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 KW3 (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
14.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£705
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,454
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 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 838 kWh/kW — 23 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 838 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)
838 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: £705, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1676 kWh 671 kWh 1006 kWh £181 £101 £282 £4,069 14.4 yrs £1,571
3 kW 2514 kWh 1006 kWh 1509 kWh £272 £151 £423 £6,104 14.4 yrs £2,357
4 kW 3353 kWh 1341 kWh 2012 kWh £363 £201 £564 £8,138 14.4 yrs £3,143
5 kW 4191 kWh 1676 kWh 2514 kWh £454 £251 £705 £10,173 14.4 yrs £3,929
6 kW 5029 kWh 2012 kWh 3017 kWh £544 £302 £846 £12,207 14.4 yrs £4,714
7 kW 5867 kWh 2347 kWh 3520 kWh £635 £352 £987 £14,242 14.4 yrs £5,500
8 kW 6705 kWh 2682 kWh 4023 kWh £726 £402 £1,128 £16,276 14.4 yrs £6,286

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: £848, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1676 kWh 1006 kWh 671 kWh £272 £67 £339 £6,169 18.2 yrs £615
3 kW 2514 kWh 1509 kWh 1006 kWh £408 £101 £509 £8,204 16.1 yrs £1,973
4 kW 3353 kWh 2012 kWh 1341 kWh £544 £134 £678 £10,238 15.1 yrs £3,331
5 kW 4191 kWh 2514 kWh 1676 kWh £680 £168 £848 £12,273 14.5 yrs £4,688
6 kW 5029 kWh 3017 kWh 2012 kWh £817 £201 £1,018 £14,307 14.1 yrs £6,046
7 kW 5867 kWh 3520 kWh 2347 kWh £953 £235 £1,187 £16,342 13.8 yrs £7,404
8 kW 6705 kWh 4023 kWh 2682 kWh £1,089 £268 £1,357 £18,376 13.5 yrs £8,762

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: £920, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1676 kWh 1173 kWh 503 kWh £318 £50 £368 £7,569 20.6 yrs £-213
3 kW 2514 kWh 1760 kWh 754 kWh £476 £75 £552 £9,604 17.4 yrs £1,431
4 kW 3353 kWh 2347 kWh 1006 kWh £635 £101 £736 £11,638 15.8 yrs £3,075
5 kW 4191 kWh 2934 kWh 1257 kWh £794 £126 £920 £13,673 14.9 yrs £4,718
6 kW 5029 kWh 3520 kWh 1509 kWh £953 £151 £1,103 £15,707 14.2 yrs £6,362
7 kW 5867 kWh 4107 kWh 1760 kWh £1,111 £176 £1,287 £17,742 13.8 yrs £8,006
8 kW 6705 kWh 4694 kWh 2012 kWh £1,270 £201 £1,471 £19,776 13.4 yrs £9,649

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: £941, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1676 kWh 1224 kWh 453 kWh £331 £45 £376 £9,319 24.8 yrs £-1,791
3 kW 2514 kWh 1836 kWh 679 kWh £497 £68 £565 £11,354 20.1 yrs £-62
4 kW 3353 kWh 2447 kWh 905 kWh £662 £91 £753 £13,388 17.8 yrs £1,668
5 kW 4191 kWh 3059 kWh 1132 kWh £828 £113 £941 £15,423 16.4 yrs £3,397
6 kW 5029 kWh 3671 kWh 1358 kWh £993 £136 £1,129 £17,457 15.5 yrs £5,127
7 kW 5867 kWh 4283 kWh 1584 kWh £1,159 £158 £1,317 £19,492 14.8 yrs £6,856
8 kW 6705 kWh 4895 kWh 1810 kWh £1,325 £181 £1,506 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,586

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: £955, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1676 kWh 1257 kWh 419 kWh £340 £42 £382 £11,069 29.0 yrs £-3,427
3 kW 2514 kWh 1886 kWh 629 kWh £510 £63 £573 £13,104 22.9 yrs £-1,640
4 kW 3353 kWh 2514 kWh 838 kWh £680 £84 £764 £15,138 19.8 yrs £147
5 kW 4191 kWh 3143 kWh 1048 kWh £851 £105 £955 £17,173 18.0 yrs £1,933
6 kW 5029 kWh 3772 kWh 1257 kWh £1,021 £126 £1,146 £19,207 16.8 yrs £3,720
7 kW 5867 kWh 4400 kWh 1467 kWh £1,191 £147 £1,337 £21,242 15.9 yrs £5,507
8 kW 6705 kWh 5029 kWh 1676 kWh £1,361 £168 £1,528 £23,276 15.2 yrs £7,293

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: £970, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1676 kWh 1291 kWh 386 kWh £349 £39 £388 £13,519 34.9 yrs £-5,762
3 kW 2514 kWh 1936 kWh 578 kWh £524 £58 £582 £15,554 26.7 yrs £-3,918
4 kW 3353 kWh 2582 kWh 771 kWh £699 £77 £776 £17,588 22.7 yrs £-2,075
5 kW 4191 kWh 3227 kWh 964 kWh £873 £96 £970 £19,623 20.2 yrs £-231
6 kW 5029 kWh 3872 kWh 1157 kWh £1,048 £116 £1,164 £21,657 18.6 yrs £1,613
7 kW 5867 kWh 4518 kWh 1349 kWh £1,222 £135 £1,357 £23,692 17.5 yrs £3,457
8 kW 6705 kWh 5163 kWh 1542 kWh £1,397 £154 £1,551 £25,726 16.6 yrs £5,301

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 KW3

Figures below are tailored to KW3 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2645 of 2997
12.5 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£650 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2808 of 2997
34.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£650 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
838kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~838 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

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

KW5 (Highland)
≈6.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~828 kWh/kWp · -1% vs KW3
KW2 (Highland)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · -1% vs KW3
KW6 (Highland)
≈10.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~814 kWh/kWp · -3% vs KW3
KW7 (Highland)
≈18.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~819 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KW3
KW1 (Highland)
≈19.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~815 kWh/kWp · -3% vs KW3
KW12 (Highland)
≈26.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~828 kWh/kWp · -1% vs KW3

Similar sunshine across the UK

G33 (Glasgow City)
~838 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW3
BT42 (Mid and East Antrim)
~838 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW3
BT43 (Mid and East Antrim)
~838 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW3