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Solar Panels in PA29 (Argyll and Bute)

See if solar pays off for you in Argyll and Bute — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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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
14.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£690
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,074
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 27.06p/kWh with a 61.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 820 kWh/kW — 5 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 820 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
61.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
820 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: £690, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1640 kWh 656 kWh 984 kWh £178 £98 £276 £4,069 14.7 yrs £1,450
3 kW 2460 kWh 984 kWh 1476 kWh £266 £148 £414 £6,104 14.7 yrs £2,175
4 kW 3280 kWh 1312 kWh 1968 kWh £355 £197 £552 £8,138 14.7 yrs £2,899
5 kW 4100 kWh 1640 kWh 2460 kWh £444 £246 £690 £10,173 14.7 yrs £3,624
6 kW 4920 kWh 1968 kWh 2952 kWh £533 £295 £828 £12,207 14.7 yrs £4,349
7 kW 5740 kWh 2296 kWh 3444 kWh £621 £344 £966 £14,242 14.7 yrs £5,074
8 kW 6561 kWh 2624 kWh 3936 kWh £710 £394 £1,104 £16,276 14.7 yrs £5,799

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: £830, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1640 kWh 984 kWh 656 kWh £266 £66 £332 £6,169 18.6 yrs £469
3 kW 2460 kWh 1476 kWh 984 kWh £399 £98 £498 £8,204 16.5 yrs £1,753
4 kW 3280 kWh 1968 kWh 1312 kWh £533 £131 £664 £10,238 15.4 yrs £3,038
5 kW 4100 kWh 2460 kWh 1640 kWh £666 £164 £830 £12,273 14.8 yrs £4,322
6 kW 4920 kWh 2952 kWh 1968 kWh £799 £197 £996 £14,307 14.4 yrs £5,607
7 kW 5740 kWh 3444 kWh 2296 kWh £932 £230 £1,162 £16,342 14.1 yrs £6,891
8 kW 6561 kWh 3936 kWh 2624 kWh £1,065 £262 £1,328 £18,376 13.8 yrs £8,176

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: £900, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1640 kWh 1148 kWh 492 kWh £311 £49 £360 £7,569 21.0 yrs £-371
3 kW 2460 kWh 1722 kWh 738 kWh £466 £74 £540 £9,604 17.8 yrs £1,193
4 kW 3280 kWh 2296 kWh 984 kWh £621 £98 £720 £11,638 16.2 yrs £2,757
5 kW 4100 kWh 2870 kWh 1230 kWh £777 £123 £900 £13,673 15.2 yrs £4,321
6 kW 4920 kWh 3444 kWh 1476 kWh £932 £148 £1,080 £15,707 14.5 yrs £5,886
7 kW 5740 kWh 4018 kWh 1722 kWh £1,087 £172 £1,260 £17,742 14.1 yrs £7,450
8 kW 6561 kWh 4592 kWh 1968 kWh £1,243 £197 £1,440 £19,776 13.7 yrs £9,014

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: £921, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1640 kWh 1197 kWh 443 kWh £324 £44 £368 £9,319 25.3 yrs £-1,954
3 kW 2460 kWh 1796 kWh 664 kWh £486 £66 £552 £11,354 20.6 yrs £-305
4 kW 3280 kWh 2395 kWh 886 kWh £648 £89 £737 £13,388 18.2 yrs £1,343
5 kW 4100 kWh 2993 kWh 1107 kWh £810 £111 £921 £15,423 16.8 yrs £2,991
6 kW 4920 kWh 3592 kWh 1329 kWh £972 £133 £1,105 £17,457 15.8 yrs £4,639
7 kW 5740 kWh 4191 kWh 1550 kWh £1,134 £155 £1,289 £19,492 15.1 yrs £6,288
8 kW 6561 kWh 4789 kWh 1771 kWh £1,296 £177 £1,473 £21,526 14.6 yrs £7,936

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: £935, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1640 kWh 1230 kWh 410 kWh £333 £41 £374 £11,069 29.6 yrs £-3,592
3 kW 2460 kWh 1845 kWh 615 kWh £499 £62 £561 £13,104 23.4 yrs £-1,887
4 kW 3280 kWh 2460 kWh 820 kWh £666 £82 £748 £15,138 20.2 yrs £-183
5 kW 4100 kWh 3075 kWh 1025 kWh £832 £103 £935 £17,173 18.4 yrs £1,521
6 kW 4920 kWh 3690 kWh 1230 kWh £999 £123 £1,122 £19,207 17.1 yrs £3,225
7 kW 5740 kWh 4305 kWh 1435 kWh £1,165 £144 £1,309 £21,242 16.2 yrs £4,929
8 kW 6561 kWh 4920 kWh 1640 kWh £1,331 £164 £1,495 £23,276 15.6 yrs £6,634

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: £949, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1640 kWh 1263 kWh 377 kWh £342 £38 £379 £13,519 35.6 yrs £-5,930
3 kW 2460 kWh 1894 kWh 566 kWh £513 £57 £569 £15,554 27.3 yrs £-4,170
4 kW 3280 kWh 2526 kWh 754 kWh £683 £75 £759 £17,588 23.2 yrs £-2,409
5 kW 4100 kWh 3157 kWh 943 kWh £854 £94 £949 £19,623 20.7 yrs £-649
6 kW 4920 kWh 3789 kWh 1132 kWh £1,025 £113 £1,138 £21,657 19.0 yrs £1,111
7 kW 5740 kWh 4420 kWh 1320 kWh £1,196 £132 £1,328 £23,692 17.8 yrs £2,871
8 kW 6561 kWh 5052 kWh 1509 kWh £1,367 £151 £1,518 £25,726 16.9 yrs £4,631

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 PA29

Figures below are tailored to PA29 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2746 of 2997
12.8 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£636 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2851 of 2997
35.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£636 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
820kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~820 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

Kintyre and the Islands

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 Northern Scotland

PA21 (Argyll and Bute)
≈12.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~844 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA29
PA30 (Argyll and Bute)
≈17.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~785 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA29
PA22 (Argyll and Bute)
≈19.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~766 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA29
PA31 (Argyll and Bute)
≈19.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~787 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA29
PA20 (Argyll and Bute)
≈22.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~841 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA29
PA41 (Argyll and Bute)
≈29.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~847 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA29

Similar sunshine across the UK

ML5 (North Lanarkshire)
~819 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA29
G69 (North Lanarkshire)
~819 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA29
LL58 (Isle of Anglesey)
~819 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA29