This is the one we have been waiting for. After years of regulatory grey area, months of consultation, and a lot of patience, the UK government has confirmed the date. From 27 August 2026, a certified plug-in solar kit can be connected to a standard 13A household socket without a qualified electrician. No scaffolding. No Part P paperwork. No installer who will not return your calls.
The regulations, formally known as SI 2026/848, were made on 16 July 2026 and laid before Parliament the following day. They come into force on 27 August. That is five weeks away.
Whether you have been following this for months or are hearing about plug-in solar for the first time, here is everything you need to know.
What is plug-in solar and how does it work?
If you are new to this, here is the short version. A plug-in solar system is one or two panels — usually mounted on a fence, a balcony, a flat garage roof, or even propped on the lawn — connected to a small device called a microinverter. The panels generate DC electricity. The microinverter converts it to the same AC electricity that flows through your home. That power feeds directly into your household circuits, reducing what you pull from the grid. Your electricity meter slows down. Your bill goes down.
It is not a rooftop solar installation. It does not power everything in your house. An 800W system on a sunny day might cover your fridge, your router, your lights, and a laptop simultaneously. What it does do is run continuously during daylight hours, offsetting a meaningful chunk of your daily electricity use without any structural work on your property.
The best place to start if you want to understand what your setup could realistically save is our savings calculator — put in your location and orientation and it gives you a real annual figure based on your specific circumstances.
What changed on 27 August 2026?
Before this date, UK rules on plugs and sockets explicitly prevented using a standard 13A socket to feed electricity into your home from a generating source. That meant plug-in solar kits — even ones that were perfectly safe and widely used across Europe — were operating in a legal grey area in the UK. Some people installed them anyway, usually with an electrician doing the connection. Others waited.
SI 2026/848, an amendment to the Plugs and Sockets Safety Regulations, removes that restriction for certified plug-in solar devices. From 27 August, if a kit meets the government’s Interim Product Specification, you can buy it, mount it, plug it into a standard socket, and start generating. The full regulations and consultation documents are on the government website at gov.uk/government/consultations/plug-in-solar.
The key rules at a glance
The new framework has four limits worth knowing before you buy anything.
Maximum AC output from the microinverter is 800 volt-amps. That is roughly two standard 400W panels working at full output. Maximum DC input from the panels is 2,000W, which gives headroom to use slightly larger panels for better low-light performance. The system cannot import electricity from the house for storage and use it later, which means built-in batteries are excluded from this framework for now. And a G98 notification to your Distribution Network Operator is still required after installation. It is a free online form, not an approval process, but it is not optional.
No planning permission is required for most domestic plug-in solar installations under permitted development rules.
Do I still need an electrician?
After 27 August, for a certified kit connecting via a standard 13A socket, no. That is the point of the change. The physical mounting of the panels and the connection are both DIY-permissible for products that carry the UK Interim Product Specification certification.
If you want to hardwire the system to a dedicated circuit — which many people prefer for a tidier installation and is the approach we used before the law changed — you still need a CPS-registered electrician for that part. But it is no longer the only legal option.
One important caveat: if your home has old wiring or a consumer unit that has not been updated in years, it is worth having it checked regardless of what the law says. The safety bodies’ concerns about older properties did not disappear because the regulations changed. See Is Plug-In Solar Safe? for what to look at before you connect anything.
What is the Interim Product Specification?
This is the part that a lot of coverage has missed. 27 August is the day the law changes. It is not the day you can walk into a shop and plug in any solar panel you find.
Products can only legally use the new socket-connection route if they are certified against the government’s Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification. This requires anti-islanding protection, live pin protection, power limiting, rapid shutdown, and certification by an approved notified body. Products also need to appear on the ENA G98 Type Test Register.
No kit on the market has completed this certification process yet as of July 2026. Certified products are expected to start reaching retailers from late August onwards as manufacturers work through the process. The retailers who attended the June government roundtable — B&Q, Currys, Amazon, Lidl, Asda, Screwfix and Wickes — are all preparing to stock them.
Which brands are likely to be certified first?
EcoFlow is the most likely to be first. They were named as an official UK government partner in the March 2026 announcement, meaning their engineering team has been working with DESNZ on the specification from the start. The STREAM Micro Inverter and STREAM Ultra X are the products I am running myself, and they are already the most widely used plug-in solar systems in the UK. Their microinverters have VDE certification from European compliance work that should translate cleanly to the UK interim spec. I have written about the STREAM range in detail in the EcoFlow STREAM FAQ and the EcoFlow UK range guide.
Worth noting: the STREAM Ultra X and other battery-integrated EcoFlow systems are not covered by SI 2026/848 because batteries are excluded from the current framework. EcoFlow’s microinverter-only products are the ones in scope for the new socket-connection route.
Hoymiles is the other name to watch. Their HMS-800 microinverter is the most widely deployed plug-in solar inverter in Europe, with over a million installed in Germany alone. That track record at scale is exactly the kind of evidence that supports a smooth certification process. Hoymiles inverters are used in DIY builds and stocked by City Plumbing and other trade suppliers. They carry a 12-year warranty, the longest standard warranty of any microinverter widely available here.
Anker SOLIX has produced a credible system with a well-designed app and strong build quality. Their RS40P microinverter also carries a 12-year warranty and Anker’s consumer electronics reputation counts for something in terms of long-term firmware support.
