Is plug-in solar legal in the UK?

Where and when this route applies

Plug-in solar became legal in Great Britain from 27 August 2026. The connection-and-use route described here applies in Great Britain only: it does not currently extend to Northern Ireland. Although the 2026 plug-approval amendment (SI 2026/848, regulations 1–2) extends to Northern Ireland, the matching electricity-network amendment (regulation 3) extends to Great Britain only. Northern Ireland therefore retains the plug-approval route but not the GB connection-and-use exception; it remains governed by the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 (SR 2012/381), which provides no plug-in-solar exception. Do not apply the GB route to a Northern Ireland property unless the Northern Ireland position changes.

What the current route covers

The DESNZ Interim Product Specification describes a plug-in device with a maximum rated output of 800 VA, connected current not exceeding 3.5 A and photovoltaic DC input not exceeding 2,000 W. A compliant kit is intended to connect through a suitable standard socket.

The device-count distinction is not settled

The Interim Product Specification permits one device up to 800 VA per household circuit. Current GB network requirements (G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1, 2026, as named in the DESNZ Interim Product Specification) restrict deployment to one device per household unless and until G98 is amended. This must be live-verified against the current network requirements before publication, purchase or connection.

DNO notification

The current route requires the Distribution Network Operator to be notified under G98 within 28 days. Under G98 the notification obligation sits with the installer; for a consumer-installed kit, the device owner is responsible for ensuring the DNO receives the notification and should retain evidence of it. Product evidence should include current ENA register information and the required plug-approval and declaration-of-conformity evidence, not only a retailer's description or a general conformity mark.

Physical export and SEG are different questions

Physical export to the grid can occur. The household value case should be based primarily on self-consumption. SEG eligibility is not automatic: the installation and installer must be certified under MCS or an accredited equivalent, export metering capable of half-hourly readings must be in place, and the SEG licensee's terms apply. Because plug-in solar sits outside MCS's installation scope, SEG eligibility and payment for a self-installed kit are currently unconfirmed unless such certification and a named supplier's acceptance can be evidenced.

Batteries sit outside this route

Plug-in battery systems and plug-in solar integrated with batteries are outside the current plug-in solar route. The statutory definition of a plug-in microgenerator (SI 2026/848) is a device that is not designed to import electricity from the installation for storage and later supply, beyond permitted auxiliary functions. That does not become a route-compliant plug-in product merely because an electrician is involved; the applicable alternative product, installation and network requirements need separate assessment.

When an electrician is needed

Fixed electrical work — for example adding or modifying a socket or circuit — must comply with the applicable wiring and building requirements, which in England includes Part P, and should be carried out by a competent electrician. Separately, it is prudent to consult a competent electrician where the consumer cannot safely establish that the existing socket, circuit and installation are suitable. Simply plugging in an approved no-modification kit is not itself fixed electrical-installation work.

Socket, adaptor and wiring safety

Use the device only through the suitable standard socket arrangement specified for the compliant kit. Do not use an extension lead, multi-way adaptor or daisy-chain the connection. Do not connect to damaged, degraded or non-compliant socket-outlets. Older, unknown-condition or fuse-protected installations should be assessed by a competent electrician before connection; age alone does not make a property unsuitable, but condition must be established.

Where sockets or circuits must be added or altered, the work must follow the applicable wiring requirements, including BS 7671, and, in England, the requirements described by Part P. If existing-installation suitability cannot be established safely, consult a competent electrician before connection.

MCS and the plug-in route

MCS describes plug-in solar as outside the scope of its installation scheme. That fact does not itself determine physical export or SEG entitlement; export-payment qualification remains a separate certification, metering and supplier question, and without MCS or an accredited-equivalent certification a self-installed plug-in kit currently has no automatic SEG route.