Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in PA7 (Renfrewshire)

See if solar pays off for you in Renfrewshire — 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
14.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£828
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,497
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 845 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.8p/kWh
Standing charge
56.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
845 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: £690, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 676 kWh 1014 kWh £175 £101 £276 £4,069 14.7 yrs £1,452
3 kW 2535 kWh 1014 kWh 1521 kWh £262 £152 £414 £6,104 14.7 yrs £2,178
4 kW 3380 kWh 1352 kWh 2028 kWh £349 £203 £552 £8,138 14.7 yrs £2,904
5 kW 4225 kWh 1690 kWh 2535 kWh £437 £253 £690 £10,173 14.7 yrs £3,630
6 kW 5070 kWh 2028 kWh 3042 kWh £524 £304 £828 £12,207 14.7 yrs £4,356
7 kW 5915 kWh 2366 kWh 3549 kWh £611 £355 £966 £14,242 14.7 yrs £5,083
8 kW 6760 kWh 2704 kWh 4056 kWh £699 £406 £1,104 £16,276 14.7 yrs £5,809

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: £824, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1690 kWh 1014 kWh 676 kWh £262 £68 £330 £6,169 18.7 yrs £423
3 kW 2535 kWh 1521 kWh 1014 kWh £393 £101 £494 £8,204 16.6 yrs £1,684
4 kW 3380 kWh 2028 kWh 1352 kWh £524 £135 £659 £10,238 15.5 yrs £2,946
5 kW 4225 kWh 2535 kWh 1690 kWh £655 £169 £824 £12,273 14.9 yrs £4,207
6 kW 5070 kWh 3042 kWh 2028 kWh £786 £203 £989 £14,307 14.5 yrs £5,469
7 kW 5915 kWh 3549 kWh 2366 kWh £917 £237 £1,154 £16,342 14.2 yrs £6,730
8 kW 6760 kWh 4056 kWh 2704 kWh £1,048 £270 £1,318 £18,376 13.9 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.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £891, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1690 kWh 1183 kWh 507 kWh £306 £51 £356 £7,569 21.2 yrs £-442
3 kW 2535 kWh 1774 kWh 760 kWh £458 £76 £535 £9,604 18.0 yrs £1,087
4 kW 3380 kWh 2366 kWh 1014 kWh £611 £101 £713 £11,638 16.3 yrs £2,616
5 kW 4225 kWh 2957 kWh 1267 kWh £764 £127 £891 £13,673 15.3 yrs £4,146
6 kW 5070 kWh 3549 kWh 1521 kWh £917 £152 £1,069 £15,707 14.7 yrs £5,675
7 kW 5915 kWh 4140 kWh 1774 kWh £1,070 £177 £1,247 £17,742 14.2 yrs £7,204
8 kW 6760 kWh 4732 kWh 2028 kWh £1,223 £203 £1,425 £19,776 13.9 yrs £8,733

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: £911, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1234 kWh 456 kWh £319 £46 £364 £9,319 25.6 yrs £-2,031
3 kW 2535 kWh 1850 kWh 684 kWh £478 £68 £547 £11,354 20.8 yrs £-422
4 kW 3380 kWh 2467 kWh 913 kWh £638 £91 £729 £13,388 18.4 yrs £1,188
5 kW 4225 kWh 3084 kWh 1141 kWh £797 £114 £911 £15,423 16.9 yrs £2,797
6 kW 5070 kWh 3701 kWh 1369 kWh £956 £137 £1,093 £17,457 16.0 yrs £4,406
7 kW 5915 kWh 4318 kWh 1597 kWh £1,116 £160 £1,275 £19,492 15.3 yrs £6,016
8 kW 6760 kWh 4934 kWh 1825 kWh £1,275 £183 £1,458 £21,526 14.8 yrs £7,625

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: £924, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1267 kWh 422 kWh £327 £42 £370 £11,069 29.9 yrs £-3,674
3 kW 2535 kWh 1901 kWh 634 kWh £491 £63 £555 £13,104 23.6 yrs £-2,011
4 kW 3380 kWh 2535 kWh 845 kWh £655 £84 £739 £15,138 20.5 yrs £-348
5 kW 4225 kWh 3169 kWh 1056 kWh £819 £106 £924 £17,173 18.6 yrs £1,315
6 kW 5070 kWh 3802 kWh 1267 kWh £982 £127 £1,109 £19,207 17.3 yrs £2,978
7 kW 5915 kWh 4436 kWh 1479 kWh £1,146 £148 £1,294 £21,242 16.4 yrs £4,641
8 kW 6760 kWh 5070 kWh 1690 kWh £1,310 £169 £1,479 £23,276 15.7 yrs £6,304

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: £938, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1690 kWh 1301 kWh 389 kWh £336 £39 £375 £13,519 36.0 yrs £-6,017
3 kW 2535 kWh 1952 kWh 583 kWh £504 £58 £563 £15,554 27.6 yrs £-4,301
4 kW 3380 kWh 2602 kWh 777 kWh £672 £78 £750 £17,588 23.4 yrs £-2,584
5 kW 4225 kWh 3253 kWh 972 kWh £841 £97 £938 £19,623 20.9 yrs £-868
6 kW 5070 kWh 3904 kWh 1166 kWh £1,009 £117 £1,125 £21,657 19.2 yrs £849
7 kW 5915 kWh 4554 kWh 1360 kWh £1,177 £136 £1,313 £23,692 18.0 yrs £2,565
8 kW 6760 kWh 5205 kWh 1555 kWh £1,345 £155 £1,500 £25,726 17.1 yrs £4,282

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
845kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~845 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Renfrewshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank, Erskine and Inchinnan

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.