Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in KY6 (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
14.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£870
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,536
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

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 887 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)
887 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: £725, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1775 kWh 710 kWh 1065 kWh £183 £106 £290 £4,069 14.0 yrs £1,729
3 kW 2662 kWh 1065 kWh 1597 kWh £275 £160 £435 £6,104 14.0 yrs £2,594
4 kW 3549 kWh 1420 kWh 2130 kWh £367 £213 £580 £8,138 14.0 yrs £3,458
5 kW 4437 kWh 1775 kWh 2662 kWh £459 £266 £725 £10,173 14.0 yrs £4,323
6 kW 5324 kWh 2130 kWh 3194 kWh £550 £319 £870 £12,207 14.0 yrs £5,187
7 kW 6211 kWh 2484 kWh 3727 kWh £642 £373 £1,015 £14,242 14.0 yrs £6,052
8 kW 7099 kWh 2839 kWh 4259 kWh £734 £426 £1,160 £16,276 14.0 yrs £6,916

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: £865, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1775 kWh 1065 kWh 710 kWh £275 £71 £346 £6,169 17.8 yrs £753
3 kW 2662 kWh 1597 kWh 1065 kWh £413 £106 £519 £8,204 15.8 yrs £2,180
4 kW 3549 kWh 2130 kWh 1420 kWh £550 £142 £692 £10,238 14.8 yrs £3,607
5 kW 4437 kWh 2662 kWh 1775 kWh £688 £177 £865 £12,273 14.2 yrs £5,034
6 kW 5324 kWh 3194 kWh 2130 kWh £825 £213 £1,038 £14,307 13.8 yrs £6,460
7 kW 6211 kWh 3727 kWh 2484 kWh £963 £248 £1,211 £16,342 13.5 yrs £7,887
8 kW 7099 kWh 4259 kWh 2839 kWh £1,101 £284 £1,385 £18,376 13.3 yrs £9,314

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: £936, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1775 kWh 1242 kWh 532 kWh £321 £53 £374 £7,569 20.2 yrs £-84
3 kW 2662 kWh 1863 kWh 799 kWh £481 £80 £561 £9,604 17.1 yrs £1,624
4 kW 3549 kWh 2484 kWh 1065 kWh £642 £106 £748 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,331
5 kW 4437 kWh 3106 kWh 1331 kWh £802 £133 £936 £13,673 14.6 yrs £5,039
6 kW 5324 kWh 3727 kWh 1597 kWh £963 £160 £1,123 £15,707 14.0 yrs £6,747
7 kW 6211 kWh 4348 kWh 1863 kWh £1,123 £186 £1,310 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,455
8 kW 7099 kWh 4969 kWh 2130 kWh £1,284 £213 £1,497 £19,776 13.2 yrs £10,163

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: £957, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1775 kWh 1295 kWh 479 kWh £335 £48 £383 £9,319 24.4 yrs £-1,666
3 kW 2662 kWh 1943 kWh 719 kWh £502 £72 £574 £11,354 19.8 yrs £127
4 kW 3549 kWh 2591 kWh 958 kWh £670 £96 £765 £13,388 17.5 yrs £1,919
5 kW 4437 kWh 3239 kWh 1198 kWh £837 £120 £957 £15,423 16.1 yrs £3,711
6 kW 5324 kWh 3886 kWh 1437 kWh £1,004 £144 £1,148 £17,457 15.2 yrs £5,503
7 kW 6211 kWh 4534 kWh 1677 kWh £1,172 £168 £1,339 £19,492 14.6 yrs £7,295
8 kW 7099 kWh 5182 kWh 1917 kWh £1,339 £192 £1,531 £21,526 14.1 yrs £9,087

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: £971, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1775 kWh 1331 kWh 444 kWh £344 £44 £388 £11,069 28.5 yrs £-3,303
3 kW 2662 kWh 1996 kWh 665 kWh £516 £67 £582 £13,104 22.5 yrs £-1,455
4 kW 3549 kWh 2662 kWh 887 kWh £688 £89 £777 £15,138 19.5 yrs £394
5 kW 4437 kWh 3327 kWh 1109 kWh £860 £111 £971 £17,173 17.7 yrs £2,242
6 kW 5324 kWh 3993 kWh 1331 kWh £1,032 £133 £1,165 £19,207 16.5 yrs £4,090
7 kW 6211 kWh 4658 kWh 1553 kWh £1,204 £155 £1,359 £21,242 15.6 yrs £5,939
8 kW 7099 kWh 5324 kWh 1775 kWh £1,376 £177 £1,553 £23,276 15.0 yrs £7,787

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: £985, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1775 kWh 1366 kWh 408 kWh £353 £41 £394 £13,519 34.3 yrs £-5,641
3 kW 2662 kWh 2050 kWh 612 kWh £530 £61 £591 £15,554 26.3 yrs £-3,736
4 kW 3549 kWh 2733 kWh 816 kWh £706 £82 £788 £17,588 22.3 yrs £-1,832
5 kW 4437 kWh 3416 kWh 1020 kWh £883 £102 £985 £19,623 19.9 yrs £73
6 kW 5324 kWh 4099 kWh 1225 kWh £1,059 £122 £1,182 £21,657 18.3 yrs £1,978
7 kW 6211 kWh 4783 kWh 1429 kWh £1,236 £143 £1,379 £23,692 17.2 yrs £3,882
8 kW 7099 kWh 5466 kWh 1633 kWh £1,412 £163 £1,576 £25,726 16.3 yrs £5,787

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
887kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~887 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 (99%)|Perth and Kinross (1%)

Areas Covered

Glenrothes West and Kinglassie, Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch, Glenrothes Central and Thornton, Kinross-shire, Howe of Fife and Tay Coast

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.