When Lidl’s own-brand kit arrives, it will almost certainly use a Hoymiles or APsystems inverter inside a white-label enclosure — that is how their European kits have worked — at a price point below EcoFlow and Anker. It will be the most accessible entry point for people who want to try this without a large outlay.
Whatever you buy, check the certification status before connecting via a socket. A product on the ENA G98 Type Test Register is compliant. One that is not yet certified, however good its European credentials, is not covered by the new route. See our best kits guide for the full brand comparison.
What about batteries?
They are excluded from SI 2026/848. Systems that import electricity from the house for storage and later use are not covered by the new framework. If you want a battery-integrated system like the EcoFlow STREAM Ultra X, that continues to require a hardwired installation by a CPS-registered electrician for now.
A separate regulatory framework for plug-in battery systems has not yet been confirmed or timetabled. It is likely to follow, but there is no date attached to it yet.
What does it actually cost and what will I save?
A two-panel 800W kit from a quality brand like EcoFlow or Hoymiles currently costs between £400 and £700 for the hardware. Once certified kits appear in shops, prices may shift — Lidl’s kit is expected in the £400 to £600 range. At the current Ofgem rate of 27.69p per kWh, a well-positioned 800W system in central England generates around 550 to 650 kWh per year, saving roughly £150 to £180 annually on your bills.
On a £500 kit saving £165 a year, payback is around three years. After that, the remaining panel life — typically 25 years on a quality product — is free electricity. We cover the payback comparison with traditional solar in detail in I Could Not Find Anyone to Fit My Solar Panels, which also explains why finding an installer for a small job is harder than it should be.
The regulatory documents explained
SI 2026/848 is the Statutory Instrument that amends the Plugs and Sockets Safety Regulations and brings the new framework into law on 27 August 2026. View on GOV.UK.
BS 7671 Amendment 4, in force since 15 April 2026, updated the UK wiring regulations to recognise small plug-connected generation sources. It is the electrical installation foundation — it does not by itself legalise socket connection, but sets the wiring standards any compliant installation must meet.
Engineering Recommendation G98 governs the connection of small generators under 3.68kW to the grid. You must notify your DNO within 28 days of connecting. It is free, it is not an approval process, and your DNO cannot refuse a compliant installation. Find your DNO at the Energy Networks Association.
The Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification defines exactly what a certified product must do to use the new socket-connection route. Anti-islanding protection, power limits at 800VA output, rapid shutdown, and certification by an approved notified body are all required.
For the full regulatory timeline in one place, see our rules and regulations page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a certified kit on 27 August?
Probably not on the exact date. 27 August is when the law changes, not when certified products arrive in shops. Manufacturers are working through the certification process now. Expect the first certified kits to appear in late August or September, building out over the following weeks as more brands complete the process.
What if I already have a system installed?
If your system was hardwired by a registered electrician with a G98 notification, you are compliant and nothing changes. If you have a kit self-connected via a socket before 27 August, you were technically outside the rules as they stood. After 27 August, if your kit meets the interim specification, your connection method becomes compliant. If it does not yet have that certification, it remains in a grey area — narrower than before, but worth resolving when certified products are available.
Can renters use plug-in solar?
Yes. Plug-in solar is particularly well suited to renters precisely because it requires no structural work and can be taken when you move. You will generally need your landlord’s written permission for anything mounted to the building. For a portable ground-mount or lawn setup, that requirement is less clear-cut. Check your tenancy agreement and write to your landlord before buying anything.
Does it work in a flat or on a balcony?
Yes, as long as you have enough outdoor space for the panels and they face roughly south. A south or south-west facing balcony with direct sun for at least four hours a day is a workable setup. A north-facing balcony is not. The fire safety assessment for blocks of flats with certain types of cladding has been flagged as priority follow-on work by the government, so if you live in a building with known cladding issues, hold off until that assessment is published.
Do I need to tell anyone before I connect?
Yes. G98 notification to your Distribution Network Operator is mandatory after installation. It is a free online form and your DNO cannot refuse a compliant installation, but skipping it leaves you non-compliant. Find your DNO at energynetworks.org.
Will my home insurance cover it?
This varies by insurer. Notify your home insurer before connecting a plug-in solar system. Most insurers are fine with certified systems installed according to the regulations, but you should confirm in writing rather than assume. An uncertified or incorrectly installed system that causes a fault could invalidate a claim.
What is the 0% VAT situation?
Solar panels and batteries are currently zero-rated for VAT in the UK until at least March 2027. After that the rate reverts to 5%. If compliant kits reach shops in autumn 2026 as expected, you have several months to buy at the 0% rate. It is not a reason to rush, but it is worth knowing.
A note on my own setup
My EcoFlow STREAM has been running since the kit arrived and has already put in over 10 kWh before I have even permanently mounted the panels. The experience of getting here — including three companies that would not return my calls and panels that spent their first week on the lawn — is covered in I Could Not Find Anyone to Fit My Solar Panels.
The new rules make this significantly easier for everyone who comes after. No installer dependency for the connection. No hardwiring cost on top of the kit. Buy it, mount it, plug it in, notify your DNO. That is a genuinely different proposition from what existed three months ago.
I will be tracking certified product launches as they come through and updating this site as soon as anything worth buying is confirmed. The best kits page will be updated as products are certified. If you have questions about your specific setup, leave them in the comments below.