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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA38)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA38 (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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£575
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,232
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 694 kWh/kW — 121 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 694 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)
694 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: £575, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1388 kWh 555 kWh 833 kWh £147 £83 £230 £3,256 14.2 yrs £1,343
3 kW 2082 kWh 833 kWh 1249 kWh £220 £125 £345 £4,883 14.2 yrs £2,015
4 kW 2776 kWh 1110 kWh 1665 kWh £293 £167 £460 £6,511 14.2 yrs £2,686
5 kW 3470 kWh 1388 kWh 2082 kWh £367 £208 £575 £8,139 14.2 yrs £3,358
6 kW 4164 kWh 1665 kWh 2498 kWh £440 £250 £690 £9,767 14.2 yrs £4,030
7 kW 4857 kWh 1943 kWh 2914 kWh £513 £291 £805 £11,394 14.2 yrs £4,701
8 kW 5551 kWh 2221 kWh 3331 kWh £587 £333 £920 £13,022 14.2 yrs £5,373

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: £689, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 14.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1388 kWh 833 kWh 555 kWh £220 £56 £276 £5,356 19.4 yrs £155
3 kW 2082 kWh 1249 kWh 833 kWh £330 £83 £413 £6,983 16.9 yrs £1,282
4 kW 2776 kWh 1665 kWh 1110 kWh £440 £111 £551 £8,611 15.6 yrs £2,410
5 kW 3470 kWh 2082 kWh 1388 kWh £550 £139 £689 £10,239 14.9 yrs £3,537
6 kW 4164 kWh 2498 kWh 1665 kWh £660 £167 £827 £11,867 14.4 yrs £4,664
7 kW 4857 kWh 2914 kWh 1943 kWh £770 £194 £964 £13,494 14.0 yrs £5,792
8 kW 5551 kWh 3331 kWh 2221 kWh £880 £222 £1,102 £15,122 13.7 yrs £6,919

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: £746, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1388 kWh 971 kWh 416 kWh £257 £42 £298 £6,756 22.6 yrs £-789
3 kW 2082 kWh 1457 kWh 625 kWh £385 £62 £447 £8,383 18.7 yrs £566
4 kW 2776 kWh 1943 kWh 833 kWh £513 £83 £597 £10,011 16.8 yrs £1,921
5 kW 3470 kWh 2429 kWh 1041 kWh £642 £104 £746 £11,639 15.6 yrs £3,276
6 kW 4164 kWh 2914 kWh 1249 kWh £770 £125 £895 £13,267 14.8 yrs £4,632
7 kW 4857 kWh 3400 kWh 1457 kWh £898 £146 £1,044 £14,894 14.3 yrs £5,987
8 kW 5551 kWh 3886 kWh 1665 kWh £1,027 £167 £1,193 £16,522 13.8 yrs £7,342

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: £763, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1388 kWh 1013 kWh 375 kWh £268 £37 £305 £8,506 27.9 yrs £-2,403
3 kW 2082 kWh 1520 kWh 562 kWh £402 £56 £458 £10,133 22.1 yrs £-979
4 kW 2776 kWh 2026 kWh 749 kWh £535 £75 £610 £11,761 19.3 yrs £445
5 kW 3470 kWh 2533 kWh 937 kWh £669 £94 £763 £13,389 17.6 yrs £1,868
6 kW 4164 kWh 3039 kWh 1124 kWh £803 £112 £915 £15,017 16.4 yrs £3,292
7 kW 4857 kWh 3546 kWh 1312 kWh £937 £131 £1,068 £16,644 15.6 yrs £4,715
8 kW 5551 kWh 4052 kWh 1499 kWh £1,071 £150 £1,221 £18,272 15.0 yrs £6,139

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: £774, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1388 kWh 1041 kWh 347 kWh £275 £35 £310 £10,256 33.1 yrs £-4,062
3 kW 2082 kWh 1561 kWh 520 kWh £413 £52 £465 £11,883 25.6 yrs £-2,592
4 kW 2776 kWh 2082 kWh 694 kWh £550 £69 £619 £13,511 21.8 yrs £-1,123
5 kW 3470 kWh 2602 kWh 867 kWh £688 £87 £774 £15,139 19.6 yrs £346
6 kW 4164 kWh 3123 kWh 1041 kWh £825 £104 £929 £16,767 18.0 yrs £1,815
7 kW 4857 kWh 3643 kWh 1214 kWh £963 £121 £1,084 £18,394 17.0 yrs £3,284
8 kW 5551 kWh 4164 kWh 1388 kWh £1,100 £139 £1,239 £20,022 16.2 yrs £4,754

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: £786, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 22.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1388 kWh 1069 kWh 319 kWh £282 £32 £314 £12,706 40.4 yrs £-6,420
3 kW 2082 kWh 1603 kWh 479 kWh £424 £48 £471 £14,333 30.4 yrs £-4,906
4 kW 2776 kWh 2137 kWh 638 kWh £565 £64 £629 £15,961 25.4 yrs £-3,391
5 kW 3470 kWh 2672 kWh 798 kWh £706 £80 £786 £17,589 22.4 yrs £-1,876
6 kW 4164 kWh 3206 kWh 958 kWh £847 £96 £943 £19,217 20.4 yrs £-361
7 kW 4857 kWh 3740 kWh 1117 kWh £988 £112 £1,100 £20,844 19.0 yrs £1,153
8 kW 5551 kWh 4275 kWh 1277 kWh £1,129 £128 £1,257 £22,472 17.9 yrs £2,668

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for PA38

Figures below are tailored to PA38 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2984 of 2996
15.9 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£460 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2982 of 2996
45.7% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£460 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −18.9% West −19.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA38

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 11 Jan 31 Feb 60 Mar 91 Apr 102 May 98 Jun 95 Jul 80 Aug 57 Sep 38 Oct 20 Nov 10 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 30.1% 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 17 kWh per month; the average month produces around 58 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 70 kWh in winter, or 231 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
694kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~694 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 (67%)|Highland (33%)

Areas Covered

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)
≈12.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~779 kWh/kWp · +12% vs PA38
PA35 (Argyll and Bute)
≈17.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~729 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PA38
PH49 (Highland)
≈18.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~627 kWh/kWp · -10% vs PA38
PA39 (Highland)
≈18.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~583 kWh/kWp · -16% vs PA38
PA34 (Argyll and Bute)
≈19.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~782 kWh/kWp · +13% vs PA38
PA65 (Argyll and Bute)
≈24.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~743 kWh/kWp · +7% vs PA38

Similar sunshine across the UK

PH37 (Highland)
~693 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA38
PA36 (Argyll and Bute)
~698 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA38
IV54 (Highland)
~689 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA38