Can I buy a solar panel that plugs into a socket in the UK?

Yes. Since 27 August 2026, when SI 2026 No. 848 came into force, a kit showing Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register may be plugged into an ordinary 13A socket. You notify your network operator yourself afterwards, and no electrician and no prior permission are needed. One hundred and nine kits from twenty-four manufacturers are Compliant and twenty are on sale, the cheapest at 336 pounds when we last read prices at the sellers. A kit that is not on the register still needs a hardwired connection by a CPS-registered electrician.

Are plug and play solar panels legal in the UK?

Yes, from 27 August 2026. Until that date the only compliant route was a hardwired connection by a CPS-registered electrician plus G98 notification. SI 2026 No. 848, together with EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 which Ofgem approved on 11 August 2026 as DCRP/MP/26/02, makes the socket connection itself compliant for a kit listed as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register. The kit must meet the DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0, published 16 July 2026, which caps output at 800 VA and 3.5 A, allows one device per household and permits PV DC input up to 2000W. Batteries are explicitly out of scope.

What does plug and play solar actually mean?

Plug-and-play, or balcony solar, usually means one or two panels and a microinverter whose AC output is designed to connect to your home wiring via a plug. The inverter synchronises with the mains and offsets your live usage, covering base loads like the fridge and router first. The European norm is around 800W, and the DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0 sets the UK ceiling at 800 VA and 3.5 A, one device per household.

Can I use plug-in solar through a socket in the UK now?

Yes. The route opened on 27 August 2026 and is in use. Check the model you want on the ENA G98 Type Test Register, buy it, plug it into a 13A socket and send the self-notification to your network operator afterwards. The BSI-standard route that earlier coverage expected was abandoned, so the trigger was SI 2026 No. 848 plus EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1, not a new BSI standard.

Solar Panels That Plug Into a Socket: Is It Legal in the UK?

Adeniyi Adeniji, Founder of Plug Solar Hub

I track the UK plug-in solar standards so buyers can act on facts, not marketing. Every regulatory claim below names its source and its date. If anything reads as out of date, email me and I will correct it.

Updated: 15 September 2026

Short answer. Yes, and you may plug it in. Since 27 August 2026, when SI 2026 No. 848 came into force alongside EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1, a kit showing Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register may be plugged into an ordinary 13A socket. You then self-notify your network operator afterwards. No electrician, no prior permission. As of today 123 kits from 27 manufacturers are listed as Compliant and 20 are on sale, the cheapest at £432 when we last read the price at the seller. A kit that is not on that register is the only case that still needs a hardwired connection by a CPS-registered electrician.

What "a solar panel with a plug socket" really means

The product people are searching for is plug-and-play solar, also sold as balcony solar or, in Germany, a Balkonkraftwerk. It is usually one or two panels and a microinverter, with the inverter's AC output designed to connect to your home wiring through a plug rather than a hardwired spur. The inverter synchronises with the mains and offsets whatever the property is using at that moment, so it covers base loads first: the fridge, the router, standby devices. The European norm is around 800W, and the UK ceiling is set by the DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0 at 800 VA and 3.5 A, one device per household, with PV DC input allowed up to 2000W. Batteries are explicitly out of scope of that specification.

Update, 15 September 2026. Five UK electrical bodies (ECA, Electrical Safety First, the IET, NICEIC and SELECT) issued a joint statement on 9 June 2026 urging the Government to put safety standards and proper install routes in place before plug-in solar was sold to consumers. Those standards then arrived. The DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0 was published on 16 July 2026, Ofgem approved EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 on 11 August 2026, and SI 2026 No. 848 came into force on 27 August 2026. The plug-in route is now the compliant route for a kit listed as Compliant on the ENA G98 register.

What changed in 2026, and what did not

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero confirmed the legalisation of plug-in solar in a written ministerial statement on 15 March 2026, announced publicly on 24 March 2026. BS 7671 Amendment 4, published 15 April 2026 by the IET and BSI, is the current wiring standard, but it does not itself authorise a plug-in connection. The legal route is SI 2026 No. 848, for kits meeting the DESNZ Interim Product Specification. That specification was published as v2.0 on 16 July 2026, Ofgem approved EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 on 11 August 2026 under DCRP/MP/26/02, and SI 2026 No. 848 brought the route into force on 27 August 2026.

Two things are worth being clear about. The first is that the BSI-standard route, which a lot of 2025 and early 2026 coverage described as the switch that would turn this on, was abandoned. The trigger in the end was the statutory instrument plus the G98 amendment, not a forthcoming BSI standard, so if you read elsewhere that we are all waiting on BSI, that reporting is stale. The second is that the register is the gate. BS 1363, the standard for UK 13A plugs and sockets, still treats a socket as a power outlet for every other use, and only a product showing Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register may be connected through one. Until 27 August 2026 the only compliant route was a hardwired connection by a CPS-registered electrician plus G98 notification. That is now the route for unlisted kits only.

