Plug-in solar

Plug-in solar — panels you mount on a balcony, wall or garden and connect yourself, without an installer and without touching your consumer unit. Common across Germany for years; new to Britain.

We do not recommend or review specific kits. Plug-in solar became lawful to use in the UK on 27 August 2026, when SI 2026/848 came into force, for products that meet the Interim Product Specification version 2. See what you can and cannot do now for the rules, and the status tracker for the primary sources.

Guides

• Is plug-in solar legal in the UK? Current status — maintained, dated, primary-sourced. Start here.
• What changes on 27 August 2026 — what the instrument actually does, the definition in full, and what stays the same.
• How plug-in solar works — what is in the box, where the 800 W figure comes from, and why daytime usage decides whether it pays.
• Savings calculator — enter your panel size and region for an estimated annual saving and payback range.
• What you can and cannot do now — the rules in practice: what to check before buying, the one-per-household limit, and what is still not allowed.

Water is another UK home-infrastructure topic, for entirely different reasons than solar — see our UK tap water quality page if you are researching home-infrastructure rules generally.