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Solar panel cost in Argyll and Bute (PA78)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PA78 (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
11.3 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£720
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,856
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 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 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)
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: £720, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 695 kWh 1043 kWh £184 £104 £288 £3,256 11.3 yrs £2,503
3 kW 2607 kWh 1043 kWh 1564 kWh £275 £156 £432 £4,883 11.3 yrs £3,754
4 kW 3476 kWh 1390 kWh 2085 kWh £367 £209 £576 £6,511 11.3 yrs £5,006
5 kW 4345 kWh 1738 kWh 2607 kWh £459 £261 £720 £8,139 11.3 yrs £6,257
6 kW 5213 kWh 2085 kWh 3128 kWh £551 £313 £864 £9,767 11.3 yrs £7,509
7 kW 6082 kWh 2433 kWh 3649 kWh £643 £365 £1,008 £11,394 11.3 yrs £8,760
8 kW 6951 kWh 2781 kWh 4171 kWh £735 £417 £1,152 £13,022 11.3 yrs £10,012

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: £862, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 11.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 1043 kWh 695 kWh £275 £70 £345 £5,356 15.5 yrs £1,544
3 kW 2607 kWh 1564 kWh 1043 kWh £413 £104 £517 £6,983 13.5 yrs £3,366
4 kW 3476 kWh 2085 kWh 1390 kWh £551 £139 £690 £8,611 12.5 yrs £5,189
5 kW 4345 kWh 2607 kWh 1738 kWh £689 £174 £862 £10,239 11.9 yrs £7,011
6 kW 5213 kWh 3128 kWh 2085 kWh £826 £209 £1,035 £11,867 11.5 yrs £8,833
7 kW 6082 kWh 3649 kWh 2433 kWh £964 £243 £1,207 £13,494 11.2 yrs £10,655
8 kW 6951 kWh 4171 kWh 2781 kWh £1,102 £278 £1,380 £15,122 11.0 yrs £12,477

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: £934, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 12.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 1216 kWh 521 kWh £321 £52 £374 £6,756 18.1 yrs £715
3 kW 2607 kWh 1825 kWh 782 kWh £482 £78 £560 £8,383 15.0 yrs £2,823
4 kW 3476 kWh 2433 kWh 1043 kWh £643 £104 £747 £10,011 13.4 yrs £4,930
5 kW 4345 kWh 3041 kWh 1303 kWh £803 £130 £934 £11,639 12.5 yrs £7,038
6 kW 5213 kWh 3649 kWh 1564 kWh £964 £156 £1,121 £13,267 11.8 yrs £9,145
7 kW 6082 kWh 4258 kWh 1825 kWh £1,125 £182 £1,307 £14,894 11.4 yrs £11,253
8 kW 6951 kWh 4866 kWh 2085 kWh £1,286 £209 £1,494 £16,522 11.1 yrs £13,360

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: £955, Upfront: £13,389, 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 1269 kWh 469 kWh £335 £47 £382 £8,506 22.3 yrs £-864
3 kW 2607 kWh 1903 kWh 704 kWh £503 £70 £573 £10,133 17.7 yrs £1,329
4 kW 3476 kWh 2537 kWh 938 kWh £670 £94 £764 £11,761 15.4 yrs £3,522
5 kW 4345 kWh 3172 kWh 1173 kWh £838 £117 £955 £13,389 14.0 yrs £5,716
6 kW 5213 kWh 3806 kWh 1408 kWh £1,005 £141 £1,146 £15,017 13.1 yrs £7,909
7 kW 6082 kWh 4440 kWh 1642 kWh £1,173 £164 £1,337 £16,644 12.4 yrs £10,102
8 kW 6951 kWh 5074 kWh 1877 kWh £1,341 £188 £1,528 £18,272 12.0 yrs £12,295

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: £969, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 15.6 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 £344 £43 £388 £10,256 26.4 yrs £-2,500
3 kW 2607 kWh 1955 kWh 652 kWh £517 £65 £582 £11,883 20.4 yrs £-249
4 kW 3476 kWh 2607 kWh 869 kWh £689 £87 £776 £13,511 17.4 yrs £2,001
5 kW 4345 kWh 3258 kWh 1086 kWh £861 £109 £969 £15,139 15.6 yrs £4,251
6 kW 5213 kWh 3910 kWh 1303 kWh £1,033 £130 £1,163 £16,767 14.4 yrs £6,501
7 kW 6082 kWh 4562 kWh 1521 kWh £1,205 £152 £1,357 £18,394 13.6 yrs £8,751
8 kW 6951 kWh 5213 kWh 1738 kWh £1,377 £174 £1,551 £20,022 12.9 yrs £11,001

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: £984, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 17.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1738 kWh 1338 kWh 400 kWh £354 £40 £394 £12,706 32.3 yrs £-4,835
3 kW 2607 kWh 2007 kWh 600 kWh £530 £60 £590 £14,333 24.3 yrs £-2,528
4 kW 3476 kWh 2676 kWh 799 kWh £707 £80 £787 £15,961 20.3 yrs £-221
5 kW 4345 kWh 3345 kWh 999 kWh £884 £100 £984 £17,589 17.9 yrs £2,086
6 kW 5213 kWh 4014 kWh 1199 kWh £1,061 £120 £1,181 £19,217 16.3 yrs £4,394
7 kW 6082 kWh 4683 kWh 1399 kWh £1,237 £140 £1,377 £20,844 15.1 yrs £6,701
8 kW 6951 kWh 5352 kWh 1599 kWh £1,414 £160 £1,574 £22,472 14.3 yrs £9,008

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 PA78

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

Solar Payback Index Rank #2759 of 2996
12.7 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£576 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2680 of 2996
36.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£576 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.9% West −22.6%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PA78

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 19 Jan 38 Feb 75 Mar 112 Apr 128 May 122 Jun 116 Jul 102 Aug 71 Sep 47 Oct 25 Nov 15 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 32.9% 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 24 kWh per month; the average month produces around 72 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 95 kWh in winter, or 290 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/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, 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

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