What changed in August 2026

Until this year, a plug for equipment that generates electricity couldn't be approved under British plug safety rules, so the plug-in kits common in Germany and the Netherlands couldn't legally be used here. New regulations (SI 2026/848) changed that from 27 August 2026 for kits that meet the government's interim product specification. The main limits:

  • Up to 800W fed into the socket (800VA, 3.5A), from up to 2,000W of panels.
  • No batteries. Kits with storage built in, and plug-in batteries, aren't covered by the new rules.
  • An ordinary 13A plug, straight into a wall socket. No extension leads, multi-way adaptors, RCD adaptors or travel adaptors.
  • One kit per home for now. The specification allows one per circuit, but the grid connection rules (G98) still say one per household until they're changed.
  • Listed on the register. Makers have to list each kit on the Energy Networks Association's Type Test Register. If the model you're looking at isn't shown there as compliant, it isn't covered.

The rules above are for Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own connection rules, so check with NIE Networks before buying there.

What it saves

The saving comes from power you use in the home at the moment the panels make it. Anything you don't use at that moment flows out to the grid, and you're unlikely to be paid for it: the Smart Export Guarantee needs an installation certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) and a meter that records exports every half hour, and the government expects most plug-in kits won't qualify at first. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) worked out two cases for an 800W kit:

How it's mounted Made a year Used in the home Saving a year
Tilted at 30°, facing south 690kWh 428kWh £113
Upright on a wall or railing, facing east or west 378kWh 272kWh £72

The kWh figures are the government's, for 800W of panels on a home using an average amount of electricity with someone in during the day. The savings are worked out at today's price cap. A kit with fewer watts of panels makes less, and if the house is empty all day, less of the power gets used, so the saving is lower.

Costs use 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own tariff may differ. How we calculate.

The government put the price of an 800W kit at around £400 to £600, based on European prices. At those savings, a south-facing kit would pay for itself in about 4 to 5 years, and an upright east or west one in about 6 to 8 years.

What it can run

The panels make most in the middle of a bright day, up to the kit's 800W limit, and much less in the morning, the evening and on dull days. Whatever is switched on at that moment uses the solar power first, and the grid tops up anything more. For the appliances we cover on this site:

  • A quiet pedestal fan (MeacoFan 1056P Pedestal Air Circulator) uses 24W: a small share of the kit's 800W, so sunshine can cover it for long stretches of a bright day.
  • A 12 litre dehumidifier (Pro Breeze OmniDry 12L) uses 200W: a small share of the kit's 800W, so sunshine can cover it for long stretches of a bright day.
  • A three-tier heated airer (BLACK+DECKER 63091 3-Tier Heated Airer with Cover) uses 300W: up to half the kit's 800W, so it needs good sun to be covered.
  • A portable air conditioner (Pro Breeze 12,000 BTU Smart Portable Air Conditioner) uses 780W: close to the kit's full 800W, which takes strong midday sun.

So the way to get more from a kit is to run things in the day: the dehumidifier or heated airer while the sun is up, the dishwasher or washing machine on a timer at lunchtime. A fan on a hot afternoon is almost a perfect match, because the sun that heats the room is the sun that powers the fan.

In winter the days are short and the sun is low, so a kit makes far less. It won't help much with heating.

Is it worth it for you?

It's most likely to pay off if:

  • you have a spot that gets sun most of the day without shade from trees or buildings, ideally facing south
  • you can angle the panels rather than fix them flat against a wall
  • someone is home in the day, or you can run appliances on timers
  • there's an indoor socket near where the panels go, on a circuit with a circuit breaker and RCD protection

It's less likely to be worth it on a shady north-facing balcony, in a home that's empty all day, or where the fuse box still has old rewirable fuses. In that last case, the specification says to get an electrician to check the wiring first.

Before you buy and fit one

  1. Check the exact model on the register. Search the ENA Connect Direct Type Test Register for "Plug-in Solar" and make sure your model shows as compliant. Some kits sold online aren't on it.
  2. Get permission if you need it. Renters, leaseholders and people in managed blocks need the landlord's, freeholder's or managing agent's agreement first. Check whether you need planning permission, and listed building consent if the building is listed.
  3. Pick the socket. Use an indoor wall socket on a socket circuit, not one supplying lights or fixed equipment. Find which sockets share a circuit by switching off one breaker at a time and seeing what goes off.
  4. Fix the panels the maker's way. Use only the brackets and fixings the maker specifies. Fixings must come off again without damaging the building, and mustn't harm its weatherproofing or fire safety.
  5. Tell your network operator within 28 days. Your kit's instructions should explain how; the Energy Networks Association has a postcode search to find your operator.

Our picks

We only list kits that showed as compliant on the ENA register when we checked on 24 October 2026; each pick gives its register reference so you can look it up. We haven't tested them ourselves. The register changes, so check the model again before you buy.

For the most from one socket

UKSOL Plug-In Solar Pro Plus 1030W Hybrid Mount Kit

Type
Plug-in solar kit
Solar panels
1030W
Into the socket
up to 800W
ENA register
UKSOL/21012/V1/A3

Two 515W panels feeding an inverter that puts out up to 800W, so it can reach the full limit for more of the day than a single panel can. Its frame goes on the ground or a wall, not a balcony. With more than 960W of panels, the specification asks the maker to advise having your wiring checked by an electrician first. On Amazon it was taking one to three months to dispatch when we checked.

View on Amazon Manufacturer specs

A single panel for a wall or garden

UKSOL Plug-In Solar Pro Compact 515W Hybrid Mount Kit

Type
Plug-in solar kit
Solar panels
515W
Into the socket
up to 800W
ENA register
UKSOL/21008/V1/A4

One 515W panel on a frame for the ground or a wall (not a balcony). It makes less than the 800W of panels in the savings table above, so expect a smaller saving. On Amazon it was taking one to four months to dispatch when we checked.

View on Amazon Manufacturer specs

Freestanding, and quick to set up

Modular Solar 475W Plug-in Modular Solar Unit

Type
Plug-in solar kit
Solar panels
475W
Into the socket
up to 400W
ENA register
MODUL/21443/V1/A3

A ready-built 475W unit that stands on the ground, with a tilt you change for the season, so you can get the angle that the government's figures show makes the most. Its inverter is limited to 400W, about half the most the rules allow, and its cable has an energy meter built in. It's large and heavy, so check the maker's dimensions against your space.

View on Amazon Manufacturer specs

To see what you use in the day

TP-Link Tapo P110 smart plug with energy monitoring

Type
Energy monitoring plug
Max load
2990W
  • Phone app

A smart plug that measures whatever is plugged into it, with a phone app that keeps a history by day, month and year. Before you buy a kit, use it on the appliances you run in the day to see how much of the solar power you'd use. It's for appliances only: never plug the solar kit into it, because it would sit between the kit and the wall like an adaptor, which the rules don't allow.

View on Amazon Manufacturer specs

Sources

Checked 24 October 2026.