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

Solar Panels in TD8 (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
14.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£6,104
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£429
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£4,624
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 3.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 876 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)
876 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: £715, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 14.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 700 kWh 1051 kWh £181 £105 £286 £4,069 14.2 yrs £1,652
3 kW 2627 kWh 1051 kWh 1576 kWh £271 £158 £429 £6,104 14.2 yrs £2,479
4 kW 3502 kWh 1401 kWh 2101 kWh £362 £210 £572 £8,138 14.2 yrs £3,305
5 kW 4378 kWh 1751 kWh 2627 kWh £452 £263 £715 £10,173 14.2 yrs £4,131
6 kW 5253 kWh 2101 kWh 3152 kWh £543 £315 £858 £12,207 14.2 yrs £4,957
7 kW 6129 kWh 2452 kWh 3677 kWh £633 £368 £1,001 £14,242 14.2 yrs £5,783
8 kW 7005 kWh 2802 kWh 4203 kWh £724 £420 £1,144 £16,276 14.2 yrs £6,609

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: £854, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1751 kWh 1051 kWh 700 kWh £271 £70 £342 £6,169 18.1 yrs £662
3 kW 2627 kWh 1576 kWh 1051 kWh £407 £105 £512 £8,204 16.0 yrs £2,043
4 kW 3502 kWh 2101 kWh 1401 kWh £543 £140 £683 £10,238 15.0 yrs £3,424
5 kW 4378 kWh 2627 kWh 1751 kWh £679 £175 £854 £12,273 14.4 yrs £4,805
6 kW 5253 kWh 3152 kWh 2101 kWh £814 £210 £1,025 £14,307 14.0 yrs £6,186
7 kW 6129 kWh 3677 kWh 2452 kWh £950 £245 £1,195 £16,342 13.7 yrs £7,567
8 kW 7005 kWh 4203 kWh 2802 kWh £1,086 £280 £1,366 £18,376 13.5 yrs £8,948

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: £923, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 14.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1226 kWh 525 kWh £317 £53 £369 £7,569 20.5 yrs £-183
3 kW 2627 kWh 1839 kWh 788 kWh £475 £79 £554 £9,604 17.3 yrs £1,475
4 kW 3502 kWh 2452 kWh 1051 kWh £633 £105 £739 £11,638 15.8 yrs £3,133
5 kW 4378 kWh 3065 kWh 1313 kWh £792 £131 £923 £13,673 14.8 yrs £4,792
6 kW 5253 kWh 3677 kWh 1576 kWh £950 £158 £1,108 £15,707 14.2 yrs £6,450
7 kW 6129 kWh 4290 kWh 1839 kWh £1,109 £184 £1,292 £17,742 13.7 yrs £8,108
8 kW 7005 kWh 4903 kWh 2101 kWh £1,267 £210 £1,477 £19,776 13.4 yrs £9,767

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: £944, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1278 kWh 473 kWh £330 £47 £378 £9,319 24.7 yrs £-1,767
3 kW 2627 kWh 1918 kWh 709 kWh £495 £71 £566 £11,354 20.0 yrs £-25
4 kW 3502 kWh 2557 kWh 946 kWh £661 £95 £755 £13,388 17.7 yrs £1,716
5 kW 4378 kWh 3196 kWh 1182 kWh £826 £118 £944 £15,423 16.3 yrs £3,458
6 kW 5253 kWh 3835 kWh 1418 kWh £991 £142 £1,133 £17,457 15.4 yrs £5,199
7 kW 6129 kWh 4474 kWh 1655 kWh £1,156 £165 £1,322 £19,492 14.7 yrs £6,941
8 kW 7005 kWh 5113 kWh 1891 kWh £1,321 £189 £1,510 £21,526 14.3 yrs £8,682

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: £958, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 17.9 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1313 kWh 438 kWh £339 £44 £383 £11,069 28.9 yrs £-3,406
3 kW 2627 kWh 1970 kWh 657 kWh £509 £66 £575 £13,104 22.8 yrs £-1,609
4 kW 3502 kWh 2627 kWh 876 kWh £679 £88 £766 £15,138 19.8 yrs £188
5 kW 4378 kWh 3283 kWh 1094 kWh £848 £109 £958 £17,173 17.9 yrs £1,985
6 kW 5253 kWh 3940 kWh 1313 kWh £1,018 £131 £1,149 £19,207 16.7 yrs £3,782
7 kW 6129 kWh 4597 kWh 1532 kWh £1,188 £153 £1,341 £21,242 15.8 yrs £5,579
8 kW 7005 kWh 5253 kWh 1751 kWh £1,357 £175 £1,533 £23,276 15.2 yrs £7,376

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: £972, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 20.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1751 kWh 1348 kWh 403 kWh £348 £40 £389 £13,519 34.8 yrs £-5,745
3 kW 2627 kWh 2023 kWh 604 kWh £523 £60 £583 £15,554 26.7 yrs £-3,892
4 kW 3502 kWh 2697 kWh 806 kWh £697 £81 £777 £17,588 22.6 yrs £-2,040
5 kW 4378 kWh 3371 kWh 1007 kWh £871 £101 £972 £19,623 20.2 yrs £-187
6 kW 5253 kWh 4045 kWh 1208 kWh £1,045 £121 £1,166 £21,657 18.6 yrs £1,665
7 kW 6129 kWh 4719 kWh 1410 kWh £1,219 £141 £1,360 £23,692 17.4 yrs £3,518
8 kW 7005 kWh 5394 kWh 1611 kWh £1,394 £161 £1,555 £25,726 16.5 yrs £5,370

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
25.84p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
56.55p/day
Local Sunshine
876kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~876 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
3.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

⚠️ This area is predominantly flats. Many residents require freeholder approval for solar installations. System size shown reflects houses and bungalows only.

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Scottish Borders (100%)

Areas Covered

Jedburgh and District, Kelso and District, Hawick and Denholm

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.