The one thing to check. You will see kits marketed as "just plug it in like an appliance". That is now true in the UK, but only for a product listed as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register. one hundred and twenty-three kits from twenty-seven manufacturers are listed, and 20 of those are actually on sale, so check the specific model rather than assuming a brand qualifies. If your model is not on the register, the electrician route still applies to it, and I would spend the ten minutes checking rather than the £250 to £450 finding out.

How to fit one today

If the kit you want shows Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register, the route is short:

Check the exact model on the ENA G98 Type Test Register. Match the model number, not just the brand.
Plug it into an ordinary 13A socket once it is safely mounted. No electrician is required and you do not need permission first.
Self-notify your network operator afterwards. This is the G98 notification, and since 27 August 2026 you submit it yourself after connecting rather than waiting on an installer.

If the kit is not on the register, the older route is the compliant one for it: a hardwired connection to your consumer unit by a CPS-registered electrician, signed off on a certificate, with G98 notification submitted by the installer. For the dated detail on each document, see the BS 7671 page and the BSI 2026 tracker. The notification side is covered in the G98 guide, and the form itself in the G98 form walkthrough.

Kits worth knowing about now

These are sold in the UK today. We read prices at the seller and date them, and we do not test hardware, so check the register listing for the exact model before you buy.

EcoFlow STREAM 800W balcony kit

An 800W-class plug-in solar system with a grid-tied microinverter, the kit most aligned with the UK 800 VA ceiling. Suits a south-facing balcony, wall or pitched roof. Check the exact model on the ENA G98 Type Test Register: a listing showing Compliant means it may be plugged into a 13A socket and self-notified afterwards.

Latest price at EcoFlow also on Amazon UK

For the fuller line-up, including battery options and kits by mounting type, see the products page, and the best plug-and-play panels comparison.

Affiliate disclosure. The product link above is an Amazon UK affiliate link with rel="noopener sponsored". If you buy after clicking, Plug Solar Hub may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which kit is recommended. See the full disclosure.

Common questions

Yes. Since 27 August 2026, when SI 2026 No. 848 came into force, a kit showing Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register may be plugged into an ordinary 13A socket. You notify your network operator yourself afterwards, and no electrician and no prior permission are needed. 123 kits from 27 manufacturers are Compliant and 20 are on sale, the cheapest at £432 when we last read the price at the seller. A kit that is not on the register still needs a hardwired connection by a CPS-registered electrician.
Yes, from 27 August 2026. Until that date the only compliant route was a hardwired connection by a CPS-registered electrician plus G98 notification. SI 2026 No. 848, together with EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 which Ofgem approved on 11 August 2026 as DCRP/MP/26/02, makes the socket connection itself compliant for a kit listed as Compliant on the ENA G98 Type Test Register. The kit must meet the DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0, published 16 July 2026, which caps output at 800 VA and 3.5 A, allows one device per household and permits PV DC input up to 2000W. Batteries are explicitly out of scope.
It usually means one or two panels and a microinverter whose AC output connects to your home wiring via a plug. The inverter synchronises with the mains and offsets your live usage, covering base loads like the fridge and router first. The European norm is around 800W, and the DESNZ Interim Product Specification v2.0 sets the UK ceiling at 800 VA and 3.5 A, one device per household.
Yes. The route opened on 27 August 2026 and is in use. Check the model you want on the ENA G98 Type Test Register, buy it, plug it into a 13A socket and send the self-notification to your network operator afterwards. The BSI-standard route that earlier coverage expected was abandoned, so the trigger was SI 2026 No. 848 plus EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1, not a new BSI standard.

Sources

BS 7671:2018 + Amendment 4:2026, published 15 April 2026 (IET and BSI), the current wiring standard, which does not itself authorise a plug-in connection.
DESNZ written ministerial statement, 15 March 2026, announced publicly 24 March 2026.
DESNZ Interim Product Specification (v2.0, published 16 July 2026): 800 VA and 3.5 A cap, one device per household, PV DC up to 2000W, batteries out of scope.
EREC G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1, approved by Ofgem on 11 August 2026 under DCRP/MP/26/02.
SI 2026 No. 848, in force 27 August 2026.
ENA G98 Type Test Register, read on 15 September 2026.
Plug Solar Hub: BS 7671 and plug-in solar and the BSI 2026 tracker.

If a standard or date above moves, this page is updated and the change logged on the changelog. Email me at [email protected] if you spot an error.

Solar Panels That Plug Into a Socket: What's Legal in the UK