Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in PA70 (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).

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
15.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£676
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,732
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

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 804 kWh/kW — 11 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 804 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)
804 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: £676, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1608 kWh 643 kWh 965 kWh £174 £96 £270 £4,069 15.0 yrs £1,341
3 kW 2412 kWh 965 kWh 1447 kWh £261 £145 £406 £6,104 15.0 yrs £2,011
4 kW 3215 kWh 1286 kWh 1929 kWh £348 £193 £541 £8,138 15.0 yrs £2,681
5 kW 4019 kWh 1608 kWh 2412 kWh £435 £241 £676 £10,173 15.0 yrs £3,351
6 kW 4823 kWh 1929 kWh 2894 kWh £522 £289 £811 £12,207 15.0 yrs £4,022
7 kW 5627 kWh 2251 kWh 3376 kWh £609 £338 £947 £14,242 15.0 yrs £4,692
8 kW 6431 kWh 2572 kWh 3858 kWh £696 £386 £1,082 £16,276 15.0 yrs £5,362

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: £813, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1608 kWh 965 kWh 643 kWh £261 £64 £325 £6,169 19.0 yrs £338
3 kW 2412 kWh 1447 kWh 965 kWh £392 £96 £488 £8,204 16.8 yrs £1,556
4 kW 3215 kWh 1929 kWh 1286 kWh £522 £129 £651 £10,238 15.7 yrs £2,775
5 kW 4019 kWh 2412 kWh 1608 kWh £653 £161 £813 £12,273 15.1 yrs £3,994
6 kW 4823 kWh 2894 kWh 1929 kWh £783 £193 £976 £14,307 14.7 yrs £5,213
7 kW 5627 kWh 3376 kWh 2251 kWh £914 £225 £1,139 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,432
8 kW 6431 kWh 3858 kWh 2572 kWh £1,044 £257 £1,301 £18,376 14.1 yrs £7,651

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: £882, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1608 kWh 1125 kWh 482 kWh £305 £48 £353 £7,569 21.5 yrs £-514
3 kW 2412 kWh 1688 kWh 723 kWh £457 £72 £529 £9,604 18.1 yrs £979
4 kW 3215 kWh 2251 kWh 965 kWh £609 £96 £706 £11,638 16.5 yrs £2,472
5 kW 4019 kWh 2813 kWh 1206 kWh £761 £121 £882 £13,673 15.5 yrs £3,966
6 kW 4823 kWh 3376 kWh 1447 kWh £914 £145 £1,058 £15,707 14.8 yrs £5,459
7 kW 5627 kWh 3939 kWh 1688 kWh £1,066 £169 £1,235 £17,742 14.4 yrs £6,952
8 kW 6431 kWh 4502 kWh 1929 kWh £1,218 £193 £1,411 £19,776 14.0 yrs £8,445

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: £902, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1608 kWh 1174 kWh 434 kWh £318 £43 £361 £9,319 25.8 yrs £-2,099
3 kW 2412 kWh 1760 kWh 651 kWh £476 £65 £541 £11,354 21.0 yrs £-524
4 kW 3215 kWh 2347 kWh 868 kWh £635 £87 £722 £13,388 18.5 yrs £1,052
5 kW 4019 kWh 2934 kWh 1085 kWh £794 £109 £902 £15,423 17.1 yrs £2,627
6 kW 4823 kWh 3521 kWh 1302 kWh £953 £130 £1,083 £17,457 16.1 yrs £4,202
7 kW 5627 kWh 4108 kWh 1519 kWh £1,112 £152 £1,263 £19,492 15.4 yrs £5,778
8 kW 6431 kWh 4694 kWh 1736 kWh £1,270 £174 £1,444 £21,526 14.9 yrs £7,353

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: £916, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1608 kWh 1206 kWh 402 kWh £326 £40 £366 £11,069 30.2 yrs £-3,740
3 kW 2412 kWh 1809 kWh 603 kWh £489 £60 £550 £13,104 23.8 yrs £-2,109
4 kW 3215 kWh 2412 kWh 804 kWh £653 £80 £733 £15,138 20.7 yrs £-479
5 kW 4019 kWh 3014 kWh 1005 kWh £816 £100 £916 £17,173 18.7 yrs £1,151
6 kW 4823 kWh 3617 kWh 1206 kWh £979 £121 £1,099 £19,207 17.5 yrs £2,781
7 kW 5627 kWh 4220 kWh 1407 kWh £1,142 £141 £1,283 £21,242 16.6 yrs £4,412
8 kW 6431 kWh 4823 kWh 1608 kWh £1,305 £161 £1,466 £23,276 15.9 yrs £6,042

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: £930, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1608 kWh 1238 kWh 370 kWh £335 £37 £372 £13,519 36.3 yrs £-6,080
3 kW 2412 kWh 1857 kWh 555 kWh £502 £55 £558 £15,554 27.9 yrs £-4,395
4 kW 3215 kWh 2476 kWh 740 kWh £670 £74 £744 £17,588 23.6 yrs £-2,710
5 kW 4019 kWh 3095 kWh 924 kWh £837 £92 £930 £19,623 21.1 yrs £-1,025
6 kW 4823 kWh 3714 kWh 1109 kWh £1,005 £111 £1,116 £21,657 19.4 yrs £661
7 kW 5627 kWh 4333 kWh 1294 kWh £1,172 £129 £1,302 £23,692 18.2 yrs £2,346
8 kW 6431 kWh 4952 kWh 1479 kWh £1,340 £148 £1,488 £25,726 17.3 yrs £4,031

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 PA70

Figures below are tailored to PA70 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2861 of 2997
13.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£623 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2886 of 2997
35.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£623 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
804kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~804 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

PA69 (Argyll and Bute)
≈4.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA70
PA62 (Argyll and Bute)
≈10.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~829 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA70
PA68 (Argyll and Bute)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~809 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA70
PA71 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~768 kWh/kWp · -5% vs PA70
PA67 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~869 kWh/kWp · +8% vs PA70
PA73 (Argyll and Bute)
≈16.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~772 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA70

Similar sunshine across the UK

CA9 (Westmorland and Furness)
~803 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA70
KA16 (East Ayrshire)
~803 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA70
OL5 (Tameside)
~803 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA70