The UK has approved the regulatory framework for plug-in solar. BS 7671 Amendment 4, in force since April 2026, covers wiring and grid notification for systems up to 800W. No planning permission is needed for most properties and renters and leaseholders are included. The last piece, a formal route for connecting through a standard plug, is now law: the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 come into force on 27 August 2026. Until then, and until a specific kit's plug has notified-body approval, the compliant connection is via a CPS-registered electrician.
- The UK has approved the framework: BS 7671 Amendment 4, in force 15 April 2026
- Systems capped at 800W, the same limit as Germany
- No planning permission for most balcony or garden kits
- Connection notified to your network operator with one free form
- The DIY plug-in-socket route becomes law on 27 August 2026, once a kit's plug has notified-body approval
- Renters and leaseholders are included
What changed in 2026
Until recently, UK wiring rules treated anything that generated electricity behind your fuse box as a fixed installation. That meant an electrician, a dedicated circuit and a certificate. It ruled out the kind of kit that's common across Germany and the Netherlands, where people clip a couple of panels to a balcony rail, plug them into a normal socket and use the power at home.
In March 2026 the Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, announced that the UK would change this. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero updated the national wiring standard (BS 7671 Amendment 4, published 15 April 2026) to set out a route for plug-in solar up to 800W for the first time.
On 16 June 2026, DESNZ took the next step, opening a public consultation on formally permitting plug-in solar to connect through a standard domestic wall socket. The consultation closed on 30 June 2026 and the government published its response, alongside the regulatory change itself, on 16 July 2026.
This is government policy rather than a regulatory loophole. The change was announced at cabinet level and backed by a £25 million pilot putting plug-in kits into low-income households.
Germany has already legalised and adopted it
By the end of 2024, Germany's federal network agency, the Bundesnetzagentur, had around 800,000 plug-in systems on its register, with about 435,000 added during 2024 alone. The German solar industry association estimated the total passed one million by the middle of 2025. Germany uses the same 800W limit the UK has adopted.
The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and France all run similar frameworks. The UK is among the last major western European countries to adopt plug-in solar.
The 800W cap
The rules cap plug-in solar at 800W of AC output per home. It matches the limit Germany set, giving the UK a figure with years of real-world use behind it. It covers the fridge, the broadband router, devices on charge and the television.
Do you need permission?
Planning permission
For a kit that clips to a balcony railing or stands on a frame in the garden, you don't need planning permission. Nothing is bolted to the building, so it falls under permitted development. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, a quick word with your local planning office will confirm it.
Your network operator
You notify your Distribution Network Operator through a process called G98. It's a free online form via the ENA Connect Direct platform, filed within 28 days of connecting. It's a notification rather than an application, so nothing is approved or refused.
Your landlord or freeholder
If you rent or hold a leasehold there are one or two extra things worth knowing. Both are covered below.
What's still being finalised
Amendment 4 governs the domestic wiring side. The plug-and-socket connection question is now settled in law, though not yet in effect. DESNZ's public consultation on amending the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (PSSR) closed on 30 June 2026. The government's response and the regulatory change itself, the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/848), were published on 16 July 2026. The amendment comes into force on 27 August 2026, not before.
Until that date, and even after it until a specific kit's plug has notified-body approval against the current Interim Product Specification, every Sola kit connects via a CPS-registered electrician.
The most important thing to check before you buy is the microinverter. It needs to be G98 type-tested and listed on the ENA Type Test Register. Sola's kits use the MS400 and MS800, both on that register.
If you rent
Nothing's fixed to the building. Plug-in solar clips on and off and can move with you. It hands renters something they've never had: a measure of control over their own energy. Plug-in solar takes that decision out of the landlord's hands and gives it to the person paying the bills. It democratises access to solar.
Tell your landlord in writing first. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 a landlord shouldn't unreasonably refuse a reasonable request, particularly one with no drilling, no structural work and nothing left behind when you leave.
If you hold a leasehold
Because a plug-in kit isn't attached to the building, it generally sidesteps the consent needed for permanent alterations. Read your lease for terms on balconies or external appearance and, if unclear, send a short note to your freeholder or managing agent describing the kit.
What will it save you?
Every unit you make and use yourself is a unit you don't pay for at around 24.5p. A typical 800W system generates between 600 and 850 kWh a year, depending on location and usage patterns.
Common questions
The UK has approved the regulatory framework for plug-in solar. BS 7671 Amendment 4, in force 15 April 2026, governs the wiring and grid-connection side up to 800W, with a free G98 notification to your network operator. The DIY standard-plug connection route is now confirmed in law, under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which come into force on 27 August 2026. Until that date, and until a specific kit's plug has notified-body approval against the current Interim Product Specification, the fully compliant socket connection uses a CPS-registered electrician.
For a balcony or garden kit that isn't fixed to the building, no. It falls under permitted development. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, check with your local planning office.
You notify your Distribution Network Operator with a free G98 form via ENA Connect Direct, within 28 days of connecting. It's a notification, not an approval. Sola helps you complete it.
The kit is designed to be set up by hand. The law permitting a direct plug-in-the-socket connection comes into force on 27 August 2026, and even then a specific kit can only use that route once its plug has notified-body approval against the current Interim Product Specification. Until then, the fully compliant socket connection uses a CPS-registered electrician. Check the microinverter is G98 type-tested before you buy.
Yes. Nothing's fixed to the building, so it suits rented homes and moves with you. Tell your landlord in writing first. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 a reasonable request shouldn't be unreasonably refused.
Usually yes. Because the kit isn't fixed to the building it generally avoids the consent needed for permanent alterations. Read your lease and, if unclear, send your freeholder or managing agent a short note describing the kit.
Up to 800W AC per home. That's the cap and it's well-sized for daytime background use: the fridge, the broadband router, devices on standby or charge.
Solar for everyone
We didn't build a solar company for people who already have solar. We built one for the millions who've never been able to benefit from it.
See the Sola kits- BS 7671 Amendment 4 (the IET Wiring Regulations), in force 15 April 2026.
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
- DESNZ public consultation: Plug-in solar, opened 16 June 2026, closed 30 June 2026, government response published 16 July 2026.
- The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/848), made 16 July 2026, in force 27 August 2026.
- ENA Connect Direct, for the G98 network notification.
- ENA Type Test Register, for G98 microinverter certification.
- Bundesnetzagentur, German plug-in solar registration figures.
This guide is general information, not legal or electrical advice. The DIY plug-in-socket connection route becomes law on 27 August 2026, and product-level approvals under it are still being confirmed. Until then, and until a specific kit's plug has notified-body approval, the compliant connection is via a CPS-registered electrician. Last updated: 30 July 2026.