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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA21)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA21 (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
£648
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,038
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 844 kWh/kW — 29 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 844 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)
844 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: £648, 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 1689 kWh 675 kWh 1013 kWh £158 £101 £259 £4,069 15.7 yrs £1,118
3 kW 2533 kWh 1013 kWh 1520 kWh £237 £152 £389 £6,104 15.7 yrs £1,677
4 kW 3377 kWh 1351 kWh 2026 kWh £316 £203 £519 £8,138 15.7 yrs £2,237
5 kW 4221 kWh 1689 kWh 2533 kWh £395 £253 £648 £10,173 15.7 yrs £2,796
6 kW 5066 kWh 2026 kWh 3039 kWh £474 £304 £778 £12,207 15.7 yrs £3,355
7 kW 5910 kWh 2364 kWh 3546 kWh £553 £355 £908 £14,242 15.7 yrs £3,914
8 kW 6754 kWh 2702 kWh 4053 kWh £632 £405 £1,037 £16,276 15.7 yrs £4,473

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: £762, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1689 kWh 1013 kWh 675 kWh £237 £68 £305 £6,169 20.3 yrs £-77
3 kW 2533 kWh 1520 kWh 1013 kWh £356 £101 £457 £8,204 18.0 yrs £935
4 kW 3377 kWh 2026 kWh 1351 kWh £474 £135 £609 £10,238 16.8 yrs £1,947
5 kW 4221 kWh 2533 kWh 1689 kWh £593 £169 £762 £12,273 16.1 yrs £2,958
6 kW 5066 kWh 3039 kWh 2026 kWh £711 £203 £914 £14,307 15.7 yrs £3,970
7 kW 5910 kWh 3546 kWh 2364 kWh £830 £236 £1,066 £16,342 15.3 yrs £4,982
8 kW 6754 kWh 4053 kWh 2702 kWh £948 £270 £1,218 £18,376 15.1 yrs £5,994

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: £818, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1689 kWh 1182 kWh 507 kWh £277 £51 £327 £7,569 23.1 yrs £-1,024
3 kW 2533 kWh 1773 kWh 760 kWh £415 £76 £491 £9,604 19.6 yrs £214
4 kW 3377 kWh 2364 kWh 1013 kWh £553 £101 £654 £11,638 17.8 yrs £1,452
5 kW 4221 kWh 2955 kWh 1266 kWh £691 £127 £818 £13,673 16.7 yrs £2,690
6 kW 5066 kWh 3546 kWh 1520 kWh £830 £152 £982 £15,707 16.0 yrs £3,928
7 kW 5910 kWh 4137 kWh 1773 kWh £968 £177 £1,145 £17,742 15.5 yrs £5,166
8 kW 6754 kWh 4728 kWh 2026 kWh £1,106 £203 £1,309 £19,776 15.1 yrs £6,404

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: £835, 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 1689 kWh 1233 kWh 456 kWh £288 £46 £334 £9,319 27.9 yrs £-2,638
3 kW 2533 kWh 1849 kWh 684 kWh £433 £68 £501 £11,354 22.7 yrs £-1,332
4 kW 3377 kWh 2465 kWh 912 kWh £577 £91 £668 £13,388 20.0 yrs £-27
5 kW 4221 kWh 3082 kWh 1140 kWh £721 £114 £835 £15,423 18.5 yrs £1,279
6 kW 5066 kWh 3698 kWh 1368 kWh £865 £137 £1,002 £17,457 17.4 yrs £2,585
7 kW 5910 kWh 4314 kWh 1596 kWh £1,010 £160 £1,169 £19,492 16.7 yrs £3,891
8 kW 6754 kWh 4931 kWh 1824 kWh £1,154 £182 £1,336 £21,526 16.1 yrs £5,197

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: £846, 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 1689 kWh 1266 kWh 422 kWh £296 £42 £339 £11,069 32.7 yrs £-4,298
3 kW 2533 kWh 1900 kWh 633 kWh £445 £63 £508 £13,104 25.8 yrs £-2,947
4 kW 3377 kWh 2533 kWh 844 kWh £593 £84 £677 £15,138 22.4 yrs £-1,596
5 kW 4221 kWh 3166 kWh 1055 kWh £741 £106 £846 £17,173 20.3 yrs £-245
6 kW 5066 kWh 3799 kWh 1266 kWh £889 £127 £1,016 £19,207 18.9 yrs £1,107
7 kW 5910 kWh 4433 kWh 1478 kWh £1,037 £148 £1,185 £21,242 17.9 yrs £2,458
8 kW 6754 kWh 5066 kWh 1689 kWh £1,185 £169 £1,354 £23,276 17.2 yrs £3,809

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: £858, 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 1689 kWh 1300 kWh 388 kWh £304 £39 £343 £13,519 39.4 yrs £-6,657
3 kW 2533 kWh 1950 kWh 583 kWh £456 £58 £515 £15,554 30.2 yrs £-5,261
4 kW 3377 kWh 2600 kWh 777 kWh £608 £78 £686 £17,588 25.6 yrs £-3,865
5 kW 4221 kWh 3251 kWh 971 kWh £761 £97 £858 £19,623 22.9 yrs £-2,468
6 kW 5066 kWh 3901 kWh 1165 kWh £913 £117 £1,029 £21,657 21.0 yrs £-1,072
7 kW 5910 kWh 4551 kWh 1359 kWh £1,065 £136 £1,201 £23,692 19.7 yrs £324
8 kW 6754 kWh 5201 kWh 1553 kWh £1,217 £155 £1,372 £25,726 18.7 yrs £1,721

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 PA21

Figures below are tailored to PA21 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2650 of 2997
13.9 years (UK avg 12.6 years)
~£586 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2800 of 2997
38.7% (UK avg 24.6%) drag on savings
£227 fixed • ~£586 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.6% West −21.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA21

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 21 Jan 39 Feb 71 Mar 106 Apr 120 May 114 Jun 111 Jul 98 Aug 72 Sep 47 Oct 28 Nov 18 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 36.6% 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 103 kWh in winter, or 281 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
23.40p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
58.28p/day
Local Sunshine
844kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~844 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

Cowal

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

PA22 (Argyll and Bute)
≈7.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~766 kWh/kWp · -9% vs PA21
PA29 (Argyll and Bute)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~820 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PA21
PA20 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~841 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA21
PA30 (Argyll and Bute)
≈17.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~785 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA21
PA31 (Argyll and Bute)
≈19.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~787 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA21
PA23 (Argyll and Bute)
≈20.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA21

Similar sunshine across the UK

ML1 (North Lanarkshire)
~844 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA21
ML10 (South Lanarkshire)
~844 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA21
BB18 (Pendle)
~844 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA21