Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever

Solar Panels in PH41 (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
15.1 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£672
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£6,626
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

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 799 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)
799 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: £672, 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 1598 kWh 639 kWh 959 kWh £173 £96 £269 £4,069 15.1 yrs £1,307
3 kW 2396 kWh 959 kWh 1438 kWh £259 £144 £403 £6,104 15.1 yrs £1,960
4 kW 3195 kWh 1278 kWh 1917 kWh £346 £192 £538 £8,138 15.1 yrs £2,613
5 kW 3994 kWh 1598 kWh 2396 kWh £432 £240 £672 £10,173 15.1 yrs £3,266
6 kW 4793 kWh 1917 kWh 2876 kWh £519 £288 £806 £12,207 15.1 yrs £3,920
7 kW 5592 kWh 2237 kWh 3355 kWh £605 £335 £941 £14,242 15.1 yrs £4,573
8 kW 6390 kWh 2556 kWh 3834 kWh £692 £383 £1,075 £16,276 15.1 yrs £5,226

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: £808, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1598 kWh 959 kWh 639 kWh £259 £64 £323 £6,169 19.1 yrs £297
3 kW 2396 kWh 1438 kWh 959 kWh £389 £96 £485 £8,204 16.9 yrs £1,495
4 kW 3195 kWh 1917 kWh 1278 kWh £519 £128 £647 £10,238 15.8 yrs £2,693
5 kW 3994 kWh 2396 kWh 1598 kWh £648 £160 £808 £12,273 15.2 yrs £3,892
6 kW 4793 kWh 2876 kWh 1917 kWh £778 £192 £970 £14,307 14.8 yrs £5,090
7 kW 5592 kWh 3355 kWh 2237 kWh £908 £224 £1,132 £16,342 14.4 yrs £6,288
8 kW 6390 kWh 3834 kWh 2556 kWh £1,038 £256 £1,293 £18,376 14.2 yrs £7,487

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: £876, Upfront: £13,673, 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 1598 kWh 1118 kWh 479 kWh £303 £48 £351 £7,569 21.6 yrs £-558
3 kW 2396 kWh 1677 kWh 719 kWh £454 £72 £526 £9,604 18.3 yrs £913
4 kW 3195 kWh 2237 kWh 959 kWh £605 £96 £701 £11,638 16.6 yrs £2,384
5 kW 3994 kWh 2796 kWh 1198 kWh £757 £120 £876 £13,673 15.6 yrs £3,855
6 kW 4793 kWh 3355 kWh 1438 kWh £908 £144 £1,052 £15,707 14.9 yrs £5,325
7 kW 5592 kWh 3914 kWh 1677 kWh £1,059 £168 £1,227 £17,742 14.5 yrs £6,796
8 kW 6390 kWh 4473 kWh 1917 kWh £1,210 £192 £1,402 £19,776 14.1 yrs £8,267

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: £897, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 17.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1598 kWh 1166 kWh 431 kWh £316 £43 £359 £9,319 26.0 yrs £-2,145
3 kW 2396 kWh 1749 kWh 647 kWh £473 £65 £538 £11,354 21.1 yrs £-592
4 kW 3195 kWh 2332 kWh 863 kWh £631 £86 £717 £13,388 18.7 yrs £961
5 kW 3994 kWh 2916 kWh 1078 kWh £789 £108 £897 £15,423 17.2 yrs £2,513
6 kW 4793 kWh 3499 kWh 1294 kWh £947 £129 £1,076 £17,457 16.2 yrs £4,066
7 kW 5592 kWh 4082 kWh 1510 kWh £1,105 £151 £1,256 £19,492 15.5 yrs £5,619
8 kW 6390 kWh 4665 kWh 1725 kWh £1,262 £173 £1,435 £21,526 15.0 yrs £7,171

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: £910, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 18.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1598 kWh 1198 kWh 399 kWh £324 £40 £364 £11,069 30.4 yrs £-3,786
3 kW 2396 kWh 1797 kWh 599 kWh £486 £60 £546 £13,104 24.0 yrs £-2,178
4 kW 3195 kWh 2396 kWh 799 kWh £648 £80 £728 £15,138 20.8 yrs £-571
5 kW 3994 kWh 2995 kWh 998 kWh £811 £100 £910 £17,173 18.9 yrs £1,036
6 kW 4793 kWh 3595 kWh 1198 kWh £973 £120 £1,093 £19,207 17.6 yrs £2,643
7 kW 5592 kWh 4194 kWh 1398 kWh £1,135 £140 £1,275 £21,242 16.7 yrs £4,250
8 kW 6390 kWh 4793 kWh 1598 kWh £1,297 £160 £1,457 £23,276 16.0 yrs £5,857

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: £924, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 21.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1598 kWh 1230 kWh 367 kWh £333 £37 £370 £13,519 36.6 yrs £-6,127
3 kW 2396 kWh 1845 kWh 551 kWh £499 £55 £554 £15,554 28.1 yrs £-4,465
4 kW 3195 kWh 2460 kWh 735 kWh £666 £73 £739 £17,588 23.8 yrs £-2,803
5 kW 3994 kWh 3075 kWh 919 kWh £832 £92 £924 £19,623 21.2 yrs £-1,142
6 kW 4793 kWh 3690 kWh 1102 kWh £999 £110 £1,109 £21,657 19.5 yrs £520
7 kW 5592 kWh 4305 kWh 1286 kWh £1,165 £129 £1,294 £23,692 18.3 yrs £2,182
8 kW 6390 kWh 4921 kWh 1470 kWh £1,331 £147 £1,478 £25,726 17.4 yrs £3,843

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.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
799kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~799 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, Eilean á Chèo

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.