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 KY5 (Fife)

See if solar pays off for you in Fife — 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
13.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£898
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,248
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 916 kWh/kW — 67 above 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 916 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)
916 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: £748, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1833 kWh 733 kWh 1100 kWh £189 £110 £299 £4,069 13.6 yrs £1,919
3 kW 2749 kWh 1100 kWh 1649 kWh £284 £165 £449 £6,104 13.6 yrs £2,878
4 kW 3666 kWh 1466 kWh 2199 kWh £379 £220 £599 £8,138 13.6 yrs £3,838
5 kW 4582 kWh 1833 kWh 2749 kWh £474 £275 £748 £10,173 13.6 yrs £4,797
6 kW 5498 kWh 2199 kWh 3299 kWh £568 £330 £898 £12,207 13.6 yrs £5,757
7 kW 6415 kWh 2566 kWh 3849 kWh £663 £385 £1,048 £14,242 13.6 yrs £6,716
8 kW 7331 kWh 2932 kWh 4399 kWh £758 £440 £1,198 £16,276 13.6 yrs £7,676

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: £894, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 13.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1833 kWh 1100 kWh 733 kWh £284 £73 £357 £6,169 17.3 yrs £980
3 kW 2749 kWh 1649 kWh 1100 kWh £426 £110 £536 £8,204 15.3 yrs £2,520
4 kW 3666 kWh 2199 kWh 1466 kWh £568 £147 £715 £10,238 14.3 yrs £4,060
5 kW 4582 kWh 2749 kWh 1833 kWh £710 £183 £894 £12,273 13.7 yrs £5,601
6 kW 5498 kWh 3299 kWh 2199 kWh £852 £220 £1,072 £14,307 13.3 yrs £7,141
7 kW 6415 kWh 3849 kWh 2566 kWh £995 £257 £1,251 £16,342 13.1 yrs £8,681
8 kW 7331 kWh 4399 kWh 2932 kWh £1,137 £293 £1,430 £18,376 12.9 yrs £10,221

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: £966, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1833 kWh 1283 kWh 550 kWh £332 £55 £386 £7,569 19.6 yrs £161
3 kW 2749 kWh 1924 kWh 825 kWh £497 £82 £580 £9,604 16.6 yrs £1,991
4 kW 3666 kWh 2566 kWh 1100 kWh £663 £110 £773 £11,638 15.1 yrs £3,822
5 kW 4582 kWh 3207 kWh 1375 kWh £829 £137 £966 £13,673 14.2 yrs £5,652
6 kW 5498 kWh 3849 kWh 1649 kWh £995 £165 £1,159 £15,707 13.5 yrs £7,482
7 kW 6415 kWh 4490 kWh 1924 kWh £1,160 £192 £1,353 £17,742 13.1 yrs £9,313
8 kW 7331 kWh 5132 kWh 2199 kWh £1,326 £220 £1,546 £19,776 12.8 yrs £11,143

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: £988, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1833 kWh 1338 kWh 495 kWh £346 £49 £395 £9,319 23.6 yrs £-1,415
3 kW 2749 kWh 2007 kWh 742 kWh £519 £74 £593 £11,354 19.2 yrs £503
4 kW 3666 kWh 2676 kWh 990 kWh £691 £99 £790 £13,388 16.9 yrs £2,420
5 kW 4582 kWh 3345 kWh 1237 kWh £864 £124 £988 £15,423 15.6 yrs £4,338
6 kW 5498 kWh 4014 kWh 1485 kWh £1,037 £148 £1,186 £17,457 14.7 yrs £6,255
7 kW 6415 kWh 4683 kWh 1732 kWh £1,210 £173 £1,383 £19,492 14.1 yrs £8,173
8 kW 7331 kWh 5352 kWh 1979 kWh £1,383 £198 £1,581 £21,526 13.6 yrs £10,090

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: £1,003, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1833 kWh 1375 kWh 458 kWh £355 £46 £401 £11,069 27.6 yrs £-3,049
3 kW 2749 kWh 2062 kWh 687 kWh £533 £69 £602 £13,104 21.8 yrs £-1,073
4 kW 3666 kWh 2749 kWh 916 kWh £710 £92 £802 £15,138 18.9 yrs £902
5 kW 4582 kWh 3436 kWh 1145 kWh £888 £115 £1,003 £17,173 17.1 yrs £2,878
6 kW 5498 kWh 4124 kWh 1375 kWh £1,066 £137 £1,203 £19,207 16.0 yrs £4,853
7 kW 6415 kWh 4811 kWh 1604 kWh £1,243 £160 £1,404 £21,242 15.1 yrs £6,829
8 kW 7331 kWh 5498 kWh 1833 kWh £1,421 £183 £1,604 £23,276 14.5 yrs £8,805

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: £1,017, Upfront: £19,623, 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 1833 kWh 1411 kWh 422 kWh £365 £42 £407 £13,519 33.2 yrs £-5,383
3 kW 2749 kWh 2117 kWh 632 kWh £547 £63 £610 £15,554 25.5 yrs £-3,349
4 kW 3666 kWh 2822 kWh 843 kWh £729 £84 £814 £17,588 21.6 yrs £-1,315
5 kW 4582 kWh 3528 kWh 1054 kWh £912 £105 £1,017 £19,623 19.3 yrs £718
6 kW 5498 kWh 4234 kWh 1265 kWh £1,094 £126 £1,220 £21,657 17.7 yrs £2,752
7 kW 6415 kWh 4939 kWh 1475 kWh £1,276 £148 £1,424 £23,692 16.6 yrs £4,785
8 kW 7331 kWh 5645 kWh 1686 kWh £1,459 £169 £1,627 £25,726 15.8 yrs £6,819

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 KY5

Figures below are tailored to KY5 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2212 of 2997
11.9 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,029 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1417 of 2997
20.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,029 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
916kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~916 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

Fife (100%)

Areas Covered

Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty, Glenrothes West and Kinglassie, Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy, Kinross-shire, Glenrothes Central and Thornton

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

KY4 (Fife)
≈4.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~896 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KY5
KY2 (Fife)
≈8.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -4% vs KY5
KY6 (Fife)
≈9.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~887 kWh/kWp · -3% vs KY5
KY3 (Fife)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~874 kWh/kWp · -5% vs KY5
KY1 (Fife)
≈10.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -4% vs KY5
KY7 (Fife)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~888 kWh/kWp · -3% vs KY5

Similar sunshine across the UK

S35 (Sheffield)
~916 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KY5
NE65 (Northumberland)
~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KY5
S1 (Sheffield)
~916 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KY5