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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA20)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA20 (Argyll and Bute) 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
15.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£646
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,977
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 Northern Scotland, the current unit rate is 23.40p/kWh with a 58.28p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 841 kWh/kW — 26 above the regional median (815).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 841 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 23.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
23.4p/kWh
Standing charge
58.3p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
841 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: £646, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1682 kWh 673 kWh 1009 kWh £157 £101 £258 £4,069 15.7 yrs £1,099
3 kW 2523 kWh 1009 kWh 1514 kWh £236 £151 £388 £6,104 15.7 yrs £1,648
4 kW 3365 kWh 1346 kWh 2019 kWh £315 £202 £517 £8,138 15.7 yrs £2,198
5 kW 4206 kWh 1682 kWh 2523 kWh £394 £252 £646 £10,173 15.7 yrs £2,747
6 kW 5047 kWh 2019 kWh 3028 kWh £472 £303 £775 £12,207 15.7 yrs £3,297
7 kW 5888 kWh 2355 kWh 3533 kWh £551 £353 £904 £14,242 15.7 yrs £3,846
8 kW 6729 kWh 2692 kWh 4037 kWh £630 £404 £1,034 £16,276 15.7 yrs £4,396

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: £759, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1682 kWh 1009 kWh 673 kWh £236 £67 £303 £6,169 20.3 yrs £-99
3 kW 2523 kWh 1514 kWh 1009 kWh £354 £101 £455 £8,204 18.0 yrs £901
4 kW 3365 kWh 2019 kWh 1346 kWh £472 £135 £607 £10,238 16.9 yrs £1,901
5 kW 4206 kWh 2523 kWh 1682 kWh £590 £168 £759 £12,273 16.2 yrs £2,901
6 kW 5047 kWh 3028 kWh 2019 kWh £709 £202 £910 £14,307 15.7 yrs £3,902
7 kW 5888 kWh 3533 kWh 2355 kWh £827 £236 £1,062 £16,342 15.4 yrs £4,902
8 kW 6729 kWh 4037 kWh 2692 kWh £945 £269 £1,214 £18,376 15.1 yrs £5,902

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: £815, 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 1682 kWh 1178 kWh 505 kWh £276 £50 £326 £7,569 23.2 yrs £-1,049
3 kW 2523 kWh 1766 kWh 757 kWh £413 £76 £489 £9,604 19.6 yrs £177
4 kW 3365 kWh 2355 kWh 1009 kWh £551 £101 £652 £11,638 17.8 yrs £1,403
5 kW 4206 kWh 2944 kWh 1262 kWh £689 £126 £815 £13,673 16.8 yrs £2,629
6 kW 5047 kWh 3533 kWh 1514 kWh £827 £151 £978 £15,707 16.1 yrs £3,854
7 kW 5888 kWh 4122 kWh 1766 kWh £964 £177 £1,141 £17,742 15.5 yrs £5,080
8 kW 6729 kWh 4710 kWh 2019 kWh £1,102 £202 £1,304 £19,776 15.2 yrs £6,306

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: £832, 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 1682 kWh 1228 kWh 454 kWh £287 £45 £333 £9,319 28.0 yrs £-2,663
3 kW 2523 kWh 1842 kWh 681 kWh £431 £68 £499 £11,354 22.7 yrs £-1,370
4 kW 3365 kWh 2456 kWh 908 kWh £575 £91 £666 £13,388 20.1 yrs £-77
5 kW 4206 kWh 3070 kWh 1136 kWh £718 £114 £832 £15,423 18.5 yrs £1,217
6 kW 5047 kWh 3684 kWh 1363 kWh £862 £136 £998 £17,457 17.5 yrs £2,510
7 kW 5888 kWh 4298 kWh 1590 kWh £1,006 £159 £1,165 £19,492 16.7 yrs £3,803
8 kW 6729 kWh 4912 kWh 1817 kWh £1,149 £182 £1,331 £21,526 16.2 yrs £5,097

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: £843, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1682 kWh 1262 kWh 421 kWh £295 £42 £337 £11,069 32.8 yrs £-4,323
3 kW 2523 kWh 1893 kWh 631 kWh £443 £63 £506 £13,104 25.9 yrs £-2,985
4 kW 3365 kWh 2523 kWh 841 kWh £590 £84 £675 £15,138 22.4 yrs £-1,646
5 kW 4206 kWh 3154 kWh 1051 kWh £738 £105 £843 £17,173 20.4 yrs £-308
6 kW 5047 kWh 3785 kWh 1262 kWh £886 £126 £1,012 £19,207 19.0 yrs £1,031
7 kW 5888 kWh 4416 kWh 1472 kWh £1,033 £147 £1,181 £21,242 18.0 yrs £2,369
8 kW 6729 kWh 5047 kWh 1682 kWh £1,181 £168 £1,349 £23,276 17.3 yrs £3,707

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: £855, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1682 kWh 1295 kWh 387 kWh £303 £39 £342 £13,519 39.6 yrs £-6,683
3 kW 2523 kWh 1943 kWh 580 kWh £455 £58 £513 £15,554 30.3 yrs £-5,299
4 kW 3365 kWh 2591 kWh 774 kWh £606 £77 £684 £17,588 25.7 yrs £-3,916
5 kW 4206 kWh 3238 kWh 967 kWh £758 £97 £855 £19,623 23.0 yrs £-2,532
6 kW 5047 kWh 3886 kWh 1161 kWh £909 £116 £1,025 £21,657 21.1 yrs £-1,149
7 kW 5888 kWh 4534 kWh 1354 kWh £1,061 £135 £1,196 £23,692 19.8 yrs £235
8 kW 6729 kWh 5181 kWh 1548 kWh £1,212 £155 £1,367 £25,726 18.8 yrs £1,618

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 PA20

Figures below are tailored to PA20 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2649 of 2997
13.9 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£584 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2802 of 2997
38.8% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£227 fixed • ~£584 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.3% West −22.1%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA20

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 21 Jan 38 Feb 69 Mar 104 Apr 119 May 113 Jun 113 Jul 99 Aug 72 Sep 47 Oct 28 Nov 18 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 37.0% 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 26 kWh per month; the average month produces around 70 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 104 kWh in winter, or 280 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
23.40p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.28p/day
Local Sunshine
841kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~841 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Argyll and Bute (100%)

Areas Covered

Isle of Bute

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q1 2026

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 Northern Scotland

KA28 (North Ayrshire)
≈12.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~860 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PA20
PA21 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~844 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA20
PA22 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~766 kWh/kWp · -9% vs PA20
PA23 (Argyll and Bute)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -6% vs PA20
PA29 (Argyll and Bute)
≈22.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~820 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PA20
PA30 (Argyll and Bute)
≈31.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~785 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA20

Similar sunshine across the UK

G74 (South Lanarkshire)
~841 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA20
SK14 (Tameside)
~841 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA20
SK15 (Tameside)
~841 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA20