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Solar Panels in PH40 (Highland)

See if solar pays off for you in Highland — 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
16.5 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£616
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,227
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 732 kWh/kW — 83 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 732 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)
732 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: £616, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 16.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1464 kWh 586 kWh 879 kWh £159 £88 £246 £4,069 16.5 yrs £859
3 kW 2197 kWh 879 kWh 1318 kWh £238 £132 £370 £6,104 16.5 yrs £1,288
4 kW 2929 kWh 1172 kWh 1757 kWh £317 £176 £493 £8,138 16.5 yrs £1,717
5 kW 3661 kWh 1464 kWh 2197 kWh £396 £220 £616 £10,173 16.5 yrs £2,147
6 kW 4394 kWh 1757 kWh 2636 kWh £476 £264 £739 £12,207 16.5 yrs £2,576
7 kW 5126 kWh 2050 kWh 3075 kWh £555 £308 £862 £14,242 16.5 yrs £3,006
8 kW 5858 kWh 2343 kWh 3515 kWh £634 £351 £986 £16,276 16.5 yrs £3,435

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: £741, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 16.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1464 kWh 879 kWh 586 kWh £238 £59 £296 £6,169 20.8 yrs £-242
3 kW 2197 kWh 1318 kWh 879 kWh £357 £88 £445 £8,204 18.5 yrs £687
4 kW 2929 kWh 1757 kWh 1172 kWh £476 £117 £593 £10,238 17.3 yrs £1,616
5 kW 3661 kWh 2197 kWh 1464 kWh £594 £146 £741 £12,273 16.6 yrs £2,545
6 kW 4394 kWh 2636 kWh 1757 kWh £713 £176 £889 £14,307 16.1 yrs £3,474
7 kW 5126 kWh 3075 kWh 2050 kWh £832 £205 £1,037 £16,342 15.8 yrs £4,403
8 kW 5858 kWh 3515 kWh 2343 kWh £951 £234 £1,185 £18,376 15.5 yrs £5,332

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: £803, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 17.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1464 kWh 1025 kWh 439 kWh £277 £44 £321 £7,569 23.6 yrs £-1,142
3 kW 2197 kWh 1538 kWh 659 kWh £416 £66 £482 £9,604 19.9 yrs £37
4 kW 2929 kWh 2050 kWh 879 kWh £555 £88 £643 £11,638 18.1 yrs £1,216
5 kW 3661 kWh 2563 kWh 1098 kWh £694 £110 £803 £13,673 17.0 yrs £2,394
6 kW 4394 kWh 3075 kWh 1318 kWh £832 £132 £964 £15,707 16.3 yrs £3,573
7 kW 5126 kWh 3588 kWh 1538 kWh £971 £154 £1,125 £17,742 15.8 yrs £4,752
8 kW 5858 kWh 4101 kWh 1757 kWh £1,110 £176 £1,285 £19,776 15.4 yrs £5,931

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: £822, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1464 kWh 1069 kWh 395 kWh £289 £40 £329 £9,319 28.3 yrs £-2,742
3 kW 2197 kWh 1604 kWh 593 kWh £434 £59 £493 £11,354 23.0 yrs £-1,488
4 kW 2929 kWh 2138 kWh 791 kWh £579 £79 £658 £13,388 20.4 yrs £-235
5 kW 3661 kWh 2673 kWh 989 kWh £723 £99 £822 £15,423 18.8 yrs £1,019
6 kW 4394 kWh 3207 kWh 1186 kWh £868 £119 £987 £17,457 17.7 yrs £2,273
7 kW 5126 kWh 3742 kWh 1384 kWh £1,013 £138 £1,151 £19,492 16.9 yrs £3,527
8 kW 5858 kWh 4276 kWh 1582 kWh £1,157 £158 £1,315 £21,526 16.4 yrs £4,781

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: £835, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1464 kWh 1098 kWh 366 kWh £297 £37 £334 £11,069 33.2 yrs £-4,392
3 kW 2197 kWh 1648 kWh 549 kWh £446 £55 £501 £13,104 26.2 yrs £-3,089
4 kW 2929 kWh 2197 kWh 732 kWh £594 £73 £668 £15,138 22.7 yrs £-1,785
5 kW 3661 kWh 2746 kWh 915 kWh £743 £92 £835 £17,173 20.6 yrs £-481
6 kW 4394 kWh 3295 kWh 1098 kWh £892 £110 £1,001 £19,207 19.2 yrs £823
7 kW 5126 kWh 3844 kWh 1281 kWh £1,040 £128 £1,168 £21,242 18.2 yrs £2,127
8 kW 5858 kWh 4394 kWh 1464 kWh £1,189 £146 £1,335 £23,276 17.4 yrs £3,431

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: £847, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 23.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1464 kWh 1128 kWh 337 kWh £305 £34 £339 £13,519 39.9 yrs £-6,742
3 kW 2197 kWh 1691 kWh 505 kWh £458 £51 £508 £15,554 30.6 yrs £-5,389
4 kW 2929 kWh 2255 kWh 674 kWh £610 £67 £678 £17,588 26.0 yrs £-4,035
5 kW 3661 kWh 2819 kWh 842 kWh £763 £84 £847 £19,623 23.2 yrs £-2,681
6 kW 4394 kWh 3383 kWh 1011 kWh £915 £101 £1,016 £21,657 21.3 yrs £-1,327
7 kW 5126 kWh 3947 kWh 1179 kWh £1,068 £118 £1,186 £23,692 20.0 yrs £27
8 kW 5858 kWh 4511 kWh 1347 kWh £1,221 £135 £1,355 £25,726 19.0 yrs £1,380

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 PH40

Figures below are tailored to PH40 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2961 of 2997
14.3 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£568 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2960 of 2997
39.2% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£568 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
732kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~732 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

Caol and Mallaig

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

PH41 (Highland)
≈4.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~799 kWh/kWp · +9% vs PH40
PH39 (Highland)
≈6.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~735 kWh/kWp · +0% vs PH40
IV45 (Highland)
≈11.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~749 kWh/kWp · +2% vs PH40
PH38 (Highland)
≈13.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~647 kWh/kWp · -12% vs PH40
IV44 (Highland)
≈14.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~753 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PH40
IV46 (Highland)
≈18.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~782 kWh/kWp · +7% vs PH40

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PH40
DL11 (North Yorkshire)
~765 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PH40
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · +5% vs PH40