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Solar Panels in PA78 (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).

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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
13.9 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£731
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,101
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: 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 869 kWh/kW — 54 above 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 869 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)
869 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: £731, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1738 kWh 695 kWh 1043 kWh £188 £104 £292 £4,069 13.9 yrs £1,778
3 kW 2607 kWh 1043 kWh 1564 kWh £282 £156 £439 £6,104 13.9 yrs £2,668
4 kW 3476 kWh 1390 kWh 2085 kWh £376 £209 £585 £8,138 13.9 yrs £3,557
5 kW 4345 kWh 1738 kWh 2607 kWh £470 £261 £731 £10,173 13.9 yrs £4,446
6 kW 5213 kWh 2085 kWh 3128 kWh £564 £313 £877 £12,207 13.9 yrs £5,335
7 kW 6082 kWh 2433 kWh 3649 kWh £658 £365 £1,023 £14,242 13.9 yrs £6,224
8 kW 6951 kWh 2781 kWh 4171 kWh £752 £417 £1,169 £16,276 13.9 yrs £7,114

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: £879, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1738 kWh 1043 kWh 695 kWh £282 £70 £352 £6,169 17.5 yrs £864
3 kW 2607 kWh 1564 kWh 1043 kWh £423 £104 £527 £8,204 15.6 yrs £2,346
4 kW 3476 kWh 2085 kWh 1390 kWh £564 £139 £703 £10,238 14.6 yrs £3,829
5 kW 4345 kWh 2607 kWh 1738 kWh £705 £174 £879 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,311
6 kW 5213 kWh 3128 kWh 2085 kWh £846 £209 £1,055 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,793
7 kW 6082 kWh 3649 kWh 2433 kWh £988 £243 £1,231 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,275
8 kW 6951 kWh 4171 kWh 2781 kWh £1,129 £278 £1,407 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,757

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: £953, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 1216 kWh 521 kWh £329 £52 £381 £7,569 19.8 yrs £57
3 kW 2607 kWh 1825 kWh 782 kWh £494 £78 £572 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,836
4 kW 3476 kWh 2433 kWh 1043 kWh £658 £104 £763 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,614
5 kW 4345 kWh 3041 kWh 1303 kWh £823 £130 £953 £13,673 14.3 yrs £5,393
6 kW 5213 kWh 3649 kWh 1564 kWh £988 £156 £1,144 £15,707 13.7 yrs £7,172
7 kW 6082 kWh 4258 kWh 1825 kWh £1,152 £182 £1,335 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,950
8 kW 6951 kWh 4866 kWh 2085 kWh £1,317 £209 £1,525 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,729

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: £976, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1738 kWh 1269 kWh 469 kWh £343 £47 £390 £9,319 23.9 yrs £-1,515
3 kW 2607 kWh 1903 kWh 704 kWh £515 £70 £585 £11,354 19.4 yrs £353
4 kW 3476 kWh 2537 kWh 938 kWh £687 £94 £780 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,220
5 kW 4345 kWh 3172 kWh 1173 kWh £858 £117 £976 £15,423 15.8 yrs £4,088
6 kW 5213 kWh 3806 kWh 1408 kWh £1,030 £141 £1,171 £17,457 14.9 yrs £5,955
7 kW 6082 kWh 4440 kWh 1642 kWh £1,201 £164 £1,366 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,823
8 kW 6951 kWh 5074 kWh 1877 kWh £1,373 £188 £1,561 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,690

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: £990, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 1303 kWh 434 kWh £353 £43 £396 £11,069 27.9 yrs £-3,146
3 kW 2607 kWh 1955 kWh 652 kWh £529 £65 £594 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,219
4 kW 3476 kWh 2607 kWh 869 kWh £705 £87 £792 £15,138 19.1 yrs £707
5 kW 4345 kWh 3258 kWh 1086 kWh £882 £109 £990 £17,173 17.3 yrs £2,634
6 kW 5213 kWh 3910 kWh 1303 kWh £1,058 £130 £1,188 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,561
7 kW 6082 kWh 4562 kWh 1521 kWh £1,234 £152 £1,386 £21,242 15.3 yrs £6,488
8 kW 6951 kWh 5213 kWh 1738 kWh £1,411 £174 £1,585 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,415

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: £1,005, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 1338 kWh 400 kWh £362 £40 £402 £13,519 33.6 yrs £-5,478
3 kW 2607 kWh 2007 kWh 600 kWh £543 £60 £603 £15,554 25.8 yrs £-3,492
4 kW 3476 kWh 2676 kWh 799 kWh £724 £80 £804 £17,588 21.9 yrs £-1,505
5 kW 4345 kWh 3345 kWh 999 kWh £905 £100 £1,005 £19,623 19.5 yrs £481
6 kW 5213 kWh 4014 kWh 1199 kWh £1,086 £120 £1,206 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,467
7 kW 6082 kWh 4683 kWh 1399 kWh £1,267 £140 £1,407 £23,692 16.8 yrs £4,453
8 kW 6951 kWh 5352 kWh 1599 kWh £1,448 £160 £1,608 £25,726 16.0 yrs £6,439

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 PA78

Figures below are tailored to PA78 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2432 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£674 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2769 of 2997
33.0% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£674 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
869kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~869 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

PA74 (Argyll and Bute)
≈20.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~816 kWh/kWp · -6% vs PA78
PA77 (Argyll and Bute)
≈26.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~899 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA78
PA73 (Argyll and Bute)
≈26.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~772 kWh/kWp · -11% vs PA78
PA75 (Argyll and Bute)
≈27.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~774 kWh/kWp · -11% vs PA78
PA68 (Argyll and Bute)
≈31.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~809 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PA78
PA76 (Argyll and Bute)
≈33.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PA78

Similar sunshine across the UK

EH15 (City of Edinburgh)
~869 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA78
BT29 (Antrim and Newtownabbey)
~869 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA78
BL3 (Bolton)
~869 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA78