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Solar Panels in PA63 (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
15.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£665
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,461
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 791 kWh/kW — 24 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 791 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)
791 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: £665, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1582 kWh 633 kWh 949 kWh £171 £95 £266 £4,069 15.3 yrs £1,254
3 kW 2373 kWh 949 kWh 1424 kWh £257 £142 £399 £6,104 15.3 yrs £1,880
4 kW 3164 kWh 1265 kWh 1898 kWh £342 £190 £532 £8,138 15.3 yrs £2,507
5 kW 3955 kWh 1582 kWh 2373 kWh £428 £237 £665 £10,173 15.3 yrs £3,134
6 kW 4746 kWh 1898 kWh 2847 kWh £514 £285 £798 £12,207 15.3 yrs £3,761
7 kW 5537 kWh 2215 kWh 3322 kWh £599 £332 £931 £14,242 15.3 yrs £4,388
8 kW 6327 kWh 2531 kWh 3796 kWh £685 £380 £1,065 £16,276 15.3 yrs £5,014

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: £800, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1582 kWh 949 kWh 633 kWh £257 £63 £320 £6,169 19.3 yrs £233
3 kW 2373 kWh 1424 kWh 949 kWh £385 £95 £480 £8,204 17.1 yrs £1,400
4 kW 3164 kWh 1898 kWh 1265 kWh £514 £127 £640 £10,238 16.0 yrs £2,566
5 kW 3955 kWh 2373 kWh 1582 kWh £642 £158 £800 £12,273 15.3 yrs £3,733
6 kW 4746 kWh 2847 kWh 1898 kWh £770 £190 £960 £14,307 14.9 yrs £4,899
7 kW 5537 kWh 3322 kWh 2215 kWh £899 £221 £1,120 £16,342 14.6 yrs £6,066
8 kW 6327 kWh 3796 kWh 2531 kWh £1,027 £253 £1,280 £18,376 14.4 yrs £7,232

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: £868, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1582 kWh 1107 kWh 475 kWh £300 £47 £347 £7,569 21.8 yrs £-627
3 kW 2373 kWh 1661 kWh 712 kWh £449 £71 £521 £9,604 18.4 yrs £809
4 kW 3164 kWh 2215 kWh 949 kWh £599 £95 £694 £11,638 16.8 yrs £2,246
5 kW 3955 kWh 2768 kWh 1186 kWh £749 £119 £868 £13,673 15.8 yrs £3,682
6 kW 4746 kWh 3322 kWh 1424 kWh £899 £142 £1,041 £15,707 15.1 yrs £5,118
7 kW 5537 kWh 3876 kWh 1661 kWh £1,049 £166 £1,215 £17,742 14.6 yrs £6,555
8 kW 6327 kWh 4429 kWh 1898 kWh £1,199 £190 £1,388 £19,776 14.2 yrs £7,991

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: £888, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1582 kWh 1155 kWh 427 kWh £312 £43 £355 £9,319 26.2 yrs £-2,215
3 kW 2373 kWh 1732 kWh 641 kWh £469 £64 £533 £11,354 21.3 yrs £-698
4 kW 3164 kWh 2310 kWh 854 kWh £625 £85 £710 £13,388 18.8 yrs £819
5 kW 3955 kWh 2887 kWh 1068 kWh £781 £107 £888 £15,423 17.4 yrs £2,337
6 kW 4746 kWh 3464 kWh 1281 kWh £937 £128 £1,066 £17,457 16.4 yrs £3,854
7 kW 5537 kWh 4042 kWh 1495 kWh £1,094 £149 £1,243 £19,492 15.7 yrs £5,372
8 kW 6327 kWh 4619 kWh 1708 kWh £1,250 £171 £1,421 £21,526 15.2 yrs £6,889

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: £901, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1582 kWh 1186 kWh 395 kWh £321 £40 £361 £11,069 30.7 yrs £-3,857
3 kW 2373 kWh 1780 kWh 593 kWh £482 £59 £541 £13,104 24.2 yrs £-2,286
4 kW 3164 kWh 2373 kWh 791 kWh £642 £79 £721 £15,138 21.0 yrs £-715
5 kW 3955 kWh 2966 kWh 989 kWh £803 £99 £901 £17,173 19.0 yrs £857
6 kW 4746 kWh 3559 kWh 1186 kWh £963 £119 £1,082 £19,207 17.8 yrs £2,428
7 kW 5537 kWh 4152 kWh 1384 kWh £1,124 £138 £1,262 £21,242 16.8 yrs £3,999
8 kW 6327 kWh 4746 kWh 1582 kWh £1,284 £158 £1,442 £23,276 16.1 yrs £5,571

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: £915, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1582 kWh 1218 kWh 364 kWh £330 £36 £366 £13,519 36.9 yrs £-6,199
3 kW 2373 kWh 1827 kWh 546 kWh £494 £55 £549 £15,554 28.3 yrs £-4,574
4 kW 3164 kWh 2436 kWh 728 kWh £659 £73 £732 £17,588 24.0 yrs £-2,949
5 kW 3955 kWh 3045 kWh 910 kWh £824 £91 £915 £19,623 21.4 yrs £-1,323
6 kW 4746 kWh 3654 kWh 1091 kWh £989 £109 £1,098 £21,657 19.7 yrs £302
7 kW 5537 kWh 4263 kWh 1273 kWh £1,154 £127 £1,281 £23,692 18.5 yrs £1,927
8 kW 6327 kWh 4872 kWh 1455 kWh £1,318 £146 £1,464 £25,726 17.6 yrs £3,553

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 PA63

Figures below are tailored to PA63 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2893 of 2997
13.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£613 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2900 of 2997
36.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£613 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
791kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~791 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

Oban South and the Isles

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

PA64 (Argyll and Bute)
≈6.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~778 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PA63
PA62 (Argyll and Bute)
≈8.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PA63
PA65 (Argyll and Bute)
≈10.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~743 kWh/kWp · -6% vs PA63
PA34 (Argyll and Bute)
≈15.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~782 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA63
PA70 (Argyll and Bute)
≈18.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~804 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PA63
PA71 (Argyll and Bute)
≈19.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~768 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PA63

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL57 (Gwynedd)
~792 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA63
CA17 (Westmorland and Furness)
~792 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA63
PA18 (Inverclyde)
~789 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA63