East Lothian
Solar panels in Dunbar, sized to your roof.
About 6,040 kWh a year from 12 panels in Dunbar, £6,360 installed, with your system designed on a free 30-minute video call.
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- Free 30-minute video design call
- Priced before anyone visits
- Installed by our MCS-certified, fully insured teams
What a roof in Dunbar can generate
From 24.3 kWh per kWp in December to 127.4 in May: a roof in Dunbar makes 5.2 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 949 kWh per kWp across the year.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 30.5 |
| February | 49.2 |
| March | 83.3 |
| April | 113 |
| May | 127 |
| June | 115 |
| July | 118 |
| August | 105 |
| September | 85.9 |
| October | 58.3 |
| November | 39.8 |
| December | 24.3 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
For scale: 949 kWh per kWp in Dunbar against 925, our GB average (the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates), which puts Dunbar 3% above it.
How Dunbar compares
Small towns rarely get published solar figures, so here are the numbers for Dunbar. It is one of 5 East Lothian towns we track, and it ranks 2nd of 5 for solar yield, a town of 10,740 people in the House of Commons Library settlement data. PVGIS gives its roofs 949 kWh per kWp a year, 2.60 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons, and the standard 12 panel model turns that into £859 of year one benefit, £247 of it from your own generation and £612 from export at 12p.
These are starting numbers, not a quote. The calculator below opens on Dunbar's own PVGIS figure; change the panels, the battery or the export rate and it reruns. The design call replaces every assumption with your roof and your bills.
Dunbar sits within East Lothian, its local planning authority, and the House of Commons Library classes it as a small town.
The charger is in the installed price but left out of payback: charging savings depend on your mileage and tariff, which the design call models properly.
Your real roof and usage, worked through on a free 30-minute video call. Use the full form or leave three details below.
Price this for your roof
Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.
Modelled for Dunbar at 56.00169, -2.51564 on PVGIS data, with imports valued at 26.32p/kWh and solar at £1,000 per kWp installed. Sources and assumptions: help page.
Connecting solar to the Dunbar network
Dunbar sits in SP Energy Networks' South and Central Scotland licence area, so SP Energy Networks is the network operator (DNO) any solar panels or battery here are registered with.
G98 is the simple route. If the inverter, plus any battery, stays at or under 3.68kW per phase, SP Energy Networks only has to be told within 28 days after the system is commissioned.
A bigger inverter or battery output needs a G99 application in advance. Ofgem's guaranteed standard for a low voltage generation connection quotation is 45 working days, with £80 paid for each working day late, and it binds SP Energy Networks as it does every network operator.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); Ofgem, Distributed Generation Standards Direction guidance, checked 27 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Adding a heat pump or an EV charger in Dunbar
A heat pump in Dunbar
Solar and a heat pump pull in opposite directions through the year: Dunbar's roofs make 910 kWh from November to February on a 12-panel system, and 2,960 kWh from May to August. The heating season leans on the grid, so off-peak rates do the heavy lifting.
Scottish homes apply through Home Energy Scotland rather than the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: up to £7,500 in grant for a heat pump, up to £7,500 more as an optional interest-free loan, and a £1,500 uplift for rural and island homes (checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Dunbar
A 12-panel roof in Dunbar makes about 810 kWh in May. A typical home uses around 70 kWh of that in daylight (the calculator's typical-use settings), which leaves most of the month's output for an EV or for export.
Renters and flat owners with private off-street parking can get 75% off a chargepoint and its installation, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026). The calculator above adds a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed.
What the named kit costs, installed
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Dunbar
Guidance is nationwide, so the benchmarks hold in Dunbar: repair costs, service scope, and when the inverter is the real fault.
Common questions about solar in Dunbar
What could a roof in Dunbar generate?
PVGIS puts a roof in Dunbar at 949 kWh per kWp a year, 2.60 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons. A 12-panel, 6.36 kWp system makes about 6,040 kWh a year, most of it between April and September.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Dunbar?
£6,360 for 12 panels (6.36 kWp), the same as in every other place we cover, because solar is priced at £1,000 per kWp installed rather than by area. A battery adds its own installed price on top. Where Dunbar differs is output: about 6,040 kWh a year from that system.
Do I need permission from the DNO for solar in Dunbar?
Usually not in advance. SP Energy Networks, the network operator for Dunbar, only needs a G98 notification within 28 days of commissioning for systems up to 3.68kW per phase. Bigger inverter or battery outputs need G99 approval first. Ofgem's guaranteed standard for a low voltage generation connection quotation is 45 working days, with £80 paid for each working day late, and it binds SP Energy Networks as it does every network operator. "See our DNO explainer.
How much would export pay on a system in Dunbar?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,099 kWh of the 6,040 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Dunbar goes to the grid, around £612 a year at 12p. A battery keeps more of it for the evening; the export rates table shows what suppliers pay.
Do solar panels work in winter in Dunbar?
Yes, at a lower level. PVGIS gives Dunbar 24.3 kWh per kWp in December and 30.5 in January, so a 12-panel system makes about 150 kWh and 190 kWh in those months, against 810 kWh in May. Winter output mostly covers daytime use rather than exporting.
How Dunbar compares with its neighbours
Same satellite dataset, same assumptions, so the differences are real geography rather than modelling noise.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Dunbar |
|---|---|---|
| Dunbar | 949 | this town |
| North Berwick | 960 | +11 kWh |
| Haddington | 925 | −24 kWh |
| Tranent | 901 | −48 kWh |
| Prestonpans | 924 | −25 kWh |
| Musselburgh | 900 | −49 kWh |
| Leven | 894 | −55 kWh |
Same PVGIS v5.2 query for every town. Small differences are within year-to-year weather; more than about 30 kWh per kWp apart is geography.
Also for Dunbar: Solar panels in Dunbar from OVO Solar & Battery
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Answer a few questions about your roof and usage and see an instant solar and battery estimate. No email needed to see the result.
Further reading for Dunbar
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Solar installation day: exactly what happens, hour by hour
The week before, the day itself hour by hour, and the paperwork that follows.
Read the guide →How much a battery saves by charging on cheap night rates
What charging at 8.5p and using at 26.32p is actually worth over a year.
Read the guide →What an EV charger installation actually involves
Main fuse, DNO notification, load balancing and the paperwork. What really happens.
Read the guide →Which homes suit a heat pump, and which need work first
The trial data says no property type is unsuitable. Design quality decides the outcome.
Read the guide →The price cap explained, and what it does to solar payback
The cap limits unit rates, not bills. That changes what solar payback means.
Read the guide →How to check an MCS certificate is genuine, before the deposit leaves your account
A logo proves nothing. Certification is business specific, technology specific and checkable.
Read the guide →Get my free quote
Takes about two minutes. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call at a time that suits you. We design it around your roof and your numbers, and our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams install it.