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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA34)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA34 (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
12.6 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£648
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,054
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 Northern Scotland, the current unit rate is 26.42p/kWh with a 57.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 782 kWh/kW — 33 below 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 782 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
57.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
782 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: £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 1564 kWh 625 kWh 938 kWh £165 £94 £259 £3,256 12.6 yrs £1,926
3 kW 2346 kWh 938 kWh 1407 kWh £248 £141 £389 £4,883 12.6 yrs £2,889
4 kW 3127 kWh 1251 kWh 1876 kWh £331 £188 £518 £6,511 12.6 yrs £3,852
5 kW 3909 kWh 1564 kWh 2346 kWh £413 £235 £648 £8,139 12.6 yrs £4,815
6 kW 4691 kWh 1876 kWh 2815 kWh £496 £281 £777 £9,767 12.6 yrs £5,778
7 kW 5473 kWh 2189 kWh 3284 kWh £578 £328 £907 £11,394 12.6 yrs £6,741
8 kW 6255 kWh 2502 kWh 3753 kWh £661 £375 £1,036 £13,022 12.6 yrs £7,704

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: £776, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1564 kWh 938 kWh 625 kWh £248 £63 £310 £5,356 17.3 yrs £853
3 kW 2346 kWh 1407 kWh 938 kWh £372 £94 £466 £6,983 15.0 yrs £2,330
4 kW 3127 kWh 1876 kWh 1251 kWh £496 £125 £621 £8,611 13.9 yrs £3,806
5 kW 3909 kWh 2346 kWh 1564 kWh £620 £156 £776 £10,239 13.2 yrs £5,283
6 kW 4691 kWh 2815 kWh 1876 kWh £744 £188 £931 £11,867 12.7 yrs £6,759
7 kW 5473 kWh 3284 kWh 2189 kWh £868 £219 £1,087 £13,494 12.4 yrs £8,236
8 kW 6255 kWh 3753 kWh 2502 kWh £992 £250 £1,242 £15,122 12.2 yrs £9,712

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: £840, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1564 kWh 1095 kWh 469 kWh £289 £47 £336 £6,756 20.1 yrs £-33
3 kW 2346 kWh 1642 kWh 704 kWh £434 £70 £504 £8,383 16.6 yrs £1,700
4 kW 3127 kWh 2189 kWh 938 kWh £578 £94 £672 £10,011 14.9 yrs £3,433
5 kW 3909 kWh 2737 kWh 1173 kWh £723 £117 £840 £11,639 13.9 yrs £5,166
6 kW 4691 kWh 3284 kWh 1407 kWh £868 £141 £1,008 £13,267 13.2 yrs £6,900
7 kW 5473 kWh 3831 kWh 1642 kWh £1,012 £164 £1,176 £14,894 12.7 yrs £8,633
8 kW 6255 kWh 4378 kWh 1876 kWh £1,157 £188 £1,344 £16,522 12.3 yrs £10,366

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: £860, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1564 kWh 1142 kWh 422 kWh £302 £42 £344 £8,506 24.7 yrs £-1,629
3 kW 2346 kWh 1712 kWh 633 kWh £452 £63 £516 £10,133 19.6 yrs £181
4 kW 3127 kWh 2283 kWh 844 kWh £603 £84 £688 £11,761 17.1 yrs £1,991
5 kW 3909 kWh 2854 kWh 1056 kWh £754 £106 £860 £13,389 15.6 yrs £3,802
6 kW 4691 kWh 3425 kWh 1267 kWh £905 £127 £1,031 £15,017 14.6 yrs £5,612
7 kW 5473 kWh 3995 kWh 1478 kWh £1,056 £148 £1,203 £16,644 13.8 yrs £7,422
8 kW 6255 kWh 4566 kWh 1689 kWh £1,206 £169 £1,375 £18,272 13.3 yrs £9,233

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: £872, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1564 kWh 1173 kWh 391 kWh £310 £39 £349 £10,256 29.4 yrs £-3,277
3 kW 2346 kWh 1759 kWh 586 kWh £465 £59 £523 £11,883 22.7 yrs £-1,415
4 kW 3127 kWh 2346 kWh 782 kWh £620 £78 £698 £13,511 19.4 yrs £447
5 kW 3909 kWh 2932 kWh 977 kWh £775 £98 £872 £15,139 17.4 yrs £2,308
6 kW 4691 kWh 3518 kWh 1173 kWh £930 £117 £1,047 £16,767 16.0 yrs £4,170
7 kW 5473 kWh 4105 kWh 1368 kWh £1,084 £137 £1,221 £18,394 15.1 yrs £6,032
8 kW 6255 kWh 4691 kWh 1564 kWh £1,239 £156 £1,396 £20,022 14.3 yrs £7,893

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: £885, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 19.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1564 kWh 1204 kWh 360 kWh £318 £36 £354 £12,706 35.9 yrs £-5,624
3 kW 2346 kWh 1806 kWh 539 kWh £477 £54 £531 £14,333 27.0 yrs £-3,711
4 kW 3127 kWh 2408 kWh 719 kWh £636 £72 £708 £15,961 22.5 yrs £-1,798
5 kW 3909 kWh 3010 kWh 899 kWh £795 £90 £885 £17,589 19.9 yrs £115
6 kW 4691 kWh 3612 kWh 1079 kWh £954 £108 £1,062 £19,217 18.1 yrs £2,028
7 kW 5473 kWh 4214 kWh 1259 kWh £1,113 £126 £1,239 £20,844 16.8 yrs £3,941
8 kW 6255 kWh 4816 kWh 1439 kWh £1,272 £144 £1,416 £22,472 15.9 yrs £5,854

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 Argyll and Bute

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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Insights for PA34

Figures below are tailored to PA34 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2922 of 2996
14.1 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£518 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2895 of 2996
40.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£518 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.5% West −19.7%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA34

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 17 Jan 36 Feb 68 Mar 100 Apr 112 May 107 Jun 104 Jul 91 Aug 65 Sep 45 Oct 25 Nov 13 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 33.3% 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 22 kWh per month; the average month produces around 65 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 87 kWh in winter, or 261 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
782kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~782 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 (96%)|Highland (4%)

Areas Covered

Oban South and the Isles, Oban North and Lorn, Fort William and Ardnamurchan

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 Northern Scotland

PA37 (Argyll and Bute)
≈6.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~779 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA34
PA64 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~778 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA34
PA35 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~729 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA34
PA63 (Argyll and Bute)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~791 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA34
PA65 (Argyll and Bute)
≈16.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~743 kWh/kWp · -5% vs PA34
PA38 (Argyll and Bute)
≈19.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~694 kWh/kWp · -11% vs PA34

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL21 (Denbighshire)
~785 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA34
CA8 (Cumberland)
~786 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA34
LL27 (Conwy)
~777 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA34