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Solar Panels in ML4 (North Lanarkshire)

See if solar pays off for you in North Lanarkshire — 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
14.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£817
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,211
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 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 833 kWh/kW — 17 below 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 833 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)
833 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: £681, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1666 kWh 667 kWh 1000 kWh £172 £100 £272 £4,069 14.9 yrs £1,376
3 kW 2500 kWh 1000 kWh 1500 kWh £258 £150 £408 £6,104 14.9 yrs £2,064
4 kW 3333 kWh 1333 kWh 2000 kWh £344 £200 £544 £8,138 14.9 yrs £2,752
5 kW 4166 kWh 1666 kWh 2500 kWh £431 £250 £681 £10,173 14.9 yrs £3,439
6 kW 5000 kWh 2000 kWh 3000 kWh £517 £300 £817 £12,207 14.9 yrs £4,127
7 kW 5833 kWh 2333 kWh 3500 kWh £603 £350 £953 £14,242 14.9 yrs £4,815
8 kW 6666 kWh 2666 kWh 4000 kWh £689 £400 £1,089 £16,276 14.9 yrs £5,503

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: £813, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1666 kWh 1000 kWh 667 kWh £258 £67 £325 £6,169 19.0 yrs £332
3 kW 2500 kWh 1500 kWh 1000 kWh £388 £100 £488 £8,204 16.8 yrs £1,547
4 kW 3333 kWh 2000 kWh 1333 kWh £517 £133 £650 £10,238 15.7 yrs £2,763
5 kW 4166 kWh 2500 kWh 1666 kWh £646 £167 £813 £12,273 15.1 yrs £3,979
6 kW 5000 kWh 3000 kWh 2000 kWh £775 £200 £975 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,195
7 kW 5833 kWh 3500 kWh 2333 kWh £904 £233 £1,138 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,411
8 kW 6666 kWh 4000 kWh 2666 kWh £1,033 £267 £1,300 £18,376 14.1 yrs £7,627

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: 15.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1167 kWh 500 kWh £301 £50 £351 £7,569 21.5 yrs £-540
3 kW 2500 kWh 1750 kWh 750 kWh £452 £75 £527 £9,604 18.2 yrs £939
4 kW 3333 kWh 2333 kWh 1000 kWh £603 £100 £703 £11,638 16.6 yrs £2,419
5 kW 4166 kWh 2916 kWh 1250 kWh £754 £125 £879 £13,673 15.6 yrs £3,899
6 kW 5000 kWh 3500 kWh 1500 kWh £904 £150 £1,054 £15,707 14.9 yrs £5,379
7 kW 5833 kWh 4083 kWh 1750 kWh £1,055 £175 £1,230 £17,742 14.4 yrs £6,859
8 kW 6666 kWh 4666 kWh 2000 kWh £1,206 £200 £1,406 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,338

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: £898, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1217 kWh 450 kWh £314 £45 £359 £9,319 25.9 yrs £-2,132
3 kW 2500 kWh 1825 kWh 675 kWh £472 £67 £539 £11,354 21.1 yrs £-573
4 kW 3333 kWh 2433 kWh 900 kWh £629 £90 £719 £13,388 18.6 yrs £986
5 kW 4166 kWh 3041 kWh 1125 kWh £786 £112 £898 £15,423 17.2 yrs £2,545
6 kW 5000 kWh 3650 kWh 1350 kWh £943 £135 £1,078 £17,457 16.2 yrs £4,104
7 kW 5833 kWh 4258 kWh 1575 kWh £1,100 £157 £1,258 £19,492 15.5 yrs £5,663
8 kW 6666 kWh 4866 kWh 1800 kWh £1,257 £180 £1,437 £21,526 15.0 yrs £7,222

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: £912, 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 1666 kWh 1250 kWh 417 kWh £323 £42 £365 £11,069 30.4 yrs £-3,776
3 kW 2500 kWh 1875 kWh 625 kWh £484 £62 £547 £13,104 24.0 yrs £-2,165
4 kW 3333 kWh 2500 kWh 833 kWh £646 £83 £729 £15,138 20.8 yrs £-553
5 kW 4166 kWh 3125 kWh 1042 kWh £807 £104 £912 £17,173 18.8 yrs £1,059
6 kW 5000 kWh 3750 kWh 1250 kWh £969 £125 £1,094 £19,207 17.6 yrs £2,671
7 kW 5833 kWh 4375 kWh 1458 kWh £1,130 £146 £1,276 £21,242 16.6 yrs £4,283
8 kW 6666 kWh 5000 kWh 1666 kWh £1,292 £167 £1,459 £23,276 16.0 yrs £5,894

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: £925, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1666 kWh 1283 kWh 383 kWh £332 £38 £370 £13,519 36.5 yrs £-6,121
3 kW 2500 kWh 1925 kWh 575 kWh £497 £57 £555 £15,554 28.0 yrs £-4,456
4 kW 3333 kWh 2566 kWh 767 kWh £663 £77 £740 £17,588 23.8 yrs £-2,792
5 kW 4166 kWh 3208 kWh 958 kWh £829 £96 £925 £19,623 21.2 yrs £-1,127
6 kW 5000 kWh 3850 kWh 1150 kWh £995 £115 £1,110 £21,657 19.5 yrs £538
7 kW 5833 kWh 4491 kWh 1342 kWh £1,161 £134 £1,295 £23,692 18.3 yrs £2,202
8 kW 6666 kWh 5133 kWh 1533 kWh £1,326 £153 £1,480 £25,726 17.4 yrs £3,867

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 ML4

Figures below are tailored to ML4 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2818 of 2997
13.0 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£936 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1912 of 2997
22.1% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£936 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
833kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~833 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

North Lanarkshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Bellshill, Mossend and Holytown, Motherwell North

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

G71 (South Lanarkshire)
≈3.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~843 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ML4
ML1 (North Lanarkshire)
≈3.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~844 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ML4
ML5 (North Lanarkshire)
≈4.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~819 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ML4
ML3 (South Lanarkshire)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~849 kWh/kWp · +2% vs ML4
ML6 (North Lanarkshire)
≈6.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~811 kWh/kWp · -3% vs ML4
G69 (North Lanarkshire)
≈6.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~819 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ML4

Similar sunshine across the UK

IV30 (Moray)
~834 kWh/kWp · +0% vs ML4
OL16 (Rochdale)
~833 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ML4
OL11 (Rochdale)
~833 kWh/kWp · -0% vs ML4