWh 414 kWh £336 £41 £377 £11,069 29.3 yrs £-3,520
3 kW 2484 kWh 1863 kWh 621 kWh £504 £62 £566 £13,104 23.1 yrs £-1,780
4 kW 3312 kWh 2484 kWh 828 kWh £672 £83 £755 £15,138 20.1 yrs £-39
5 kW 4140 kWh 3105 kWh 1035 kWh £840 £103 £944 £17,173 18.2 yrs £1,701
6 kW 4968 kWh 3726 kWh 1242 kWh £1,008 £124 £1,132 £19,207 17.0 yrs £3,441
7 kW 5796 kWh 4347 kWh 1449 kWh £1,176 £145 £1,321 £21,242 16.1 yrs £5,181
8 kW 6624 kWh 4968 kWh 1656 kWh £1,344 £166 £1,510 £23,276 15.4 yrs £6,921

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: £958, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1656 kWh 1275 kWh 381 kWh £345 £38 £383 £13,519 35.3 yrs £-5,857
3 kW 2484 kWh 1913 kWh 571 kWh £518 £57 £575 £15,554 27.1 yrs £-4,060
4 kW 3312 kWh 2550 kWh 762 kWh £690 £76 £766 £17,588 23.0 yrs £-2,263
5 kW 4140 kWh 3188 kWh 952 kWh £863 £95 £958 £19,623 20.5 yrs £-467
6 kW 4968 kWh 3825 kWh 1143 kWh £1,035 £114 £1,149 £21,657 18.8 yrs £1,330
7 kW 5796 kWh 4463 kWh 1333 kWh £1,208 £133 £1,341 £23,692 17.7 yrs £3,127
8 kW 6624 kWh 5100 kWh 1523 kWh £1,380 £152 £1,532 £25,726 16.8 yrs £4,923

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 KW12

Figures below are tailored to KW12 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2705 of 2997
12.7 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£642 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2837 of 2997
34.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£642 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
828kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~828 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

Thurso and Northwest Caithness, Wick and East 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

KW14 (Highland)
≈9.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~813 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KW12
KW13 (Highland)
≈23.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~780 kWh/kWp · -6% vs KW12
KW1 (Highland)
≈24.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~815 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KW12
KW3 (Highland)
≈26.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~838 kWh/kWp · +1% vs KW12
KW2 (Highland)
≈26.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +1% vs KW12
KW5 (Highland)
≈26.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~828 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW12

Similar sunshine across the UK

KY14 (Fife)
~828 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW12
G22 (Glasgow City)
~828 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW12
G23 (Glasgow City)
~828 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW12