Home insurance is one of the practical steps that gets forgotten in the excitement of setting up a new solar system. Most home insurance policies include a condition requiring you to notify the insurer of significant changes to the property. Failing to do so can invalidate your policy, which is a much more expensive problem than the few minutes it takes to make a call.
What counts as a notifiable change?
Most policies require you to notify your insurer of changes that could affect your risk profile. Adding an energy-generating system to a property is generally considered a notifiable change. Even though plug-in solar is portable, attaching it to an external surface and connecting it to the electrical supply is a meaningful addition to your home setup.
How insurers typically treat plug-in solar
Many insurers treat portable plug-in solar systems as contents rather than as a structural modification to the building. This is good news: it means coverage under your contents policy for loss, theft or accidental damage, with no premium change or a very modest one.
Some insurers may ask whether the system is connected by a registered electrician and whether a G98 notification has been completed. Both of these things demonstrate that the installation was done properly, which typically satisfies insurer requirements. Having documentation of your G98 notification confirmation and your electrician’s certification is useful here.
Buildings insurance vs contents insurance
If you rent, you typically only hold contents insurance. Your landlord’s buildings insurance covers the property structure. Notify your contents insurer about the solar system as a valuable item. Most panels and microinverters cost £400 to £600 and are worth listing specifically.
If you own your home, you hold both. Notify your buildings insurer about the external installation and your contents insurer about the equipment itself. Ask your buildings insurer specifically whether a portable external solar installation requires any notification or policy amendment.
What to say when you call
Be straightforward. Tell them you have installed a portable plug-in solar system: one or two panels mounted externally using clamp brackets, connected to a standard socket via a microinverter, with the work completed by a registered electrician in compliance with BS 7671 Amendment 4. Ask whether this requires any policy amendment and whether the equipment is covered under your existing policy.
Most insurers will confirm coverage with no change, or with a small additional premium. If an insurer tries to significantly increase your premium for a portable two-panel system, it is worth shopping around as part of your next renewal.
What about fire risk?
If your insurer asks about fire risk, the key points are: the system uses a CE and UKCA-certified microinverter with anti-islanding protection, it complies with BS 7671 Amendment 4, and it was connected by a registered electrician. You have also maintained a gap between the panels and any combustible surface. These are the factors that demonstrate a responsibly installed system, which is all any insurer needs to know.
For the full regulatory picture, our UK regulations page has the details your insurer might ask about.