Plug-In Battery Legal Requirements UK: DNO Notification Rules
Last reviewed 18 August 2026. This is for the annoying but necessary question: does a plug-in battery need electricity network paperwork? For the wider buying context, read the UK plug-in batteries guide.
No export
Battery-only appliance position
G98
Small type-tested generator route
G99
Larger or more complex connection route
Start with this question
For most homeowners, the useful question is whether the product is a battery appliance or a grid-parallel generator. A battery-only plug-in product takes electricity from a socket when prices are low, stores it in kWh, and later supplies appliances inside the home. If it can't push power back through the meter and has no solar generation connected in parallel with the grid, it isn't a microgenerator in the usual G98 sense. That's why a battery-only, no-export product normally doesn't need a G98 notification.
The position changes when the system includes solar panels and either a microinverter or a hybrid inverter that can export ACelectricity to the distribution network. At that point the DNO cares about voltage, frequency, anti-islanding, fault response, and maximum export. A small, single-premises, type-tested system is usually handled through G98. A larger system, a non-standard system, or a setup above the G98 limits can move into G99.
Don't judge by the plug alone
Common setups you'll see
1. Battery-only, no export
This is the simplest case. The battery charges from a normal socket, often overnight on a time-of-use tariff, then powers internal loads later. It isn't claiming to generate renewable electricity, and it shouldn't be able to export to the grid. In that case your practical questions are product safety, socket loading, warranty, and whether the device is being used exactly as instructed. Read our battery safety guide before deciding where to put it.
2. Plug-in solar plus battery with export
A solar panel, microinverter, and battery can be a generation system even if it's sold in consumer language. If it can feed surplus electricity into your home wiring and beyond the meter, theDNO notification route matters. For small type-tested microgeneration, the usual homeowner route is G98. The installer or supplier should provide the type-test documents and inverter details, plus the export settings needed for the form.
3. Hardwired or fixed battery systems
A fixed battery connected into the consumer unit isn't just a portable appliance. It may be AC-coupled, DC-coupled, or part of a hybrid inverter installation. If it can operate in parallel with the network, G98 or G99 must be considered. It may also need competent electrical design under BS 7671 and clear documentation for the DNO and meter operator, with enough clarity for a future property owner.
Where ESQCR and SI 2026/848 fit
The ESQCR rules sit behind UK electricity safety and network continuity duties. Regulation 22 covers switched alternative sources of energy and is relevant to avoiding unsafe parallel operation. SI 2026/848 amends plug and socket safety law and ESQCR wording for the newer plug-in solar and storage context. For a homeowner, the practical meaning is blunt: equipment mustn't create a hidden live supply, backfeed in an unsafe way, or bypass the network connection process when generation is present.
G98 then provides the engineering recommendation for small, fully Type Tested microgenerators. It isn't a product review badge. It's a connection process that lets a DNO know that compliant generation equipment has been connected at a premises. If you are comparing solar kits, use the compliance checks in the plug-in solar UK guide as well as the battery documents.
Keep the evidence
Your homeowner checklist
- Ask whether the battery can ever export electricity beyond your meter.
- Check whether solar panels or a microinverter are connected to it.
- Ask for the G98 or G99 paperwork if it is a generation system.
- Confirm whether the device is battery-only, solar-ready, or solar-exporting.
- Don't hardwire a battery unless the installer is competent for the work.
If your goal is export income, also read the plug-in battery SEG compatibility guide and our practical SEG registration guide. A battery can change when you use electricity, but it isn't automatically an export tariff product.