Solar explained to clever people by people who are not trying to be clever
Home Regions
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag

Solar Panels in TD2 (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
14.0 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£728
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£8,038
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 892 kWh/kW — 42 above the regional median (850).

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 892 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)
892 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: £728, Upfront: £10,173, 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 1784 kWh 713 kWh 1070 kWh £184 £107 £291 £4,069 14.0 yrs £1,758
3 kW 2675 kWh 1070 kWh 1605 kWh £277 £161 £437 £6,104 14.0 yrs £2,637
4 kW 3567 kWh 1427 kWh 2140 kWh £369 £214 £583 £8,138 14.0 yrs £3,517
5 kW 4459 kWh 1784 kWh 2675 kWh £461 £268 £728 £10,173 14.0 yrs £4,396
6 kW 5351 kWh 2140 kWh 3210 kWh £553 £321 £874 £12,207 14.0 yrs £5,275
7 kW 6243 kWh 2497 kWh 3746 kWh £645 £375 £1,020 £14,242 14.0 yrs £6,154
8 kW 7134 kWh 2854 kWh 4281 kWh £737 £428 £1,165 £16,276 14.0 yrs £7,033

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: £870, Upfront: £12,273, Break-even: 14.1 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1784 kWh 1070 kWh 713 kWh £277 £71 £348 £6,169 17.7 yrs £788
3 kW 2675 kWh 1605 kWh 1070 kWh £415 £107 £522 £8,204 15.7 yrs £2,233
4 kW 3567 kWh 2140 kWh 1427 kWh £553 £143 £696 £10,238 14.7 yrs £3,677
5 kW 4459 kWh 2675 kWh 1784 kWh £691 £178 £870 £12,273 14.1 yrs £5,121
6 kW 5351 kWh 3210 kWh 2140 kWh £830 £214 £1,044 £14,307 13.7 yrs £6,565
7 kW 6243 kWh 3746 kWh 2497 kWh £968 £250 £1,218 £16,342 13.4 yrs £8,009
8 kW 7134 kWh 4281 kWh 2854 kWh £1,106 £285 £1,391 £18,376 13.2 yrs £9,453

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: £940, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1784 kWh 1249 kWh 535 kWh £323 £54 £376 £7,569 20.1 yrs £-47
3 kW 2675 kWh 1873 kWh 803 kWh £484 £80 £564 £9,604 17.0 yrs £1,680
4 kW 3567 kWh 2497 kWh 1070 kWh £645 £107 £752 £11,638 15.5 yrs £3,407
5 kW 4459 kWh 3121 kWh 1338 kWh £807 £134 £940 £13,673 14.5 yrs £5,134
6 kW 5351 kWh 3746 kWh 1605 kWh £968 £161 £1,128 £15,707 13.9 yrs £6,860
7 kW 6243 kWh 4370 kWh 1873 kWh £1,129 £187 £1,316 £17,742 13.5 yrs £8,587
8 kW 7134 kWh 4994 kWh 2140 kWh £1,290 £214 £1,504 £19,776 13.1 yrs £10,314

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: £961, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1784 kWh 1302 kWh 482 kWh £336 £48 £385 £9,319 24.2 yrs £-1,627
3 kW 2675 kWh 1953 kWh 722 kWh £505 £72 £577 £11,354 19.7 yrs £184
4 kW 3567 kWh 2604 kWh 963 kWh £673 £96 £769 £13,388 17.4 yrs £1,996
5 kW 4459 kWh 3255 kWh 1204 kWh £841 £120 £961 £15,423 16.0 yrs £3,807
6 kW 5351 kWh 3906 kWh 1445 kWh £1,009 £144 £1,154 £17,457 15.1 yrs £5,619
7 kW 6243 kWh 4557 kWh 1685 kWh £1,178 £169 £1,346 £19,492 14.5 yrs £7,430
8 kW 7134 kWh 5208 kWh 1926 kWh £1,346 £193 £1,538 £21,526 14.0 yrs £9,242

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: £976, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1784 kWh 1338 kWh 446 kWh £346 £45 £390 £11,069 28.4 yrs £-3,264
3 kW 2675 kWh 2007 kWh 669 kWh £518 £67 £585 £13,104 22.4 yrs £-1,396
4 kW 3567 kWh 2675 kWh 892 kWh £691 £89 £780 £15,138 19.4 yrs £472
5 kW 4459 kWh 3344 kWh 1115 kWh £864 £111 £976 £17,173 17.6 yrs £2,340
6 kW 5351 kWh 4013 kWh 1338 kWh £1,037 £134 £1,171 £19,207 16.4 yrs £4,208
7 kW 6243 kWh 4682 kWh 1561 kWh £1,210 £156 £1,366 £21,242 15.6 yrs £6,076
8 kW 7134 kWh 5351 kWh 1784 kWh £1,383 £178 £1,561 £23,276 14.9 yrs £7,944

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: £990, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 19.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1784 kWh 1373 kWh 410 kWh £355 £41 £396 £13,519 34.1 yrs £-5,601
3 kW 2675 kWh 2060 kWh 615 kWh £532 £62 £594 £15,554 26.2 yrs £-3,677
4 kW 3567 kWh 2747 kWh 820 kWh £710 £82 £792 £17,588 22.2 yrs £-1,752
5 kW 4459 kWh 3433 kWh 1026 kWh £887 £103 £990 £19,623 19.8 yrs £172
6 kW 5351 kWh 4120 kWh 1231 kWh £1,065 £123 £1,188 £21,657 18.2 yrs £2,097
7 kW 6243 kWh 4807 kWh 1436 kWh £1,242 £144 £1,386 £23,692 17.1 yrs £4,021
8 kW 7134 kWh 5493 kWh 1641 kWh £1,420 £164 £1,584 £25,726 16.2 yrs £5,946

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 TD2

Figures below are tailored to TD2 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2534 of 2997
12.2 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£834 /yr • £10,173 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2192 of 2997
24.7% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£206 fixed • ~£834 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
892kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~892 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

Scottish Borders (100%)

Areas Covered

Leaderdale and Melrose, 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

TD4 (Scottish Borders)
≈10.1 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TD2
TD3 (Scottish Borders)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~903 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD2
TD1 (Scottish Borders)
≈12.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~884 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TD2
EH38 (Scottish Borders)
≈14.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~837 kWh/kWp · -6% vs TD2
TD6 (Scottish Borders)
≈14.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~897 kWh/kWp · +1% vs TD2
EH36 (East Lothian)
≈16.5 km away
Local sunshine: ~883 kWh/kWp · -1% vs TD2

Similar sunshine across the UK

LA6 (Westmorland and Furness)
~892 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD2
PH12 (Perth and Kinross)
~892 kWh/kWp · +0% vs TD2
AB32 (Aberdeenshire)
~892 kWh/kWp · -0% vs TD2