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Solar panel cost in Inverclyde (PA18)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA18 (Inverclyde) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£9,767
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£774
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,575
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: The official cost per kW is lower above 4 kW, so a 5–6 kW system can pay back a little faster than a 3–4 kW system on otherwise identical assumptions.
  • 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

Panel costs: Uses March 2026 TIC mean installation costs: £1,827/kW up to 4 kW and £1,628/kW above 4 kW.

Other costs: Battery prices are modelled at £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 25.85p/kWh with a 64.17p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 789 kWh/kW — 61 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 789 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.9p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.9p/kWh
Standing charge
64.2p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
789 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: £645, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 12.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1578 kWh 631 kWh 947 kWh £163 £95 £258 £3,256 12.6 yrs £1,902
3 kW 2367 kWh 947 kWh 1420 kWh £245 £142 £387 £4,883 12.6 yrs £2,853
4 kW 3156 kWh 1263 kWh 1894 kWh £326 £189 £516 £6,511 12.6 yrs £3,804
5 kW 3946 kWh 1578 kWh 2367 kWh £408 £237 £645 £8,139 12.6 yrs £4,755
6 kW 4735 kWh 1894 kWh 2841 kWh £490 £284 £774 £9,767 12.6 yrs £5,707
7 kW 5524 kWh 2210 kWh 3314 kWh £571 £331 £903 £11,394 12.6 yrs £6,658
8 kW 6313 kWh 2525 kWh 3788 kWh £653 £379 £1,032 £13,022 12.6 yrs £7,609

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £770, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 13.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1578 kWh 947 kWh 631 kWh £245 £63 £308 £5,356 17.4 yrs £803
3 kW 2367 kWh 1420 kWh 947 kWh £367 £95 £462 £6,983 15.1 yrs £2,254
4 kW 3156 kWh 1894 kWh 1263 kWh £490 £126 £616 £8,611 14.0 yrs £3,706
5 kW 3946 kWh 2367 kWh 1578 kWh £612 £158 £770 £10,239 13.3 yrs £5,157
6 kW 4735 kWh 2841 kWh 1894 kWh £734 £189 £924 £11,867 12.8 yrs £6,608
7 kW 5524 kWh 3314 kWh 2210 kWh £857 £221 £1,078 £13,494 12.5 yrs £8,060
8 kW 6313 kWh 3788 kWh 2525 kWh £979 £253 £1,232 £15,122 12.3 yrs £9,511

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £832, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1578 kWh 1105 kWh 473 kWh £286 £47 £333 £6,756 20.3 yrs £-97
3 kW 2367 kWh 1657 kWh 710 kWh £428 £71 £499 £8,383 16.8 yrs £1,605
4 kW 3156 kWh 2210 kWh 947 kWh £571 £95 £666 £10,011 15.0 yrs £3,306
5 kW 3946 kWh 2762 kWh 1184 kWh £714 £118 £832 £11,639 14.0 yrs £5,008
6 kW 4735 kWh 3314 kWh 1420 kWh £857 £142 £999 £13,267 13.3 yrs £6,709
7 kW 5524 kWh 3867 kWh 1657 kWh £1,000 £166 £1,165 £14,894 12.8 yrs £8,411
8 kW 6313 kWh 4419 kWh 1894 kWh £1,142 £189 £1,332 £16,522 12.4 yrs £10,112

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £851, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1578 kWh 1152 kWh 426 kWh £298 £43 £340 £8,506 25.0 yrs £-1,697
3 kW 2367 kWh 1728 kWh 639 kWh £447 £64 £511 £10,133 19.8 yrs £80
4 kW 3156 kWh 2304 kWh 852 kWh £596 £85 £681 £11,761 17.3 yrs £1,856
5 kW 3946 kWh 2880 kWh 1065 kWh £745 £107 £851 £13,389 15.7 yrs £3,633
6 kW 4735 kWh 3456 kWh 1278 kWh £893 £128 £1,021 £15,017 14.7 yrs £5,409
7 kW 5524 kWh 4032 kWh 1491 kWh £1,042 £149 £1,192 £16,644 14.0 yrs £7,186
8 kW 6313 kWh 4608 kWh 1704 kWh £1,191 £170 £1,362 £18,272 13.4 yrs £8,963

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £864, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 17.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1578 kWh 1184 kWh 395 kWh £306 £39 £345 £10,256 29.7 yrs £-3,347
3 kW 2367 kWh 1776 kWh 592 kWh £459 £59 £518 £11,883 22.9 yrs £-1,520
4 kW 3156 kWh 2367 kWh 789 kWh £612 £79 £691 £13,511 19.6 yrs £306
5 kW 3946 kWh 2959 kWh 986 kWh £765 £99 £864 £15,139 17.5 yrs £2,133
6 kW 4735 kWh 3551 kWh 1184 kWh £918 £118 £1,036 £16,767 16.2 yrs £3,960
7 kW 5524 kWh 4143 kWh 1381 kWh £1,071 £138 £1,209 £18,394 15.2 yrs £5,786
8 kW 6313 kWh 4735 kWh 1578 kWh £1,224 £158 £1,382 £20,022 14.5 yrs £7,613

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £876, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 20.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1578 kWh 1215 kWh 363 kWh £314 £36 £350 £12,706 36.3 yrs £-5,697
3 kW 2367 kWh 1823 kWh 544 kWh £471 £54 £526 £14,333 27.3 yrs £-3,820
4 kW 3156 kWh 2430 kWh 726 kWh £628 £73 £701 £15,961 22.8 yrs £-1,943
5 kW 3946 kWh 3038 kWh 907 kWh £785 £91 £876 £17,589 20.1 yrs £-67
6 kW 4735 kWh 3646 kWh 1089 kWh £942 £109 £1,051 £19,217 18.3 yrs £1,810
7 kW 5524 kWh 4253 kWh 1270 kWh £1,099 £127 £1,227 £20,844 17.0 yrs £3,687
8 kW 6313 kWh 4861 kWh 1452 kWh £1,257 £145 £1,402 £22,472 16.0 yrs £5,563

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, 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.

Before you request quotes in Inverclyde

Use the numbers above to sanity-check installer quotes. The main things to compare are system size, battery assumptions, payback claims, MCS certification, DNO paperwork and export assumptions.

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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for PA18

Figures below are tailored to PA18 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2740 of 2996
12.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£774 /yr • £9,767 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2164 of 2996
30.2% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£234 fixed • ~£774 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −16.5% West −22.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA18

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 16 Jan 34 Feb 65 Mar 102 Apr 114 May 108 Jun 106 Jul 94 Aug 68 Sep 45 Oct 25 Nov 13 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 32.2% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 21 kWh per month; the average month produces around 66 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 85 kWh in winter, or 263 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.85p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
64.17p/day
Local Sunshine
789kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~789 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 South West, Inverclyde Central

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q3 2026

Installation costs: DESNZ/MCS data, March 2026 (TIC)

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

PA17 (North Ayrshire)
≈2.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~796 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA18
PA19 (Inverclyde)
≈8.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~756 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA18
PA16 (Inverclyde)
≈8.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~808 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PA18
KA30 (North Ayrshire)
≈10.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~851 kWh/kWp · +8% vs PA18
PA15 (Inverclyde)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~835 kWh/kWp · +6% vs PA18
PA14 (Inverclyde)
≈14.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~772 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PA18

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA23 (Argyll and Bute)
~789 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA18
KW17 (Orkney Islands)
~789 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA18
PA80 (Na h-Eileanan Siar)
~789 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA18