Is plug-in solar legal in the UK?

What the current rules mean

“Plug-in solar” usually means one or two small panels paired with a microinverter that connect to your home through a standard mains socket. It is popular in parts of Europe; this page tracks where the UK's own rules stand, and is dated so you can see how current it is.

Plug-in solar has been legal to use in Great Britain since 27 August 2026, when SI 2026/848 came into force alongside Ofgem-approved changes to the G98 connection code — provided the kit is listed as compliant on the ENA Type Test Register. Northern Ireland is not covered.

What has been decided

On 16 June 2026 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) opened a consultation on whether and how to permit plug-in solar systems without batteries that connect to a standard UK socket. It closed on 30 June 2026, and on 16 July 2026 the Government published its response, an impact assessment and version 2 of an interim product specification.

On the same day it made SI 2026/848. Regulation 3 inserts a definition of a “plug-in microgenerator” into the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 and changes regulation 22(1)(c) so that such a device complies by meeting the interim product specification instead of British Standard Requirements. That is why no change to BS 7671 was needed before use: the regulations route plug-in devices around it. The regulations were laid before Parliament on 17 July 2026 and came into force on 27 August 2026.

The connection side was settled separately. On 11 August 2026 Ofgem approved Distribution Code modification DCRP/MP/26/02, which amends Engineering Recommendation G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 for plug-in solar, to be implemented when the regulations came into force.

What the rules permit

• A maximum apparent power of 800 VA and a maximum current of 3.5 A supplied to the installation, per device.
• Up to 2,000 W of PV modules in total — a maximum of four modules, no more than two in series. Above 960 W of modules, manufacturers must advise a professional assessment of the existing installation.
• One device per household final ring circuit under the specification; G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 currently restricts this to one device per household.
• A factory-fitted plug to BS 1363-1 into a BS 1363-2 socket — never via an extension lead, multi-way adaptor or RCD adaptor.
• No battery storage: plug-in battery systems and solar integrated with batteries are outside the specification.
• Mandatory notification to your distribution network operator of connection and disconnection.

How to check a kit is compliant

Manufacturers must have each device type tested to G98 and listed as compliant on the ENA Type Test Register before placing it on the market. Search the register for the exact model code. A device that has been submitted but not confirmed is not compliant, and a listing covers the specific kit as tested — not a brand or a whole product range. Being sold in the EU, or being obtainable in the UK, is not compliance.

What is still open

• When and how the interim product specification will transition to enduring product standards.
• Whether the one-device-per-household restriction in G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 will be relaxed to the specification's one device per final circuit.
• How tenancy, leaseholder and freeholder permissions will be treated in practice.
• Whether planning permission will be required for particular mounting types or locations.
• How home insurance providers will treat plug-in solar installations.
• Whether exported electricity will be eligible for payment under the Smart Export Guarantee.
• Whether Northern Ireland will follow with equivalent rules, and the timing across the UK.