Plug-in solar is a small solar PV system, usually one or two panels paired with an 800W microinverter, designed for a balcony, an external wall, or a small garden. It generates electricity during daylight that offsets what your home is already using. It is also called balcony solar. Plug-in solar became legal in the UK on 27 August 2026: a kit shown as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register may be plugged into an ordinary 13A socket and self-notified to your network operator afterwards, with no electrician and no prior permission. The part that still needs care is checking that your exact model is on that register, and that is what most of this page is about.
On this page
What plug-in solar is
A traditional rooftop solar system is a large, fixed, professionally scaffolded installation of ten or more panels. Plug-in solar is the opposite end of the scale. It is one or two panels, an 800W microinverter that converts the panels' direct current into mains-compatible alternating current, and a mounting frame for a balcony rail, a wall, or the ground. The whole system is small enough that a single person can handle it, and in most cases it is designed to be moved if you change address.
The 800W figure is not arbitrary. It matches the ceiling that the UK engineering recommendation ENA EREC G98 sets for the simplest grid-connection route, and it lines up with the limit used across the EU balcony-solar market. Anything larger moves into the territory of a conventional hardwired multi-panel system.
Plug-in solar does not power your home on its own and it does not disconnect you from the grid. It quietly reduces the amount of electricity you import while the sun is up. On a typical UK setup an 800W system generates somewhere between 600 and 700 kWh a year, and the saving depends heavily on how much of that you use directly rather than export.
Is plug-in solar legal in the UK?
This is the question that brings most people to the topic, and it deserves a precise answer rather than a slogan.
Owning a plug-in solar system and generating electricity with it is legal. There is nothing unlawful about the equipment. What matters is the connection method, and here the UK picture in 2026 is specific:
- BS 7671:2018 + Amendment 4:2026, the IET Wiring Regulations published 15 April 2026, updated Section 712 to authorise plug-in solar via a standard plug for kits meeting the DESNZ Interim Product Specification (v2.0, July 2026), up to 800W AC.
- BS 1363-1:2023 governs UK 13A plugs, sockets and adaptors for all other uses. BS 7671 Amendment 4 carves the exception that lets an approved plug-in solar kit use an ordinary socket.
- The DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0, published on 16 July 2026, is the product specification at the kit level. Batteries are explicitly out of scope, so anything with storage built in sits outside the plug-in route.
- EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1, approved by Ofgem on 11 August 2026, is the connection rule that allows an approved kit to be plugged in and notified afterwards.
- SI 2026 No. 848 came into force on 27 August 2026. That is the date plug-in solar became legal in the UK.
Put together, the position on 15 September 2026 is this. If your kit shows as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register, you may plug it into an ordinary 13A socket and self-notify your network operator afterwards. There is no electrician to book and no prior permission to seek. one hundred and nine kits from twenty-four manufacturers are listed as Compliant, and 20 of them are on sale. A CPS-registered (Competent Person Scheme) electrician and a hardwired connection are required only for a kit that is not on that register.
How DIY plug-in solar became feasible
Before the rules changed, the view among electricians and trade bodies was that a true DIY route could open without BS 1363 being rewritten. The argument ran: if the inverter and kit are certified to a strict product standard, the kit's own electronics guarantee safe behaviour, so an approved product on a sound, RCD-protected circuit could be made safe by engineering rather than by a bespoke install. That is broadly how Germany reached a workable plug-in connection, and it is the route the UK took.
An approved product has to prove rapid shutdown, anti-islanding, automatic disconnect, no exposed live pins, export limiting, compliant voltage and frequency behaviour, and safe operation on ring circuits, which between them engineer out the live-pin-during-backfeed risk. The UK kept conditions around it: an 800W cap, approved kits only, a compliant socket and circuit, G98 notification, and no adaptor or extension-lead chains. It is also not uniformly DIY, because many older UK homes lack modern RCD protection on every circuit, and adding that is still an electrician's job.
This was settled on 27 August 2026. SI 2026 No. 848 came into force, amending the PSSR 1994, the ESQCR 2002 and G98 alongside the DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0 and EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1. A kit shown as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register is now plugged in and self-notified. A CPS-registered electrician is needed only for a kit that is not on the register. The dated view is on the BSI 2026 Tracker.
eFIXX, May 2026: a 3-month real-world test of plug-in solar in the UK. Safety bench tests start around the 5-minute mark.
What plug-in solar costs
There are two costs: the kit and the install.
- The kit. The cheapest kit on the ENA G98 Type Test Register is £336 (City Plumbing, 940W), and 20 approved kits are on sale. Prices move, so treat these as a guide rather than a quote.
- The install. For an approved kit there is nothing to pay. You plug it into a 13A socket and self-notify. A CPS-registered electrician hardwiring an unlisted kit and handling the G98 notification typically adds 250 to 450 pounds.
So a realistic all-in figure for an approved 800W plug-in solar setup is the kit price alone, from £336. Our model puts the annual saving for a south-facing 800W kit at about 124 pounds, which is a payback of roughly 3.5 years. Our postcode solar calculator estimates the annual saving against those costs so you can see a payback period for your specific location.
Who plug-in solar is for
Plug-in solar suits some households far better than others. It is a strong fit if you:
- Rent, or live in a flat, and cannot commit to a full rooftop installation. A portable plug-in system can move with you, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 means a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse a portable system that needs no permanent structural work. See the renter guide.
- Have a south, east or west-facing balcony, wall or patch of garden that gets meaningful daylight.
- Are home during the day, or run a fridge, freezer, router and other base load that quietly consumes power while the sun is up. The more you use directly, the better the maths.
It is a weaker fit if your only outdoor space is deeply shaded, if you are out of the house every daylight hour with almost no base load, or if you own your roof and have the budget for a full rooftop system, in which case conventional solar will usually return more.
How to install plug-in solar compliantly
The path since 27 August 2026 is short and worth following in order:
- Choose a kit that shows as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register, checking the exact model code. Our microinverters guide covers the UK-available options and how to verify each one.
- Mount the panels, connect the microinverter, and plug the output lead into an ordinary 13A socket. No electrician and no prior permission are needed for a listed kit. If the kit you want is not on the register, engage a CPS-registered electrician to hardwire it to your consumer unit instead.
- Submit a G98 notification to your Distribution Network Operator afterwards, within 28 days under the connect-and-notify route. The G98 form walkthrough shows the paperwork field by field, and the G98 and DNO guide explains the wider process.
For the full regulatory background, including the eight wiring branches that decide compliance, see BS 7671 and plug-in solar in the UK.
Plug-in solar vs rooftop solar
They are not competitors so much as different tools. Rooftop solar is a larger investment with a larger return, suited to homeowners who will stay put. Plug-in solar is a smaller, lower-commitment system suited to renters, flat-dwellers and anyone who wants to start small. Germany installed well over a million balcony systems before the UK market matured, and the lessons from the German balcony boom are a useful read on where the UK is heading.
Where to go next
This page is the overview. Each link below goes deeper on one part of plug-in solar.
Common questions
Written by Adeniyi Adeniji, Founder of Plug Solar Hub. Last reviewed 15 September 2026. Regulatory points are checked against the named standards; see the BSI 2026 tracker and changelog for updates.
