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Solar panel cost in Highland (PH49)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for PH49 (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
15.7 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£520
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,849
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 627 kWh/kW — 188 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 627 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)
627 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: £520, Upfront: £8,139, 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 1254 kWh 502 kWh 753 kWh £133 £75 £208 £3,256 15.7 yrs £901
3 kW 1881 kWh 753 kWh 1129 kWh £199 £113 £312 £4,883 15.7 yrs £1,351
4 kW 2509 kWh 1003 kWh 1505 kWh £265 £151 £416 £6,511 15.7 yrs £1,801
5 kW 3136 kWh 1254 kWh 1881 kWh £331 £188 £520 £8,139 15.7 yrs £2,252
6 kW 3763 kWh 1505 kWh 2258 kWh £398 £226 £623 £9,767 15.7 yrs £2,702
7 kW 4390 kWh 1756 kWh 2634 kWh £464 £263 £727 £11,394 15.7 yrs £3,152
8 kW 5017 kWh 2007 kWh 3010 kWh £530 £301 £831 £13,022 15.7 yrs £3,603

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: £622, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 16.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1254 kWh 753 kWh 502 kWh £199 £50 £249 £5,356 21.5 yrs £-376
3 kW 1881 kWh 1129 kWh 753 kWh £298 £75 £373 £6,983 18.7 yrs £487
4 kW 2509 kWh 1505 kWh 1003 kWh £398 £100 £498 £8,611 17.3 yrs £1,349
5 kW 3136 kWh 1881 kWh 1254 kWh £497 £125 £622 £10,239 16.4 yrs £2,211
6 kW 3763 kWh 2258 kWh 1505 kWh £596 £151 £747 £11,867 15.9 yrs £3,073
7 kW 4390 kWh 2634 kWh 1756 kWh £696 £176 £871 £13,494 15.5 yrs £3,936
8 kW 5017 kWh 3010 kWh 2007 kWh £795 £201 £996 £15,122 15.2 yrs £4,798

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: £674, Upfront: £11,639, 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 1254 kWh 878 kWh 376 kWh £232 £38 £270 £6,756 25.1 yrs £-1,364
3 kW 1881 kWh 1317 kWh 564 kWh £348 £56 £404 £8,383 20.7 yrs £-295
4 kW 2509 kWh 1756 kWh 753 kWh £464 £75 £539 £10,011 18.6 yrs £773
5 kW 3136 kWh 2195 kWh 941 kWh £580 £94 £674 £11,639 17.3 yrs £1,841
6 kW 3763 kWh 2634 kWh 1129 kWh £696 £113 £809 £13,267 16.4 yrs £2,909
7 kW 4390 kWh 3073 kWh 1317 kWh £812 £132 £944 £14,894 15.8 yrs £3,977
8 kW 5017 kWh 3512 kWh 1505 kWh £928 £151 £1,078 £16,522 15.3 yrs £5,046

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: £689, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 19.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1254 kWh 916 kWh 339 kWh £242 £34 £276 £8,506 30.8 yrs £-2,990
3 kW 1881 kWh 1373 kWh 508 kWh £363 £51 £414 £10,133 24.5 yrs £-1,860
4 kW 2509 kWh 1831 kWh 677 kWh £484 £68 £552 £11,761 21.3 yrs £-730
5 kW 3136 kWh 2289 kWh 847 kWh £605 £85 £689 £13,389 19.4 yrs £400
6 kW 3763 kWh 2747 kWh 1016 kWh £726 £102 £827 £15,017 18.2 yrs £1,530
7 kW 4390 kWh 3205 kWh 1185 kWh £847 £119 £965 £16,644 17.2 yrs £2,660
8 kW 5017 kWh 3662 kWh 1355 kWh £968 £135 £1,103 £18,272 16.6 yrs £3,790

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: £700, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 21.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1254 kWh 941 kWh 314 kWh £249 £31 £280 £10,256 36.6 yrs £-4,658
3 kW 1881 kWh 1411 kWh 470 kWh £373 £47 £420 £11,883 28.3 yrs £-3,487
4 kW 2509 kWh 1881 kWh 627 kWh £497 £63 £560 £13,511 24.1 yrs £-2,315
5 kW 3136 kWh 2352 kWh 784 kWh £621 £78 £700 £15,139 21.6 yrs £-1,144
6 kW 3763 kWh 2822 kWh 941 kWh £746 £94 £840 £16,767 20.0 yrs £27
7 kW 4390 kWh 3292 kWh 1097 kWh £870 £110 £980 £18,394 18.8 yrs £1,198
8 kW 5017 kWh 3763 kWh 1254 kWh £994 £125 £1,120 £20,022 17.9 yrs £2,369

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: £710, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 24.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1254 kWh 966 kWh 288 kWh £255 £29 £284 £12,706 44.7 yrs £-7,025
3 kW 1881 kWh 1449 kWh 433 kWh £383 £43 £426 £14,333 33.6 yrs £-5,813
4 kW 2509 kWh 1932 kWh 577 kWh £510 £58 £568 £15,961 28.1 yrs £-4,601
5 kW 3136 kWh 2414 kWh 721 kWh £638 £72 £710 £17,589 24.8 yrs £-3,388
6 kW 3763 kWh 2897 kWh 865 kWh £765 £87 £852 £19,217 22.6 yrs £-2,176
7 kW 4390 kWh 3380 kWh 1010 kWh £893 £101 £994 £20,844 21.0 yrs £-964
8 kW 5017 kWh 3863 kWh 1154 kWh £1,021 £115 £1,136 £22,472 19.8 yrs £249

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.

Compare solar quotes before you sign

Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Want a quote sanity check for PH49?

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This is a practical sanity-check request, not an instant quote promise. The Blue Ape quote route above remains available if you already want installer introductions.

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Insights for PH49

Figures below are tailored to PH49 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2995 of 2996
17.6 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£416 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2994 of 2996
50.5% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£416 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −15.6% West −13.5%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in PH49

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 6 Jan 21 Feb 52 Mar 89 Apr 100 May 94 Jun 92 Jul 78 Aug 51 Sep 29 Oct 11 Nov 3 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 19.2% 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 10 kWh per month; the average month produces around 52 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 40 kWh in winter, or 209 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
627kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~627 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

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

PA39 (Highland)
≈0.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~583 kWh/kWp · -7% vs PH49
PA40 (Highland)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~633 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PH49
PH50 (Highland)
≈11.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~653 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PH49
PH33 (Highland)
≈16.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~668 kWh/kWp · +6% vs PH49
PA38 (Argyll and Bute)
≈18.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~694 kWh/kWp · +11% vs PH49
PH34 (Highland)
≈27.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~701 kWh/kWp · +12% vs PH49

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA40 (Highland)
~633 kWh/kWp · +1% vs PH49
PH38 (Highland)
~647 kWh/kWp · +3% vs PH49
PH50 (Highland)
~653 kWh/kWp · +4% vs PH49