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Solar panel cost in Highland (PH38)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PH38 (Highland) 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
15.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£536
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,260
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 647 kWh/kW — 168 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 647 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)
647 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: £536, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 15.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1294 kWh 518 kWh 776 kWh £137 £78 £214 £3,256 15.2 yrs £1,032
3 kW 1941 kWh 776 kWh 1165 kWh £205 £116 £322 £4,883 15.2 yrs £1,548
4 kW 2588 kWh 1035 kWh 1553 kWh £273 £155 £429 £6,511 15.2 yrs £2,064
5 kW 3235 kWh 1294 kWh 1941 kWh £342 £194 £536 £8,139 15.2 yrs £2,580
6 kW 3882 kWh 1553 kWh 2329 kWh £410 £233 £643 £9,767 15.2 yrs £3,096
7 kW 4529 kWh 1811 kWh 2717 kWh £479 £272 £750 £11,394 15.2 yrs £3,612
8 kW 5176 kWh 2070 kWh 3105 kWh £547 £311 £858 £13,022 15.2 yrs £4,128

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: £642, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 15.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1294 kWh 776 kWh 518 kWh £205 £52 £257 £5,356 20.8 yrs £-218
3 kW 1941 kWh 1165 kWh 776 kWh £308 £78 £385 £6,983 18.1 yrs £723
4 kW 2588 kWh 1553 kWh 1035 kWh £410 £104 £514 £8,611 16.8 yrs £1,664
5 kW 3235 kWh 1941 kWh 1294 kWh £513 £129 £642 £10,239 15.9 yrs £2,605
6 kW 3882 kWh 2329 kWh 1553 kWh £615 £155 £771 £11,867 15.4 yrs £3,546
7 kW 4529 kWh 2717 kWh 1811 kWh £718 £181 £899 £13,494 15.0 yrs £4,487
8 kW 5176 kWh 3105 kWh 2070 kWh £820 £207 £1,027 £15,122 14.7 yrs £5,427

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: £695, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1294 kWh 906 kWh 388 kWh £239 £39 £278 £6,756 24.3 yrs £-1,193
3 kW 1941 kWh 1359 kWh 582 kWh £359 £58 £417 £8,383 20.1 yrs £-40
4 kW 2588 kWh 1811 kWh 776 kWh £479 £78 £556 £10,011 18.0 yrs £1,114
5 kW 3235 kWh 2264 kWh 970 kWh £598 £97 £695 £11,639 16.7 yrs £2,267
6 kW 3882 kWh 2717 kWh 1165 kWh £718 £116 £834 £13,267 15.9 yrs £3,420
7 kW 4529 kWh 3170 kWh 1359 kWh £838 £136 £973 £14,894 15.3 yrs £4,574
8 kW 5176 kWh 3623 kWh 1553 kWh £957 £155 £1,112 £16,522 14.9 yrs £5,727

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: £711, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 18.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1294 kWh 945 kWh 349 kWh £250 £35 £284 £8,506 29.9 yrs £-2,816
3 kW 1941 kWh 1417 kWh 524 kWh £374 £52 £427 £10,133 23.7 yrs £-1,599
4 kW 2588 kWh 1889 kWh 699 kWh £499 £70 £569 £11,761 20.7 yrs £-381
5 kW 3235 kWh 2361 kWh 873 kWh £624 £87 £711 £13,389 18.8 yrs £836
6 kW 3882 kWh 2834 kWh 1048 kWh £749 £105 £853 £15,017 17.6 yrs £2,053
7 kW 4529 kWh 3306 kWh 1223 kWh £873 £122 £996 £16,644 16.7 yrs £3,270
8 kW 5176 kWh 3778 kWh 1397 kWh £998 £140 £1,138 £18,272 16.1 yrs £4,487

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: £722, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 21.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1294 kWh 970 kWh 323 kWh £256 £32 £289 £10,256 35.5 yrs £-4,481
3 kW 1941 kWh 1456 kWh 485 kWh £385 £49 £433 £11,883 27.4 yrs £-3,221
4 kW 2588 kWh 1941 kWh 647 kWh £513 £65 £577 £13,511 23.4 yrs £-1,962
5 kW 3235 kWh 2426 kWh 809 kWh £641 £81 £722 £15,139 21.0 yrs £-702
6 kW 3882 kWh 2911 kWh 970 kWh £769 £97 £866 £16,767 19.4 yrs £558
7 kW 4529 kWh 3397 kWh 1132 kWh £897 £113 £1,011 £18,394 18.2 yrs £1,817
8 kW 5176 kWh 3882 kWh 1294 kWh £1,026 £129 £1,155 £20,022 17.3 yrs £3,077

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: £732, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 24.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1294 kWh 996 kWh 298 kWh £263 £30 £293 £12,706 43.4 yrs £-6,846
3 kW 1941 kWh 1494 kWh 446 kWh £395 £45 £439 £14,333 32.6 yrs £-5,544
4 kW 2588 kWh 1993 kWh 595 kWh £526 £60 £586 £15,961 27.2 yrs £-4,242
5 kW 3235 kWh 2491 kWh 744 kWh £658 £74 £732 £17,589 24.0 yrs £-2,939
6 kW 3882 kWh 2989 kWh 893 kWh £790 £89 £879 £19,217 21.9 yrs £-1,637
7 kW 4529 kWh 3487 kWh 1042 kWh £921 £104 £1,025 £20,844 20.3 yrs £-335
8 kW 5176 kWh 3985 kWh 1190 kWh £1,053 £119 £1,172 £22,472 19.2 yrs £967

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 Highland

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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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for PH38

Figures below are tailored to PH38 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2993 of 2996
17.0 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£429 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2992 of 2996
49.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£429 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −12.5% West −14.3%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PH38

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 4 Jan 17 Feb 58 Mar 94 Apr 104 May 98 Jun 95 Jul 81 Aug 56 Sep 30 Oct 6 Nov 3 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 14.7% 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 8 kWh per month; the average month produces around 54 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 32 kWh in winter, or 216 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
647kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~647 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

Highland (100%)

Areas Covered

Fort William and Ardnamurchan, Caol and Mallaig

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

PH39 (Highland)
≈9.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~735 kWh/kWp · +14% vs PH38
PH40 (Highland)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~732 kWh/kWp · +13% vs PH38
PH37 (Highland)
≈16.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~693 kWh/kWp · +7% vs PH38
PH36 (Highland)
≈17.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~746 kWh/kWp · +15% vs PH38
PH41 (Highland)
≈17.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~799 kWh/kWp · +23% vs PH38
IV45 (Highland)
≈25.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~749 kWh/kWp · +16% vs PH38

Similar sunshine across the UK

PH50 (Highland)
~653 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PH38
PA40 (Highland)
~633 kWh/kWp · -2% vs PH38
PH49 (Highland)
~627 kWh/kWp · -3% vs PH38