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 PA14 (Inverclyde)

See if solar pays off for you in Inverclyde — 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
16.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£757
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,718
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 772 kWh/kW — 77 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 772 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)
772 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: £631, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1545 kWh 618 kWh 927 kWh £160 £93 £252 £4,069 16.1 yrs £978
3 kW 2317 kWh 927 kWh 1390 kWh £239 £139 £378 £6,104 16.1 yrs £1,466
4 kW 3089 kWh 1236 kWh 1854 kWh £319 £185 £505 £8,138 16.1 yrs £1,955
5 kW 3862 kWh 1545 kWh 2317 kWh £399 £232 £631 £10,173 16.1 yrs £2,444
6 kW 4634 kWh 1854 kWh 2780 kWh £479 £278 £757 £12,207 16.1 yrs £2,933
7 kW 5406 kWh 2162 kWh 3244 kWh £559 £324 £883 £14,242 16.1 yrs £3,422
8 kW 6179 kWh 2471 kWh 3707 kWh £639 £371 £1,009 £16,276 16.1 yrs £3,911

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: £753, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 927 kWh 618 kWh £239 £62 £301 £6,169 20.5 yrs £-144
3 kW 2317 kWh 1390 kWh 927 kWh £359 £93 £452 £8,204 18.2 yrs £834
4 kW 3089 kWh 1854 kWh 1236 kWh £479 £124 £603 £10,238 17.0 yrs £1,813
5 kW 3862 kWh 2317 kWh 1545 kWh £599 £154 £753 £12,273 16.3 yrs £2,791
6 kW 4634 kWh 2780 kWh 1854 kWh £718 £185 £904 £14,307 15.8 yrs £3,769
7 kW 5406 kWh 3244 kWh 2162 kWh £838 £216 £1,054 £16,342 15.5 yrs £4,747
8 kW 6179 kWh 3707 kWh 2471 kWh £958 £247 £1,205 £18,376 15.2 yrs £5,725

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: £814, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1081 kWh 463 kWh £279 £46 £326 £7,569 23.2 yrs £-1,054
3 kW 2317 kWh 1622 kWh 695 kWh £419 £70 £489 £9,604 19.7 yrs £168
4 kW 3089 kWh 2162 kWh 927 kWh £559 £93 £651 £11,638 17.9 yrs £1,391
5 kW 3862 kWh 2703 kWh 1158 kWh £698 £116 £814 £13,673 16.8 yrs £2,614
6 kW 4634 kWh 3244 kWh 1390 kWh £838 £139 £977 £15,707 16.1 yrs £3,837
7 kW 5406 kWh 3784 kWh 1622 kWh £978 £162 £1,140 £17,742 15.6 yrs £5,060
8 kW 6179 kWh 4325 kWh 1854 kWh £1,118 £185 £1,303 £19,776 15.2 yrs £6,283

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: £833, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1128 kWh 417 kWh £291 £42 £333 £9,319 28.0 yrs £-2,658
3 kW 2317 kWh 1691 kWh 626 kWh £437 £63 £500 £11,354 22.7 yrs £-1,361
4 kW 3089 kWh 2255 kWh 834 kWh £583 £83 £666 £13,388 20.1 yrs £-65
5 kW 3862 kWh 2819 kWh 1043 kWh £728 £104 £833 £15,423 18.5 yrs £1,231
6 kW 4634 kWh 3383 kWh 1251 kWh £874 £125 £999 £17,457 17.5 yrs £2,527
7 kW 5406 kWh 3947 kWh 1460 kWh £1,020 £146 £1,166 £19,492 16.7 yrs £3,824
8 kW 6179 kWh 4510 kWh 1668 kWh £1,165 £167 £1,332 £21,526 16.2 yrs £5,120

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: £845, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1158 kWh 386 kWh £299 £39 £338 £11,069 32.8 yrs £-4,310
3 kW 2317 kWh 1738 kWh 579 kWh £449 £58 £507 £13,104 25.8 yrs £-2,965
4 kW 3089 kWh 2317 kWh 772 kWh £599 £77 £676 £15,138 22.4 yrs £-1,619
5 kW 3862 kWh 2896 kWh 965 kWh £748 £97 £845 £17,173 20.3 yrs £-274
6 kW 4634 kWh 3475 kWh 1158 kWh £898 £116 £1,014 £19,207 18.9 yrs £1,071
7 kW 5406 kWh 4055 kWh 1352 kWh £1,048 £135 £1,183 £21,242 18.0 yrs £2,416
8 kW 6179 kWh 4634 kWh 1545 kWh £1,197 £154 £1,352 £23,276 17.2 yrs £3,761

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: £857, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 22.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1189 kWh 355 kWh £307 £36 £343 £13,519 39.4 yrs £-6,662
3 kW 2317 kWh 1784 kWh 533 kWh £461 £53 £514 £15,554 30.2 yrs £-5,268
4 kW 3089 kWh 2379 kWh 711 kWh £615 £71 £686 £17,588 25.6 yrs £-3,874
5 kW 3862 kWh 2973 kWh 888 kWh £768 £89 £857 £19,623 22.9 yrs £-2,480
6 kW 4634 kWh 3568 kWh 1066 kWh £922 £107 £1,029 £21,657 21.1 yrs £-1,085
7 kW 5406 kWh 4163 kWh 1243 kWh £1,076 £124 £1,200 £23,692 19.7 yrs £309
8 kW 6179 kWh 4757 kWh 1421 kWh £1,229 £142 £1,371 £25,726 18.8 yrs £1,703

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 PA14

Figures below are tailored to PA14 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2950 of 2997
14.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£867 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2124 of 2997
23.8% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£867 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
772kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~772 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

Inverclyde (92%)|Renfrewshire (8%)

Areas Covered

Inverclyde East Central, Inverclyde East, Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank, Inverclyde Central

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

PA13 (Inverclyde)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~842 kWh/kWp · +9% vs PA14
PA15 (Inverclyde)
≈5.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~835 kWh/kWp · +8% vs PA14
G82 (West Dunbartonshire)
≈6.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~836 kWh/kWp · +8% vs PA14
PA16 (Inverclyde)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~808 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PA14
G83 (West Dunbartonshire)
≈9.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · +7% vs PA14
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
≈9.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~766 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA14

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA73 (Argyll and Bute)
~772 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA14
AB37 (Moray)
~773 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA14
PH22 (Highland)
~774 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA14