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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA73)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA73 (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
12.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£640
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,856
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 772 kWh/kW — 43 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 772 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)
772 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: £640, Upfront: £8,139, 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 1545 kWh 618 kWh 927 kWh £163 £93 £256 £3,256 12.7 yrs £1,863
3 kW 2317 kWh 927 kWh 1390 kWh £245 £139 £384 £4,883 12.7 yrs £2,794
4 kW 3089 kWh 1236 kWh 1854 kWh £326 £185 £512 £6,511 12.7 yrs £3,725
5 kW 3862 kWh 1545 kWh 2317 kWh £408 £232 £640 £8,139 12.7 yrs £4,657
6 kW 4634 kWh 1854 kWh 2780 kWh £490 £278 £768 £9,767 12.7 yrs £5,588
7 kW 5406 kWh 2162 kWh 3244 kWh £571 £324 £896 £11,394 12.7 yrs £6,520
8 kW 6178 kWh 2471 kWh 3707 kWh £653 £371 £1,024 £13,022 12.7 yrs £7,451

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: £767, Upfront: £10,239, 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 1545 kWh 927 kWh 618 kWh £245 £62 £307 £5,356 17.5 yrs £777
3 kW 2317 kWh 1390 kWh 927 kWh £367 £93 £460 £6,983 15.2 yrs £2,216
4 kW 3089 kWh 1854 kWh 1236 kWh £490 £124 £613 £8,611 14.0 yrs £3,654
5 kW 3862 kWh 2317 kWh 1545 kWh £612 £154 £767 £10,239 13.4 yrs £5,093
6 kW 4634 kWh 2780 kWh 1854 kWh £735 £185 £920 £11,867 12.9 yrs £6,532
7 kW 5406 kWh 3244 kWh 2162 kWh £857 £216 £1,073 £13,494 12.6 yrs £7,970
8 kW 6178 kWh 3707 kWh 2471 kWh £979 £247 £1,227 £15,122 12.3 yrs £9,409

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: £830, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1081 kWh 463 kWh £286 £46 £332 £6,756 20.3 yrs £-116
3 kW 2317 kWh 1622 kWh 695 kWh £428 £70 £498 £8,383 16.8 yrs £1,577
4 kW 3089 kWh 2162 kWh 927 kWh £571 £93 £664 £10,011 15.1 yrs £3,269
5 kW 3862 kWh 2703 kWh 1158 kWh £714 £116 £830 £11,639 14.0 yrs £4,961
6 kW 4634 kWh 3244 kWh 1390 kWh £857 £139 £996 £13,267 13.3 yrs £6,653
7 kW 5406 kWh 3784 kWh 1622 kWh £1,000 £162 £1,162 £14,894 12.8 yrs £8,346
8 kW 6178 kWh 4325 kWh 1854 kWh £1,143 £185 £1,328 £16,522 12.4 yrs £10,038

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: £849, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1545 kWh 1128 kWh 417 kWh £298 £42 £340 £8,506 25.0 yrs £-1,713
3 kW 2317 kWh 1691 kWh 626 kWh £447 £63 £509 £10,133 19.9 yrs £55
4 kW 3089 kWh 2255 kWh 834 kWh £596 £83 £679 £11,761 17.3 yrs £1,823
5 kW 3862 kWh 2819 kWh 1043 kWh £745 £104 £849 £13,389 15.8 yrs £3,592
6 kW 4634 kWh 3383 kWh 1251 kWh £894 £125 £1,019 £15,017 14.7 yrs £5,360
7 kW 5406 kWh 3947 kWh 1460 kWh £1,043 £146 £1,189 £16,644 14.0 yrs £7,128
8 kW 6178 kWh 4510 kWh 1668 kWh £1,192 £167 £1,358 £18,272 13.5 yrs £8,897

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: £862, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1158 kWh 386 kWh £306 £39 £345 £10,256 29.8 yrs £-3,362
3 kW 2317 kWh 1738 kWh 579 kWh £459 £58 £517 £11,883 23.0 yrs £-1,543
4 kW 3089 kWh 2317 kWh 772 kWh £612 £77 £689 £13,511 19.6 yrs £276
5 kW 3862 kWh 2896 kWh 965 kWh £765 £97 £862 £15,139 17.6 yrs £2,095
6 kW 4634 kWh 3475 kWh 1158 kWh £918 £116 £1,034 £16,767 16.2 yrs £3,914
7 kW 5406 kWh 4055 kWh 1352 kWh £1,071 £135 £1,206 £18,394 15.2 yrs £5,733
8 kW 6178 kWh 4634 kWh 1545 kWh £1,224 £154 £1,379 £20,022 14.5 yrs £7,552

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: £874, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 20.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1545 kWh 1189 kWh 355 kWh £314 £36 £350 £12,706 36.3 yrs £-5,710
3 kW 2317 kWh 1784 kWh 533 kWh £471 £53 £525 £14,333 27.3 yrs £-3,841
4 kW 3089 kWh 2379 kWh 711 kWh £628 £71 £700 £15,961 22.8 yrs £-1,971
5 kW 3862 kWh 2973 kWh 888 kWh £786 £89 £874 £17,589 20.1 yrs £-101
6 kW 4634 kWh 3568 kWh 1066 kWh £943 £107 £1,049 £19,217 18.3 yrs £1,769
7 kW 5406 kWh 4163 kWh 1243 kWh £1,100 £124 £1,224 £20,844 17.0 yrs £3,638
8 kW 6178 kWh 4757 kWh 1421 kWh £1,257 £142 £1,399 £22,472 16.1 yrs £5,508

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 PA73

Figures below are tailored to PA73 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2938 of 2996
14.3 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£512 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2920 of 2996
41.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£512 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −17.5% West −20.9%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA73

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 15 Jan 33 Feb 67 Mar 102 Apr 114 May 110 Jun 104 Jul 90 Aug 62 Sep 41 Oct 22 Nov 12 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 31.4% 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 20 kWh per month; the average month produces around 64 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 81 kWh in winter, or 257 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
772kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~772 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

PA68 (Argyll and Bute)
≈5.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~809 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PA73
PA74 (Argyll and Bute)
≈6.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~816 kWh/kWp · +6% vs PA73
PA71 (Argyll and Bute)
≈11.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~768 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA73
PA69 (Argyll and Bute)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~827 kWh/kWp · +7% vs PA73
PA72 (Argyll and Bute)
≈14.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~745 kWh/kWp · -4% vs PA73
PA75 (Argyll and Bute)
≈16.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~774 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA73

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA14 (Inverclyde)
~772 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA73
LL27 (Conwy)
~777 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA73
CA12 (Cumberland)
~767 kWh/kWp · -1% vs PA73