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Solar Panels in TD13 (Scottish Borders)

See if solar pays off for you in Scottish Borders — 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
13.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£12,207
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£884
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,896
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 902 kWh/kW — 52 above 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 902 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)
902 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: £737, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 13.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 722 kWh 1082 kWh £186 £108 £295 £4,069 13.8 yrs £1,825
3 kW 2706 kWh 1082 kWh 1624 kWh £280 £162 £442 £6,104 13.8 yrs £2,738
4 kW 3608 kWh 1443 kWh 2165 kWh £373 £216 £589 £8,138 13.8 yrs £3,650
5 kW 4510 kWh 1804 kWh 2706 kWh £466 £271 £737 £10,173 13.8 yrs £4,563
6 kW 5412 kWh 2165 kWh 3247 kWh £559 £325 £884 £12,207 13.8 yrs £5,475
7 kW 6314 kWh 2526 kWh 3788 kWh £653 £379 £1,031 £14,242 13.8 yrs £6,388
8 kW 7216 kWh 2886 kWh 4330 kWh £746 £433 £1,179 £16,276 13.8 yrs £7,300

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: £880, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1082 kWh 722 kWh £280 £72 £352 £6,169 17.5 yrs £868
3 kW 2706 kWh 1624 kWh 1082 kWh £420 £108 £528 £8,204 15.5 yrs £2,352
4 kW 3608 kWh 2165 kWh 1443 kWh £559 £144 £704 £10,238 14.5 yrs £3,836
5 kW 4510 kWh 2706 kWh 1804 kWh £699 £180 £880 £12,273 14.0 yrs £5,320
6 kW 5412 kWh 3247 kWh 2165 kWh £839 £216 £1,056 £14,307 13.6 yrs £6,804
7 kW 6314 kWh 3788 kWh 2526 kWh £979 £253 £1,231 £16,342 13.3 yrs £8,288
8 kW 7216 kWh 4330 kWh 2886 kWh £1,119 £289 £1,407 £18,376 13.1 yrs £9,772

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: £951, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1263 kWh 541 kWh £326 £54 £380 £7,569 19.9 yrs £40
3 kW 2706 kWh 1894 kWh 812 kWh £489 £81 £571 £9,604 16.8 yrs £1,809
4 kW 3608 kWh 2526 kWh 1082 kWh £653 £108 £761 £11,638 15.3 yrs £3,579
5 kW 4510 kWh 3157 kWh 1353 kWh £816 £135 £951 £13,673 14.4 yrs £5,349
6 kW 5412 kWh 3788 kWh 1624 kWh £979 £162 £1,141 £15,707 13.8 yrs £7,119
7 kW 6314 kWh 4420 kWh 1894 kWh £1,142 £189 £1,331 £17,742 13.3 yrs £8,888
8 kW 7216 kWh 5051 kWh 2165 kWh £1,305 £216 £1,522 £19,776 13.0 yrs £10,658

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: £973, Upfront: £15,423, 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 1804 kWh 1317 kWh 487 kWh £340 £49 £389 £9,319 24.0 yrs £-1,539
3 kW 2706 kWh 1975 kWh 731 kWh £510 £73 £584 £11,354 19.5 yrs £316
4 kW 3608 kWh 2634 kWh 974 kWh £681 £97 £778 £13,388 17.2 yrs £2,172
5 kW 4510 kWh 3292 kWh 1218 kWh £851 £122 £973 £15,423 15.9 yrs £4,027
6 kW 5412 kWh 3951 kWh 1461 kWh £1,021 £146 £1,167 £17,457 15.0 yrs £5,883
7 kW 6314 kWh 4609 kWh 1705 kWh £1,191 £170 £1,362 £19,492 14.3 yrs £7,738
8 kW 7216 kWh 5268 kWh 1948 kWh £1,361 £195 £1,556 £21,526 13.8 yrs £9,594

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: £987, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1353 kWh 451 kWh £350 £45 £395 £11,069 28.0 yrs £-3,175
3 kW 2706 kWh 2030 kWh 676 kWh £524 £68 £592 £13,104 22.1 yrs £-1,262
4 kW 3608 kWh 2706 kWh 902 kWh £699 £90 £789 £15,138 19.2 yrs £651
5 kW 4510 kWh 3382 kWh 1128 kWh £874 £113 £987 £17,173 17.4 yrs £2,563
6 kW 5412 kWh 4059 kWh 1353 kWh £1,049 £135 £1,184 £19,207 16.2 yrs £4,476
7 kW 6314 kWh 4736 kWh 1578 kWh £1,224 £158 £1,382 £21,242 15.4 yrs £6,388
8 kW 7216 kWh 5412 kWh 1804 kWh £1,398 £180 £1,579 £23,276 14.7 yrs £8,301

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: £1,001, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1804 kWh 1389 kWh 415 kWh £359 £41 £400 £13,519 33.8 yrs £-5,510
3 kW 2706 kWh 2084 kWh 622 kWh £538 £62 £601 £15,554 25.9 yrs £-3,541
4 kW 3608 kWh 2778 kWh 830 kWh £718 £83 £801 £17,588 22.0 yrs £-1,571
5 kW 4510 kWh 3473 kWh 1037 kWh £897 £104 £1,001 £19,623 19.6 yrs £399
6 kW 5412 kWh 4167 kWh 1245 kWh £1,077 £124 £1,201 £21,657 18.0 yrs £2,369
7 kW 6314 kWh 4862 kWh 1452 kWh £1,256 £145 £1,402 £23,692 16.9 yrs £4,339
8 kW 7216 kWh 5556 kWh 1660 kWh £1,436 £166 £1,602 £25,726 16.1 yrs £6,308

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 TD13

Figures below are tailored to TD13 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2441 of 2997
12.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£1,013 /yr • £12,207 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #1490 of 2997
20.4% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£1,013 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
902kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~902 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

Scottish Borders (70%)|East Lothian (30%)

Areas Covered

East Berwickshire, Dunbar and East Linton, Mid Berwickshire

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

EH42 (East Lothian)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD13
TD11 (Scottish Borders)
≈17.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~933 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TD13
TD14 (Scottish Borders)
≈17.9 km away
Local sunshine: ~900 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD13
EH40 (East Lothian)
≈19.3 km away
Local sunshine: ~932 kWh/kWp · +3% vs TD13
TD10 (Scottish Borders)
≈25.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~913 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD13
EH41 (East Lothian)
≈26.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~908 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD13

Similar sunshine across the UK

WA13 (Warrington)
~902 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD13
NE47 (Northumberland)
~902 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD13
TS15 (Stockton-on-Tees)
~902 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD13