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Solar Panels in PA40 (Highland)

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

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
19.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£532
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£3,130
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 633 kWh/kW — 182 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 633 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)
633 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: £532, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 19.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1265 kWh 506 kWh 759 kWh £137 £76 £213 £4,069 19.1 yrs £188
3 kW 1898 kWh 759 kWh 1139 kWh £205 £114 £319 £6,104 19.1 yrs £282
4 kW 2530 kWh 1012 kWh 1518 kWh £274 £152 £426 £8,138 19.1 yrs £375
5 kW 3163 kWh 1265 kWh 1898 kWh £342 £190 £532 £10,173 19.1 yrs £469
6 kW 3795 kWh 1518 kWh 2277 kWh £411 £228 £639 £12,207 19.1 yrs £563
7 kW 4428 kWh 1771 kWh 2657 kWh £479 £266 £745 £14,242 19.1 yrs £657
8 kW 5060 kWh 2024 kWh 3036 kWh £548 £304 £851 £16,276 19.1 yrs £751

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: £640, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 19.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1265 kWh 759 kWh 506 kWh £205 £51 £256 £6,169 24.1 yrs £-1,049
3 kW 1898 kWh 1139 kWh 759 kWh £308 £76 £384 £8,204 21.4 yrs £-523
4 kW 2530 kWh 1518 kWh 1012 kWh £411 £101 £512 £10,238 20.0 yrs £2
5 kW 3163 kWh 1898 kWh 1265 kWh £513 £127 £640 £12,273 19.2 yrs £528
6 kW 3795 kWh 2277 kWh 1518 kWh £616 £152 £768 £14,307 18.6 yrs £1,053
7 kW 4428 kWh 2657 kWh 1771 kWh £719 £177 £896 £16,342 18.2 yrs £1,579
8 kW 5060 kWh 3036 kWh 2024 kWh £822 £202 £1,024 £18,376 17.9 yrs £2,104

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: £694, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 19.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1265 kWh 886 kWh 380 kWh £240 £38 £278 £7,569 27.3 yrs £-2,017
3 kW 1898 kWh 1328 kWh 569 kWh £359 £57 £416 £9,604 23.1 yrs £-1,276
4 kW 2530 kWh 1771 kWh 759 kWh £479 £76 £555 £11,638 21.0 yrs £-535
5 kW 3163 kWh 2214 kWh 949 kWh £599 £95 £694 £13,673 19.7 yrs £207
6 kW 3795 kWh 2657 kWh 1139 kWh £719 £114 £833 £15,707 18.9 yrs £948
7 kW 4428 kWh 3099 kWh 1328 kWh £839 £133 £972 £17,742 18.3 yrs £1,689
8 kW 5060 kWh 3542 kWh 1518 kWh £959 £152 £1,110 £19,776 17.8 yrs £2,431

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: £710, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 21.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1265 kWh 924 kWh 342 kWh £250 £34 £284 £9,319 32.8 yrs £-3,638
3 kW 1898 kWh 1385 kWh 512 kWh £375 £51 £426 £11,354 26.6 yrs £-2,832
4 kW 2530 kWh 1847 kWh 683 kWh £500 £68 £568 £13,388 23.6 yrs £-2,026
5 kW 3163 kWh 2309 kWh 854 kWh £625 £85 £710 £15,423 21.7 yrs £-1,220
6 kW 3795 kWh 2771 kWh 1025 kWh £750 £102 £852 £17,457 20.5 yrs £-414
7 kW 4428 kWh 3232 kWh 1196 kWh £875 £120 £994 £19,492 19.6 yrs £393
8 kW 5060 kWh 3694 kWh 1366 kWh £1,000 £137 £1,136 £21,526 18.9 yrs £1,199

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: £721, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 23.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1265 kWh 949 kWh 316 kWh £257 £32 £288 £11,069 38.4 yrs £-5,302
3 kW 1898 kWh 1423 kWh 474 kWh £385 £47 £433 £13,104 30.3 yrs £-4,452
4 kW 2530 kWh 1898 kWh 633 kWh £513 £63 £577 £15,138 26.2 yrs £-3,603
5 kW 3163 kWh 2372 kWh 791 kWh £642 £79 £721 £17,173 23.8 yrs £-2,754
6 kW 3795 kWh 2846 kWh 949 kWh £770 £95 £865 £19,207 22.2 yrs £-1,905
7 kW 4428 kWh 3321 kWh 1107 kWh £899 £111 £1,009 £21,242 21.0 yrs £-1,055
8 kW 5060 kWh 3795 kWh 1265 kWh £1,027 £127 £1,153 £23,276 20.2 yrs £-206

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: £732, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 26.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1265 kWh 974 kWh 291 kWh £264 £29 £293 £13,519 46.2 yrs £-7,665
3 kW 1898 kWh 1461 kWh 436 kWh £395 £44 £439 £15,554 35.4 yrs £-6,773
4 kW 2530 kWh 1948 kWh 582 kWh £527 £58 £585 £17,588 30.0 yrs £-5,880
5 kW 3163 kWh 2435 kWh 727 kWh £659 £73 £732 £19,623 26.8 yrs £-4,988
6 kW 3795 kWh 2922 kWh 873 kWh £791 £87 £878 £21,657 24.7 yrs £-4,096
7 kW 4428 kWh 3409 kWh 1018 kWh £923 £102 £1,024 £23,692 23.1 yrs £-3,203
8 kW 5060 kWh 3896 kWh 1164 kWh £1,054 £116 £1,171 £25,726 22.0 yrs £-2,311

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 PA40

Figures below are tailored to PA40 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2995 of 2997
16.6 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£490 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2995 of 2997
45.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£490 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
633kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~633 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

Highland (100%)

Areas Covered

Fort William and Ardnamurchan

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

PH50 (Highland)
≈0.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~653 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA40
PA39 (Highland)
≈11.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~583 kWh/kWp · -8% vs PA40
PH49 (Highland)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~627 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA40
PH33 (Highland)
≈14.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~668 kWh/kWp · +6% vs PA40
PH34 (Highland)
≈19.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~701 kWh/kWp · +11% vs PA40
PH31 (Highland)
≈21.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~711 kWh/kWp · +12% vs PA40

Similar sunshine across the UK

PH49 (Highland)
~627 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA40
PH38 (Highland)
~647 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PA40
PH50 (Highland)
~653 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA40