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Solar Panels in PA16 (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
15.4 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£792
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,604
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 808 kWh/kW — 41 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 808 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)
808 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: £660, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1617 kWh 647 kWh 970 kWh £167 £97 £264 £4,069 15.4 yrs £1,214
3 kW 2425 kWh 970 kWh 1455 kWh £251 £146 £396 £6,104 15.4 yrs £1,821
4 kW 3234 kWh 1294 kWh 1940 kWh £334 £194 £528 £8,138 15.4 yrs £2,428
5 kW 4042 kWh 1617 kWh 2425 kWh £418 £243 £660 £10,173 15.4 yrs £3,035
6 kW 4851 kWh 1940 kWh 2911 kWh £501 £291 £792 £12,207 15.4 yrs £3,642
7 kW 5659 kWh 2264 kWh 3396 kWh £585 £340 £925 £14,242 15.4 yrs £4,249
8 kW 6468 kWh 2587 kWh 3881 kWh £669 £388 £1,057 £16,276 15.4 yrs £4,856

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: £788, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1617 kWh 970 kWh 647 kWh £251 £65 £315 £6,169 19.6 yrs £138
3 kW 2425 kWh 1455 kWh 970 kWh £376 £97 £473 £8,204 17.3 yrs £1,258
4 kW 3234 kWh 1940 kWh 1294 kWh £501 £129 £631 £10,238 16.2 yrs £2,377
5 kW 4042 kWh 2425 kWh 1617 kWh £627 £162 £788 £12,273 15.6 yrs £3,496
6 kW 4851 kWh 2911 kWh 1940 kWh £752 £194 £946 £14,307 15.1 yrs £4,615
7 kW 5659 kWh 3396 kWh 2264 kWh £877 £226 £1,104 £16,342 14.8 yrs £5,735
8 kW 6468 kWh 3881 kWh 2587 kWh £1,003 £259 £1,262 £18,376 14.6 yrs £6,854

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: £852, 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 1617 kWh 1132 kWh 485 kWh £292 £49 £341 £7,569 22.2 yrs £-749
3 kW 2425 kWh 1698 kWh 728 kWh £439 £73 £511 £9,604 18.8 yrs £626
4 kW 3234 kWh 2264 kWh 970 kWh £585 £97 £682 £11,638 17.1 yrs £2,002
5 kW 4042 kWh 2830 kWh 1213 kWh £731 £121 £852 £13,673 16.0 yrs £3,377
6 kW 4851 kWh 3396 kWh 1455 kWh £877 £146 £1,023 £15,707 15.4 yrs £4,752
7 kW 5659 kWh 3962 kWh 1698 kWh £1,024 £170 £1,193 £17,742 14.9 yrs £6,128
8 kW 6468 kWh 4528 kWh 1940 kWh £1,170 £194 £1,364 £19,776 14.5 yrs £7,503

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: £872, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1617 kWh 1180 kWh 437 kWh £305 £44 £349 £9,319 26.7 yrs £-2,346
3 kW 2425 kWh 1771 kWh 655 kWh £458 £65 £523 £11,354 21.7 yrs £-893
4 kW 3234 kWh 2361 kWh 873 kWh £610 £87 £697 £13,388 19.2 yrs £559
5 kW 4042 kWh 2951 kWh 1091 kWh £763 £109 £872 £15,423 17.7 yrs £2,011
6 kW 4851 kWh 3541 kWh 1310 kWh £915 £131 £1,046 £17,457 16.7 yrs £3,463
7 kW 5659 kWh 4131 kWh 1528 kWh £1,068 £153 £1,220 £19,492 16.0 yrs £4,916
8 kW 6468 kWh 4722 kWh 1746 kWh £1,220 £175 £1,395 £21,526 15.4 yrs £6,368

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: £884, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1617 kWh 1213 kWh 404 kWh £313 £40 £354 £11,069 31.3 yrs £-3,993
3 kW 2425 kWh 1819 kWh 606 kWh £470 £61 £531 £13,104 24.7 yrs £-2,490
4 kW 3234 kWh 2425 kWh 808 kWh £627 £81 £708 £15,138 21.4 yrs £-986
5 kW 4042 kWh 3032 kWh 1011 kWh £783 £101 £884 £17,173 19.4 yrs £517
6 kW 4851 kWh 3638 kWh 1213 kWh £940 £121 £1,061 £19,207 18.1 yrs £2,021
7 kW 5659 kWh 4245 kWh 1415 kWh £1,097 £141 £1,238 £21,242 17.2 yrs £3,524
8 kW 6468 kWh 4851 kWh 1617 kWh £1,253 £162 £1,415 £23,276 16.4 yrs £5,028

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: £897, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1617 kWh 1245 kWh 372 kWh £322 £37 £359 £13,519 37.7 yrs £-6,341
3 kW 2425 kWh 1868 kWh 558 kWh £483 £56 £538 £15,554 28.9 yrs £-4,786
4 kW 3234 kWh 2490 kWh 744 kWh £643 £74 £718 £17,588 24.5 yrs £-3,231
5 kW 4042 kWh 3113 kWh 930 kWh £804 £93 £897 £19,623 21.9 yrs £-1,677
6 kW 4851 kWh 3735 kWh 1116 kWh £965 £112 £1,077 £21,657 20.1 yrs £-122
7 kW 5659 kWh 4358 kWh 1302 kWh £1,126 £130 £1,256 £23,692 18.9 yrs £1,433
8 kW 6468 kWh 4980 kWh 1488 kWh £1,287 £149 £1,436 £25,726 17.9 yrs £2,987

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 PA16

Figures below are tailored to PA16 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2908 of 2997
13.4 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£908 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2043 of 2997
22.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£908 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
808kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~808 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 (100%)

Areas Covered

Inverclyde North, Inverclyde South West, Inverclyde South, Inverclyde Central, Inverclyde East

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

PA19 (Inverclyde)
≈2.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~756 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA16
PA15 (Inverclyde)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~835 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA16
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~766 kWh/kWp · -5% vs PA16
PA14 (Inverclyde)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~772 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA16
PA18 (Inverclyde)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PA16
PA17 (North Ayrshire)
≈10.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~796 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PA16

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA83 (Na h-Eileanan Siar)
~809 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA16
LL41 (Gwynedd)
~808 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA16
PA68 (Argyll and Bute)
~809 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA16