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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA49)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA49 (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
10.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£750
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£10,606
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 905 kWh/kW — 90 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 905 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)
905 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: £750, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 10.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1810 kWh 724 kWh 1086 kWh £191 £109 £300 £3,256 10.9 yrs £2,743
3 kW 2715 kWh 1086 kWh 1629 kWh £287 £163 £450 £4,883 10.9 yrs £4,114
4 kW 3620 kWh 1448 kWh 2172 kWh £383 £217 £600 £6,511 10.9 yrs £5,486
5 kW 4526 kWh 1810 kWh 2715 kWh £478 £272 £750 £8,139 10.9 yrs £6,857
6 kW 5431 kWh 2172 kWh 3258 kWh £574 £326 £900 £9,767 10.9 yrs £8,229
7 kW 6336 kWh 2534 kWh 3802 kWh £670 £380 £1,050 £11,394 10.9 yrs £9,600
8 kW 7241 kWh 2896 kWh 4345 kWh £765 £434 £1,200 £13,022 10.9 yrs £10,972

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: £898, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1810 kWh 1086 kWh 724 kWh £287 £72 £359 £5,356 14.9 yrs £1,832
3 kW 2715 kWh 1629 kWh 1086 kWh £430 £109 £539 £6,983 13.0 yrs £3,798
4 kW 3620 kWh 2172 kWh 1448 kWh £574 £145 £719 £8,611 12.0 yrs £5,764
5 kW 4526 kWh 2715 kWh 1810 kWh £717 £181 £898 £10,239 11.4 yrs £7,730
6 kW 5431 kWh 3258 kWh 2172 kWh £861 £217 £1,078 £11,867 11.0 yrs £9,696
7 kW 6336 kWh 3802 kWh 2534 kWh £1,004 £253 £1,258 £13,494 10.7 yrs £11,661
8 kW 7241 kWh 4345 kWh 2896 kWh £1,148 £290 £1,437 £15,122 10.5 yrs £13,627

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: £973, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1810 kWh 1267 kWh 543 kWh £335 £54 £389 £6,756 17.4 yrs £1,026
3 kW 2715 kWh 1901 kWh 815 kWh £502 £81 £584 £8,383 14.4 yrs £3,290
4 kW 3620 kWh 2534 kWh 1086 kWh £670 £109 £778 £10,011 12.9 yrs £5,553
5 kW 4526 kWh 3168 kWh 1358 kWh £837 £136 £973 £11,639 12.0 yrs £7,816
6 kW 5431 kWh 3802 kWh 1629 kWh £1,004 £163 £1,167 £13,267 11.4 yrs £10,079
7 kW 6336 kWh 4435 kWh 1901 kWh £1,172 £190 £1,362 £14,894 10.9 yrs £12,342
8 kW 7241 kWh 5069 kWh 2172 kWh £1,339 £217 £1,556 £16,522 10.6 yrs £14,605

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: £995, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 13.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1810 kWh 1321 kWh 489 kWh £349 £49 £398 £8,506 21.4 yrs £-545
3 kW 2715 kWh 1982 kWh 733 kWh £524 £73 £597 £10,133 17.0 yrs £1,807
4 kW 3620 kWh 2643 kWh 978 kWh £698 £98 £796 £11,761 14.8 yrs £4,159
5 kW 4526 kWh 3304 kWh 1222 kWh £873 £122 £995 £13,389 13.5 yrs £6,512
6 kW 5431 kWh 3964 kWh 1466 kWh £1,047 £147 £1,194 £15,017 12.6 yrs £8,864
7 kW 6336 kWh 4625 kWh 1711 kWh £1,222 £171 £1,393 £16,644 11.9 yrs £11,216
8 kW 7241 kWh 5286 kWh 1955 kWh £1,397 £196 £1,592 £18,272 11.5 yrs £13,569

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: £1,010, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1810 kWh 1358 kWh 453 kWh £359 £45 £404 £10,256 25.4 yrs £-2,176
3 kW 2715 kWh 2037 kWh 679 kWh £538 £68 £606 £11,883 19.6 yrs £235
4 kW 3620 kWh 2715 kWh 905 kWh £717 £91 £808 £13,511 16.7 yrs £2,647
5 kW 4526 kWh 3394 kWh 1131 kWh £897 £113 £1,010 £15,139 15.0 yrs £5,059
6 kW 5431 kWh 4073 kWh 1358 kWh £1,076 £136 £1,212 £16,767 13.8 yrs £7,471
7 kW 6336 kWh 4752 kWh 1584 kWh £1,255 £158 £1,414 £18,394 13.0 yrs £9,883
8 kW 7241 kWh 5431 kWh 1810 kWh £1,435 £181 £1,616 £20,022 12.4 yrs £12,294

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: £1,025, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1810 kWh 1394 kWh 416 kWh £368 £42 £410 £12,706 31.0 yrs £-4,508
3 kW 2715 kWh 2091 kWh 625 kWh £552 £62 £615 £14,333 23.3 yrs £-2,036
4 kW 3620 kWh 2788 kWh 833 kWh £737 £83 £820 £15,961 19.5 yrs £435
5 kW 4526 kWh 3485 kWh 1041 kWh £921 £104 £1,025 £17,589 17.2 yrs £2,906
6 kW 5431 kWh 4182 kWh 1249 kWh £1,105 £125 £1,230 £19,217 15.6 yrs £5,377
7 kW 6336 kWh 4879 kWh 1457 kWh £1,289 £146 £1,435 £20,844 14.5 yrs £7,849
8 kW 7241 kWh 5576 kWh 1665 kWh £1,473 £167 £1,640 £22,472 13.7 yrs £10,320

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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Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for PA49

Figures below are tailored to PA49 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2612 of 2996
12.2 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£600 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2588 of 2996
35.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£600 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.3% West −22.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA49

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 22 Jan 43 Feb 80 Mar 115 Apr 130 May 120 Jun 118 Jul 104 Aug 75 Sep 51 Oct 30 Nov 18 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 36.7% 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 28 kWh per month; the average month produces around 75 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 111 kWh in winter, or 302 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
905kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~905 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, 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

PA48 (Argyll and Bute)
≈4.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~880 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PA49
PA43 (Argyll and Bute)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA49
PA44 (Argyll and Bute)
≈7.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~866 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA49
PA47 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~901 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA49
PA45 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~855 kWh/kWp · -5% vs PA49
PA46 (Argyll and Bute)
≈17.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · -6% vs PA49

Similar sunshine across the UK

WN5 (Wigan)
~905 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA49
HX2 (Calderdale)
~905 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA49
WA2 (Warrington)
~905 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA49