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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA72)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA72 (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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£617
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,284
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 745 kWh/kW — 70 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 745 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)
745 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: £617, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 13.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 596 kWh 894 kWh £157 £89 £247 £3,256 13.2 yrs £1,680
3 kW 2234 kWh 894 kWh 1340 kWh £236 £134 £370 £4,883 13.2 yrs £2,520
4 kW 2979 kWh 1192 kWh 1787 kWh £315 £179 £494 £6,511 13.2 yrs £3,360
5 kW 3724 kWh 1489 kWh 2234 kWh £394 £223 £617 £8,139 13.2 yrs £4,200
6 kW 4468 kWh 1787 kWh 2681 kWh £472 £268 £740 £9,767 13.2 yrs £5,040
7 kW 5213 kWh 2085 kWh 3128 kWh £551 £313 £864 £11,394 13.2 yrs £5,880
8 kW 5958 kWh 2383 kWh 3575 kWh £630 £357 £987 £13,022 13.2 yrs £6,720

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: £739, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 13.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 894 kWh 596 kWh £236 £60 £296 £5,356 18.1 yrs £558
3 kW 2234 kWh 1340 kWh 894 kWh £354 £89 £444 £6,983 15.7 yrs £1,887
4 kW 2979 kWh 1787 kWh 1192 kWh £472 £119 £591 £8,611 14.6 yrs £3,216
5 kW 3724 kWh 2234 kWh 1489 kWh £590 £149 £739 £10,239 13.9 yrs £4,545
6 kW 4468 kWh 2681 kWh 1787 kWh £708 £179 £887 £11,867 13.4 yrs £5,874
7 kW 5213 kWh 3128 kWh 2085 kWh £826 £209 £1,035 £13,494 13.0 yrs £7,204
8 kW 5958 kWh 3575 kWh 2383 kWh £944 £238 £1,183 £15,122 12.8 yrs £8,533

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: £800, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1043 kWh 447 kWh £275 £45 £320 £6,756 21.1 yrs £-353
3 kW 2234 kWh 1564 kWh 670 kWh £413 £67 £480 £8,383 17.5 yrs £1,221
4 kW 2979 kWh 2085 kWh 894 kWh £551 £89 £640 £10,011 15.6 yrs £2,795
5 kW 3724 kWh 2607 kWh 1117 kWh £689 £112 £800 £11,639 14.5 yrs £4,368
6 kW 4468 kWh 3128 kWh 1340 kWh £826 £134 £960 £13,267 13.8 yrs £5,942
7 kW 5213 kWh 3649 kWh 1564 kWh £964 £156 £1,120 £14,894 13.3 yrs £7,515
8 kW 5958 kWh 4170 kWh 1787 kWh £1,102 £179 £1,281 £16,522 12.9 yrs £9,089

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: £819, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1087 kWh 402 kWh £287 £40 £327 £8,506 26.0 yrs £-1,956
3 kW 2234 kWh 1631 kWh 603 kWh £431 £60 £491 £10,133 20.6 yrs £-309
4 kW 2979 kWh 2175 kWh 804 kWh £575 £80 £655 £11,761 18.0 yrs £1,338
5 kW 3724 kWh 2718 kWh 1005 kWh £718 £101 £819 £13,389 16.4 yrs £2,985
6 kW 4468 kWh 3262 kWh 1206 kWh £862 £121 £982 £15,017 15.3 yrs £4,632
7 kW 5213 kWh 3806 kWh 1408 kWh £1,005 £141 £1,146 £16,644 14.5 yrs £6,279
8 kW 5958 kWh 4349 kWh 1609 kWh £1,149 £161 £1,310 £18,272 13.9 yrs £7,926

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: £831, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 18.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1117 kWh 372 kWh £295 £37 £332 £10,256 30.9 yrs £-3,608
3 kW 2234 kWh 1676 kWh 559 kWh £443 £56 £499 £11,883 23.8 yrs £-1,912
4 kW 2979 kWh 2234 kWh 745 kWh £590 £74 £665 £13,511 20.3 yrs £-216
5 kW 3724 kWh 2793 kWh 931 kWh £738 £93 £831 £15,139 18.2 yrs £1,480
6 kW 4468 kWh 3351 kWh 1117 kWh £885 £112 £997 £16,767 16.8 yrs £3,176
7 kW 5213 kWh 3910 kWh 1303 kWh £1,033 £130 £1,163 £18,394 15.8 yrs £4,871
8 kW 5958 kWh 4468 kWh 1489 kWh £1,181 £149 £1,329 £20,022 15.1 yrs £6,567

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: £843, Upfront: £17,589, 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 1489 kWh 1147 kWh 343 kWh £303 £34 £337 £12,706 37.7 yrs £-5,960
3 kW 2234 kWh 1720 kWh 514 kWh £455 £51 £506 £14,333 28.3 yrs £-4,215
4 kW 2979 kWh 2294 kWh 685 kWh £606 £69 £675 £15,961 23.7 yrs £-2,471
5 kW 3724 kWh 2867 kWh 856 kWh £758 £86 £843 £17,589 20.9 yrs £-726
6 kW 4468 kWh 3441 kWh 1028 kWh £909 £103 £1,012 £19,217 19.0 yrs £1,019
7 kW 5213 kWh 4014 kWh 1199 kWh £1,061 £120 £1,180 £20,844 17.7 yrs £2,764
8 kW 5958 kWh 4587 kWh 1370 kWh £1,212 £137 £1,349 £22,472 16.7 yrs £4,509

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 PA72

Figures below are tailored to PA72 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2952 of 2996
14.8 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£494 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2949 of 2996
42.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£494 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −16.8% West −19.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA72

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 14 Jan 33 Feb 64 Mar 99 Apr 110 May 105 Jun 101 Jul 86 Aug 61 Sep 41 Oct 21 Nov 11 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 30.9% 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 62 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 77 kWh in winter, or 248 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
745kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~745 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

PA71 (Argyll and Bute)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~768 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA72
PA75 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~774 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PA72
PA73 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~772 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PA72
PA68 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~809 kWh/kWp · +9% vs PA72
PA65 (Argyll and Bute)
≈15.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~743 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA72
PA69 (Argyll and Bute)
≈17.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · +11% vs PA72

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA72
DL11 (North Yorkshire)
~765 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA72
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA72