Learning library
Learn about plug-in solar
Understand the system boundaries before interpreting a product page or savings claim.
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Generation and self-consumption
Solar generation varies through the day and year. The strongest household value normally comes from using generation at the time it occurs.
Physical export and payment
Physical export can occur, while payment depends on a separate SEG path involving certification (MCS or an accredited equivalent), export metering and supplier requirements.
Compliance is model-specific
A brand name, conformity mark or retailer category is not a substitute for the exact product record, revision, statutory plug approval and current register evidence.
Balconies and flats
A balcony or flat does not automatically provide a lawful or safe installation location. Check who controls the railing, façade and cable route; obtain any landlord or freeholder permission; apply the route's timber-balcony, combustible-cladding and retrofit-building exclusions; and assess wind, loading, fixing and falling-object risk. Product compliance cannot substitute for property consent or building safety.
Use the renters and leaseholders decision sequence →
UK climate and expected generation
UK solar output varies by location, season, orientation, tilt and quantified shading. Panel wattage alone is not an annual-yield forecast, and a national average should not be presented as a property-specific result. A credible estimate identifies the weather or irradiation dataset, the location represented, system losses and the range of uncertainty.
Winter generation and short daylight hours can be materially lower than summer output. Value also depends on whether the household can use electricity while it is generated; climate and self-consumption must therefore be modelled separately.
Five terms to keep separate
- Product route
- The DESNZ requirements applying to the plug-in device.
- Network route
- G98/DNO requirements, including notification and current device-count controls.
- Electrical suitability
- Whether the socket, circuit and installation are suitable for the intended connection.
- Physical export
- Electricity flowing beyond the property when generation exceeds contemporaneous demand.
- SEG eligibility
- A separate payment question dependent on installation and installer certification (MCS or an accredited equivalent), export metering and supplier acceptance.
Tools are deliberately deferred
The future suitability checker and savings calculator require validated rules and models. The site provides their evidence structure but does not simulate an answer.
See the non-indexable tools page →
Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee: The primary scheme reference for keeping export flow and export payment conceptually separate. Open source.