Update (13 September 2026): SI 2026/848 came into force on 27 August 2026 and plug-in solar is now legal to use in Great Britain, for kits listed as compliant on the ENA Type Test Register — read our coverage.
On 16 July 2026 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published its response to the plug-in solar consultation, together with an impact assessment and version 2 of the interim product specification. The Government confirmed it will proceed with the proposed changes, with refinements made in response to consultation feedback.
On the same day it made The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/848). These permit a compliant plug-in solar device — one meeting the interim product specification, with a maximum rated AC output not exceeding 800W — to be connected to a standard domestic socket. The regulations were laid before Parliament on 17 July 2026 and come into force on 27 August 2026.
This is a significant change, but it does not make plug-in solar legal to use today. The regulations came into force on 27 August 2026. Ofgem approved the G98 Distribution Code changes on 11 August 2026, and a BS 7671 update was not required: regulation 3 lets a plug-in microgenerator comply via the interim product specification instead. Battery storage remains outside these changes.
Our position is unchanged in principle: we will not tell you plug-in solar is legal to use until it is. We have updated the legal status page and timeline to reflect the response, the 800W interim specification and the 27 August 2026 in-force date, and we will keep tracking the connection-standard updates that follow.