Plug-in solar in the UK, without the mystery

What is plug-in solar?

Plug-in solar is a small solar system that feeds power into your house through a suitable plug-in connection. In the usual kit you get one to four panels, each around 300–450 W, plus a microinverter, cabling, and a standard 3-pin plug. You mount the panels. You connect the inverter. Then your house uses that power before it buys power from the grid.

The difference from normal rooftop solar is mostly scale. Plug-in solar is capped at 800 VA(about 3.5 A) under the Interim Product Specification. Engineering Recommendation G98 covers microgeneration up to 16 A per phase, or 3.68 kW on a single-phase supply. That keeps a compliant plug-in kit in the small generation notification route. The microinverter locks itself to the grid and shuts down if the grid fails, which is less exciting than it sounds and exactly what you want.

I think of it as the middle ground between a portable power station and a proper rooftop array. A portable battery stores energy but does not normally export. A full rooftop system is often 3–6 kW, usually needs an MCS-certified installer, and involves the consumer unit. Plug-in solar is for people who want to trim the bill without hiring scaffolding and pretending that a £6,000 project is “just a quick upgrade”.

Is plug-in solar legal in Great Britain?

The short version: legal from 27 August 2026for compliant devices. The long version is a classic British paperwork relay. BS 7671 Amendment 4 was published on 15 April 2026, adding rules for small plug-in photovoltaic systems connected through a 13 A plug. It can be used from publication, but it becomes mandatory on 15 October 2026, when the previous version of BS 7671 is withdrawn. Then SI 2026/848, made on 16 July 2026, created the legal framework for sale and use. That instrument came into force on 27 August 2026. Before that, the position was muddy, and several DNOs told people not to do it. On 11 August 2026, Ofgem approved the G98 amendment (DCRP/MP/26/02), which confirms the grid-connection route and introduces a consumer self-notification process via ENA Connect Direct.

Now the route is live, there are two jobs you don't dodge:

1. Notify your electricity network. Within 28 days of connecting the system, you send a G98 notification to your regional Distribution Network Operator. It is a notification, not a request for permission. You can generate the form free using our G98 form generator.
2. Stick to one plug-in device per household. The current G98 amendment puts the domestic plug-in route on that footing.
3. Install to BS 7671 Amendment 4. Use a compliant microinverter, the right cabling, a labelled isolator, and an installation label at the consumer unit saying an embedded generator is connected.

For a typical balcony or ground-mounted setup under 9 m² of panel area, you usually do not need planning permission. Roofs facing a highway can be different in conservation areas. If your home is listed, in a national park, or in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, check before you order anything. Planning rules have a talent for being boring and expensive at the same time.

How much does plug-in solar cost?

As of mid-2026, a single-panel plug-in solar kit, roughly 400 W, costs about £120 to £250 in the UK. A two-panel kit, roughly 800 W and close to the 800 VAroute, usually lands between £250 and £500. The price moves with the panel, the microinverter, the mounting kit, and whether a Type B RCD is included. That last bit is easy to miss.

Generation estimates assume a south-facing panel at 35° tilt in southern England. Put the same panel in shade or face it north and you can lose 30–50%.

Against a conventional 4 kW rooftop system at £5,000–£7,000 installed, plug-in solar is far cheaper up front. It also produces much less. The cost per watt is not magic; the saving comes from skipping scaffolding, MCSinstaller labour, and the heavier inverter approval path.

How much can you save with plug-in solar?

The money comes from two places. First, you use your own solar instead of buying grid electricity. Second, you sell spare export through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). The first one usually matters more.

Self-consumption is the big lever. If you pay 27 p/kWhand the panels make 700 kWh/year, the theoretical saving is £189/year. But that assumes you use every kWh as it is made, which is a lovely fantasy unless your kettle has a solar diary. A household that runs appliances during sunny spells might use 40–70% of the generation. At 50%, the saving is about £95/year, with the rest exported.

