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

Solar Panels in ML6 (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
15.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£795
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,675
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 811 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)
811 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: £663, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1623 kWh 649 kWh 974 kWh £168 £97 £265 £4,069 15.3 yrs £1,233
3 kW 2434 kWh 974 kWh 1460 kWh £252 £146 £398 £6,104 15.3 yrs £1,849
4 kW 3246 kWh 1298 kWh 1947 kWh £335 £195 £530 £8,138 15.3 yrs £2,466
5 kW 4057 kWh 1623 kWh 2434 kWh £419 £243 £663 £10,173 15.3 yrs £3,082
6 kW 4868 kWh 1947 kWh 2921 kWh £503 £292 £795 £12,207 15.3 yrs £3,699
7 kW 5680 kWh 2272 kWh 3408 kWh £587 £341 £928 £14,242 15.3 yrs £4,315
8 kW 6491 kWh 2596 kWh 3895 kWh £671 £389 £1,060 £16,276 15.3 yrs £4,931

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: £791, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1623 kWh 974 kWh 649 kWh £252 £65 £317 £6,169 19.5 yrs £161
3 kW 2434 kWh 1460 kWh 974 kWh £377 £97 £475 £8,204 17.3 yrs £1,292
4 kW 3246 kWh 1947 kWh 1298 kWh £503 £130 £633 £10,238 16.2 yrs £2,422
5 kW 4057 kWh 2434 kWh 1623 kWh £629 £162 £791 £12,273 15.5 yrs £3,553
6 kW 4868 kWh 2921 kWh 1947 kWh £755 £195 £950 £14,307 15.1 yrs £4,683
7 kW 5680 kWh 3408 kWh 2272 kWh £881 £227 £1,108 £16,342 14.8 yrs £5,814
8 kW 6491 kWh 3895 kWh 2596 kWh £1,006 £260 £1,266 £18,376 14.5 yrs £6,944

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: £856, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1623 kWh 1136 kWh 487 kWh £294 £49 £342 £7,569 22.1 yrs £-725
3 kW 2434 kWh 1704 kWh 730 kWh £440 £73 £513 £9,604 18.7 yrs £663
4 kW 3246 kWh 2272 kWh 974 kWh £587 £97 £684 £11,638 17.0 yrs £2,050
5 kW 4057 kWh 2840 kWh 1217 kWh £734 £122 £856 £13,673 16.0 yrs £3,438
6 kW 4868 kWh 3408 kWh 1460 kWh £881 £146 £1,027 £15,707 15.3 yrs £4,825
7 kW 5680 kWh 3976 kWh 1704 kWh £1,027 £170 £1,198 £17,742 14.8 yrs £6,213
8 kW 6491 kWh 4544 kWh 1947 kWh £1,174 £195 £1,369 £19,776 14.4 yrs £7,601

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: £875, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1623 kWh 1185 kWh 438 kWh £306 £44 £350 £9,319 26.6 yrs £-2,321
3 kW 2434 kWh 1777 kWh 657 kWh £459 £66 £525 £11,354 21.6 yrs £-856
4 kW 3246 kWh 2369 kWh 876 kWh £612 £88 £700 £13,388 19.1 yrs £609
5 kW 4057 kWh 2962 kWh 1095 kWh £765 £110 £875 £15,423 17.6 yrs £2,073
6 kW 4868 kWh 3554 kWh 1314 kWh £918 £131 £1,050 £17,457 16.6 yrs £3,538
7 kW 5680 kWh 4146 kWh 1534 kWh £1,071 £153 £1,225 £19,492 15.9 yrs £5,003
8 kW 6491 kWh 4738 kWh 1753 kWh £1,224 £175 £1,400 £21,526 15.4 yrs £6,467

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: £888, Upfront: £17,173, 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 1623 kWh 1217 kWh 406 kWh £314 £41 £355 £11,069 31.2 yrs £-3,968
3 kW 2434 kWh 1826 kWh 609 kWh £472 £61 £533 £13,104 24.6 yrs £-2,452
4 kW 3246 kWh 2434 kWh 811 kWh £629 £81 £710 £15,138 21.3 yrs £-936
5 kW 4057 kWh 3043 kWh 1014 kWh £786 £101 £888 £17,173 19.3 yrs £580
6 kW 4868 kWh 3651 kWh 1217 kWh £943 £122 £1,065 £19,207 18.0 yrs £2,097
7 kW 5680 kWh 4260 kWh 1420 kWh £1,101 £142 £1,243 £21,242 17.1 yrs £3,613
8 kW 6491 kWh 4868 kWh 1623 kWh £1,258 £162 £1,420 £23,276 16.4 yrs £5,129

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: £901, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1623 kWh 1250 kWh 373 kWh £323 £37 £360 £13,519 37.5 yrs £-6,315
3 kW 2434 kWh 1874 kWh 560 kWh £484 £56 £540 £15,554 28.8 yrs £-4,748
4 kW 3246 kWh 2499 kWh 746 kWh £646 £75 £720 £17,588 24.4 yrs £-3,180
5 kW 4057 kWh 3124 kWh 933 kWh £807 £93 £901 £19,623 21.8 yrs £-1,613
6 kW 4868 kWh 3749 kWh 1120 kWh £969 £112 £1,081 £21,657 20.0 yrs £-45
7 kW 5680 kWh 4373 kWh 1306 kWh £1,130 £131 £1,261 £23,692 18.8 yrs £1,522
8 kW 6491 kWh 4998 kWh 1493 kWh £1,292 £149 £1,441 £25,726 17.9 yrs £3,090

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
811kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~811 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

Airdrie Central, Airdrie North, Airdrie South, Coatbridge North, Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn

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.