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Solar Panels in PA9 (Renfrewshire)

See if solar pays off for you in Renfrewshire — 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
15.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£809
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,014
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 Southern Scotland, the current unit rate is 25.84p/kWh with a 56.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 825 kWh/kW — 25 below the regional median (850).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 6.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 825 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 25.8p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
25.8p/kWh
Standing charge
56.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
825 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: £674, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1650 kWh 660 kWh 990 kWh £171 £99 £270 £4,069 15.1 yrs £1,323
3 kW 2476 kWh 990 kWh 1485 kWh £256 £149 £404 £6,104 15.1 yrs £1,985
4 kW 3301 kWh 1320 kWh 1981 kWh £341 £198 £539 £8,138 15.1 yrs £2,647
5 kW 4126 kWh 1650 kWh 2476 kWh £426 £248 £674 £10,173 15.1 yrs £3,308
6 kW 4951 kWh 1981 kWh 2971 kWh £512 £297 £809 £12,207 15.1 yrs £3,970
7 kW 5777 kWh 2311 kWh 3466 kWh £597 £347 £944 £14,242 15.1 yrs £4,632
8 kW 6602 kWh 2641 kWh 3961 kWh £682 £396 £1,078 £16,276 15.1 yrs £5,293

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: £805, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 15.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1650 kWh 990 kWh 660 kWh £256 £66 £322 £6,169 19.2 yrs £269
3 kW 2476 kWh 1485 kWh 990 kWh £384 £99 £483 £8,204 17.0 yrs £1,454
4 kW 3301 kWh 1981 kWh 1320 kWh £512 £132 £644 £10,238 15.9 yrs £2,638
5 kW 4126 kWh 2476 kWh 1650 kWh £640 £165 £805 £12,273 15.3 yrs £3,823
6 kW 4951 kWh 2971 kWh 1981 kWh £768 £198 £966 £14,307 14.8 yrs £5,007
7 kW 5777 kWh 3466 kWh 2311 kWh £896 £231 £1,127 £16,342 14.5 yrs £6,192
8 kW 6602 kWh 3961 kWh 2641 kWh £1,024 £264 £1,288 £18,376 14.3 yrs £7,376

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: £870, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 15.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1650 kWh 1155 kWh 495 kWh £299 £50 £348 £7,569 21.7 yrs £-608
3 kW 2476 kWh 1733 kWh 743 kWh £448 £74 £522 £9,604 18.4 yrs £838
4 kW 3301 kWh 2311 kWh 990 kWh £597 £99 £696 £11,638 16.7 yrs £2,284
5 kW 4126 kWh 2888 kWh 1238 kWh £746 £124 £870 £13,673 15.7 yrs £3,730
6 kW 4951 kWh 3466 kWh 1485 kWh £896 £149 £1,044 £15,707 15.0 yrs £5,176
7 kW 5777 kWh 4044 kWh 1733 kWh £1,045 £173 £1,218 £17,742 14.6 yrs £6,622
8 kW 6602 kWh 4621 kWh 1981 kWh £1,194 £198 £1,392 £19,776 14.2 yrs £8,068

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: £890, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1650 kWh 1205 kWh 446 kWh £311 £45 £356 £9,319 26.2 yrs £-2,201
3 kW 2476 kWh 1807 kWh 668 kWh £467 £67 £534 £11,354 21.3 yrs £-677
4 kW 3301 kWh 2410 kWh 891 kWh £623 £89 £712 £13,388 18.8 yrs £847
5 kW 4126 kWh 3012 kWh 1114 kWh £778 £111 £890 £15,423 17.3 yrs £2,372
6 kW 4951 kWh 3614 kWh 1337 kWh £934 £134 £1,068 £17,457 16.4 yrs £3,896
7 kW 5777 kWh 4217 kWh 1560 kWh £1,090 £156 £1,246 £19,492 15.6 yrs £5,421
8 kW 6602 kWh 4819 kWh 1782 kWh £1,245 £178 £1,424 £21,526 15.1 yrs £6,945

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: £903, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 19.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1650 kWh 1238 kWh 413 kWh £320 £41 £361 £11,069 30.7 yrs £-3,847
3 kW 2476 kWh 1857 kWh 619 kWh £480 £62 £542 £13,104 24.2 yrs £-2,270
4 kW 3301 kWh 2476 kWh 825 kWh £640 £83 £722 £15,138 21.0 yrs £-693
5 kW 4126 kWh 3095 kWh 1032 kWh £800 £103 £903 £17,173 19.0 yrs £883
6 kW 4951 kWh 3713 kWh 1238 kWh £960 £124 £1,083 £19,207 17.7 yrs £2,460
7 kW 5777 kWh 4332 kWh 1444 kWh £1,119 £144 £1,264 £21,242 16.8 yrs £4,037
8 kW 6602 kWh 4951 kWh 1650 kWh £1,279 £165 £1,444 £23,276 16.1 yrs £5,613

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: £916, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1650 kWh 1271 kWh 380 kWh £328 £38 £366 £13,519 36.9 yrs £-6,192
3 kW 2476 kWh 1906 kWh 569 kWh £493 £57 £550 £15,554 28.3 yrs £-4,563
4 kW 3301 kWh 2542 kWh 759 kWh £657 £76 £733 £17,588 24.0 yrs £-2,934
5 kW 4126 kWh 3177 kWh 949 kWh £821 £95 £916 £19,623 21.4 yrs £-1,305
6 kW 4951 kWh 3813 kWh 1139 kWh £985 £114 £1,099 £21,657 19.7 yrs £324
7 kW 5777 kWh 4448 kWh 1329 kWh £1,149 £133 £1,282 £23,692 18.5 yrs £1,953
8 kW 6602 kWh 5083 kWh 1518 kWh £1,314 £152 £1,465 £25,726 17.6 yrs £3,582

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 PA9

Figures below are tailored to PA9 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2875 of 2997
13.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£926 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1967 of 2997
22.3% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£926 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
825kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~825 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
6.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Renfrewshire (100%)

Areas Covered

Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch, Johnstone South and Elderslie

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 Southern Scotland

PA10 (Renfrewshire)
≈2.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA9
PA5 (Renfrewshire)
≈3.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~831 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA9
PA12 (Renfrewshire)
≈4.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~848 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PA9
PA11 (Renfrewshire)
≈5.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA9
PA6 (Renfrewshire)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PA9
PA2 (Renfrewshire)
≈7.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~825 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA9

Similar sunshine across the UK

LL39 (Gwynedd)
~825 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA9
IV14 (Highland)
~825 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PA9
PH16 (Perth and Kinross)
~825 kWh/kWp · -0% vs PA9