SEG export payments depend on the supplier and tariff. Rates must be above zero — some pay under 1 p/kWh, while variable tariffs like Octopus Agile Outgoing have paid 40 p/kWh. A fixed SEG rate of 15 p/kWh on 300 kWh of export gives you £45/year. See our SEG registration guide and SEG supplier comparison for current tariff rates.

Figures are illustrative. Your result depends on tariff, when you use power, panel direction, weather, and which SEG supplier you pick.

At £148/year saved on a £350 kit, payback is roughly 2.4 years. A battery costs more up front but can lift self-consumption from ~50% to ~70%. That can make sense on a time-of-use tariff. On a flat tariff, do the sums before falling in love with the battery box.

G98 notification requirements

Engineering Recommendation G98 is the Energy Networks Association (ENA) standard for small generation up to 16 A per phase, which is 3.68 kW on a single-phase supply. Plug-in solar kits sit inside that limit. Under G98, a compliant kit is connect-and-notify: you connect it, then notify your DNO within 28 days.

The G98 notification asks for the usual form-filling material:

• The installation address and postcode.
• The electricity network operator, suggested from the postcode and confirmed before download.
• The installer name, which is your own name for a DIY install.
• The inverter make, model, and total capacity in kW.
• The number of panels and whether the system is single-phase or three-phase.
• The installation date.
• Contact details for the responsible person. Yes, that's probably you.

You can generate a completed G98 form in about five minutes with our free G98 form generator — it suggests the likely network from your postcode, asks you to confirm it, and produces a printable PDF that you send by your network operator's checked email or portal route for your confirmed network. The first time I read the G98 form, I thought I'd downloaded the wrong document. For the full process, read the G98 notification guide.

If your system exceeds 800 VA, it is outside the plug-in solar route. G98can still cover ordinary microgeneration up to 16 A per phase; above that, you are in G99 territory and need prior approval from the network operator before connection. For the comparison, read the G99 vs G98 guide.

SEG registration

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is the scheme that pays you for exported electricity. Licensed electricity suppliers with more than 150,000 domestic customers must offer at least one export tariff. It has been in force since 1 January 2020 and replaced the closed Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme. You get paid for export measured by a smart meter.

To register for SEG, expect to provide:

• A G98 (or G99) notification confirmation from your DNO.
• An MCS certificate or equivalent evidence that the installation is up to standard.
• A smart meter capable of recording half-hourly export.
• A SEG-licensed supplier (most large suppliers offer SEG tariffs).

Some suppliers accept alternative evidence for small sub-800 VAplug-in installations where an MCS certificate is not available. Ask before applying, because supplier forms have a habit of assuming everyone has a full rooftop install. For the walkthrough, see our step-by-step SEG registration guide, and for current tariff rates see our SEG supplier comparison.

Which plug-in solar kits are legal?

Short answer, as checked on 11 September 2026: only kits listed as Compliant on the ENA Connect Direct register. That is 48 devices out of 49 assessed, across thirteen manufacturers. Nineteen compliant devices had UK sellers, including UKSOL, Thunder Energy, Patiosun, Modular Solar and the Perlight MAX quartet now sold by Plug In Solar. Anker had no plug-in solar register entry in the 11 September check, after leaving on 4 September; EcoFlow's entry left the register on 9 September, while Octopus Energy's M1-800-E was shown compliant in the 10 September check — the first compliant Octopus entry, though it is not on sale in the UK yet. Self-assembled parts-bin combinations are not on the register and cannot legally be connected under the GB plug-in route.

The register changes as manufacturers file and get assessed — Anker was briefly Compliant in August before flipping — so check it before you buy, not after. The full comparison, prices, and status history live on their own pages now:

Installing plug-in solar

A compliant kit takes 1–3 hours to fit: mount the panels, route the cable, plug into a socket near the consumer unit, label the consumer unit, and check the inverter synchronises. The full step-by-step — siting, the electrical connection, the BS 7671 labelling requirement, and the safety checklist — has its own page now.

Frequently asked questions

The most common questions about compliance, winter output, sockets, and costs — including the two that surprise people most: you cannot build your own kit from parts, and well-known brands like EcoFlow and Anker are currently not legal to connect. The full FAQ with twelve answers lives on its own page.