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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA68)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA68 (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
12.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£670
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,623
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 809 kWh/kW — 6 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 809 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)
809 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: £670, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 12.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 647 kWh 971 kWh £171 £97 £268 £3,256 12.1 yrs £2,108
3 kW 2428 kWh 971 kWh 1457 kWh £257 £146 £402 £4,883 12.1 yrs £3,162
4 kW 3237 kWh 1295 kWh 1942 kWh £342 £194 £536 £6,511 12.1 yrs £4,216
5 kW 4047 kWh 1619 kWh 2428 kWh £428 £243 £670 £8,139 12.1 yrs £5,270
6 kW 4856 kWh 1942 kWh 2914 kWh £513 £291 £805 £9,767 12.1 yrs £6,324
7 kW 5665 kWh 2266 kWh 3399 kWh £599 £340 £939 £11,394 12.1 yrs £7,378
8 kW 6475 kWh 2590 kWh 3885 kWh £684 £388 £1,073 £13,022 12.1 yrs £8,433

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: £803, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 971 kWh 647 kWh £257 £65 £321 £5,356 16.7 yrs £1,071
3 kW 2428 kWh 1457 kWh 971 kWh £385 £97 £482 £6,983 14.5 yrs £2,657
4 kW 3237 kWh 1942 kWh 1295 kWh £513 £129 £643 £8,611 13.4 yrs £4,243
5 kW 4047 kWh 2428 kWh 1619 kWh £641 £162 £803 £10,239 12.7 yrs £5,828
6 kW 4856 kWh 2914 kWh 1942 kWh £770 £194 £964 £11,867 12.3 yrs £7,414
7 kW 5665 kWh 3399 kWh 2266 kWh £898 £227 £1,125 £13,494 12.0 yrs £9,000
8 kW 6475 kWh 3885 kWh 2590 kWh £1,026 £259 £1,285 £15,122 11.8 yrs £10,585

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: £870, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 13.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 1133 kWh 486 kWh £299 £49 £348 £6,756 19.4 yrs £203
3 kW 2428 kWh 1700 kWh 728 kWh £449 £73 £522 £8,383 16.1 yrs £2,054
4 kW 3237 kWh 2266 kWh 971 kWh £599 £97 £696 £10,011 14.4 yrs £3,906
5 kW 4047 kWh 2833 kWh 1214 kWh £748 £121 £870 £11,639 13.4 yrs £5,757
6 kW 4856 kWh 3399 kWh 1457 kWh £898 £146 £1,044 £13,267 12.7 yrs £7,609
7 kW 5665 kWh 3966 kWh 1700 kWh £1,048 £170 £1,218 £14,894 12.2 yrs £9,460
8 kW 6475 kWh 4532 kWh 1942 kWh £1,197 £194 £1,392 £16,522 11.9 yrs £11,311

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: £890, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1619 kWh 1182 kWh 437 kWh £312 £44 £356 £8,506 23.9 yrs £-1,388
3 kW 2428 kWh 1772 kWh 656 kWh £468 £66 £534 £10,133 19.0 yrs £544
4 kW 3237 kWh 2363 kWh 874 kWh £624 £87 £712 £11,761 16.5 yrs £2,475
5 kW 4047 kWh 2954 kWh 1093 kWh £780 £109 £890 £13,389 15.0 yrs £4,406
6 kW 4856 kWh 3545 kWh 1311 kWh £937 £131 £1,068 £15,017 14.1 yrs £6,337
7 kW 5665 kWh 4136 kWh 1530 kWh £1,093 £153 £1,246 £16,644 13.4 yrs £8,268
8 kW 6475 kWh 4727 kWh 1748 kWh £1,249 £175 £1,424 £18,272 12.8 yrs £10,199

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: £903, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 16.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1619 kWh 1214 kWh 405 kWh £321 £40 £361 £10,256 28.4 yrs £-3,031
3 kW 2428 kWh 1821 kWh 607 kWh £481 £61 £542 £11,883 21.9 yrs £-1,047
4 kW 3237 kWh 2428 kWh 809 kWh £641 £81 £722 £13,511 18.7 yrs £937
5 kW 4047 kWh 3035 kWh 1012 kWh £802 £101 £903 £15,139 16.8 yrs £2,922
6 kW 4856 kWh 3642 kWh 1214 kWh £962 £121 £1,084 £16,767 15.5 yrs £4,906
7 kW 5665 kWh 4249 kWh 1416 kWh £1,123 £142 £1,264 £18,394 14.5 yrs £6,890
8 kW 6475 kWh 4856 kWh 1619 kWh £1,283 £162 £1,445 £20,022 13.9 yrs £8,875

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: £916, Upfront: £17,589, 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 1619 kWh 1246 kWh 372 kWh £329 £37 £367 £12,706 34.7 yrs £-5,375
3 kW 2428 kWh 1870 kWh 558 kWh £494 £56 £550 £14,333 26.1 yrs £-3,338
4 kW 3237 kWh 2493 kWh 745 kWh £659 £74 £733 £15,961 21.8 yrs £-1,300
5 kW 4047 kWh 3116 kWh 931 kWh £823 £93 £916 £17,589 19.2 yrs £737
6 kW 4856 kWh 3739 kWh 1117 kWh £988 £112 £1,100 £19,217 17.5 yrs £2,775
7 kW 5665 kWh 4362 kWh 1303 kWh £1,153 £130 £1,283 £20,844 16.2 yrs £4,812
8 kW 6475 kWh 4986 kWh 1489 kWh £1,317 £149 £1,466 £22,472 15.3 yrs £6,850

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 PA68

Figures below are tailored to PA68 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2883 of 2996
13.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£536 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2798 of 2996
39.2% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£536 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −16.8% West −24.2%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA68

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 14 Jan 36 Feb 70 Mar 106 Apr 122 May 116 Jun 111 Jul 95 Aug 67 Sep 43 Oct 23 Nov 7 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 27.9% 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 19 kWh per month; the average month produces around 67 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 75 kWh in winter, or 270 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
809kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~809 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, 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

PA73 (Argyll and Bute)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~772 kWh/kWp · -5% vs PA68
PA69 (Argyll and Bute)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PA68
PA71 (Argyll and Bute)
≈10.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~768 kWh/kWp · -5% vs PA68
PA70 (Argyll and Bute)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~804 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA68
PA74 (Argyll and Bute)
≈11.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~816 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA68
PA72 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~745 kWh/kWp · -8% vs PA68

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH45 (Scottish Borders)
~810 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA68
LA21 (Westmorland and Furness)
~810 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA68
PA16 (Inverclyde)
~808 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA68