Plug-in solar panels are legal in Great Britain from today: What you need to know
Key Points
- Plug-in solar panels became legal across Great Britain on 27 August 2026
- Kits cap out at 800VA output and 2,000W of panels, with no installer needed
- The government says households can save up to £110 a year
- Amazon, Argos, Currys, B&Q, Screwfix and Wickes will all stock them
- Northern Ireland, plug-in batteries and non-certified kits fall outside the change
Plug-in solar panels became legal to buy and use across Great Britain on Thursday (27 August), with the government saying households can cut up to £110 a year from their electricity bills.
Each kit produces up to 800W of power, enough to cover up to 20% of an average home’s electricity use. That can run a typical fridge, television, Wi-Fi router, laptop, phone charger and an Xbox S at the same time when the sun is shining.
The panels carry no installation cost and draw no electricity from the grid.
The change comes from an amendment to the plugs and sockets safety regulations, SI 2026/848, which the government made on 16 July 2026. It removes the restriction that stopped households sending electricity into a standard 13A wall socket, and it lets people set the panels up themselves without a certified installer.
The regulations set four limits that buyers need to know before spending anything:
- Maximum output of 800VA from the microinverter, with a maximum AC current of 3.5A
- Maximum panel capacity of 2,000W, giving headroom for better performance in low light
- The system cannot import electricity from the home
- Only complete products meeting the government’s Interim Product Specification qualify
Plug-in battery storage devices fall outside the change, and a random imported kit or a modified microinverter setup does not become legal on the strength of the new rules. The change also does not cover households in Northern Ireland, as pv magazine reported.
Independent safety testing covering all key electrical elements preceded the legal change, and showed that compliant panels work safely with UK wiring. The UK specification is more stringent than the German equivalent, in a market where around half a million new devices went in last year.
“Plug-in solar is a simple, affordable way for households to take control of their energy bills and start saving straight away,” said Miatta Fahnbulleh, Energy Secretary.
Households can put the low-cost panels in any outdoor space or on some balconies, including a fence, a flat garage roof or the lawn. Anyone buying a kit should first check whether the property needs permission, which may cover a landlord, a building owner or freeholder, planning permission or listed building consent.
Landlords, freeholders and councils decide those requests themselves, and the government has asked them to weigh each case on its individual merits.
Where to buy
Amazon, Argos, Currys, B&Q, Screwfix and Wickes have all committed to stocking plug-in solar panels, and worked with the government on the rollout. Screwfix told pv magazine it plans to offer the kits to customers in the autumn, while Wickes expects to list products online in the coming weeks.
British Gas is also bringing the technology to its customers.
“Until now, generating solar power has required the right roof, the right home and significant upfront investment,” said Gary Booker, Managing Director of British Gas.
“They open up the benefits of solar to more households, enabling more people to produce some of their own electricity,” he added.
Trevor Hutchings, CEO of the Renewable Energy Association, said the change matters most for the households that rooftop solar has never reached.
“The arrival of plug-in solar is a huge step forward in democratising renewable energy and giving everyone the access they deserve to clean, cheap, homegrown power,” said Hutchings.
Record demand for solar
Figures from MCS show almost 150,000 certified solar panel installations in the first six months of 2026, up 17% on the previous strongest start to a year in 2025. That works out at one installation every 74 seconds.
Battery installations reached 36,000 certified jobs over the same period, close to double the figure a year earlier.
Rooftop solar still delivers far more, with savings of up to £480 a year for homeowners who can fit a full system.
The legalisation follows the Prime Minister’s July announcement of plans to cut VAT on energy bills this winter, which builds on the £150 taken off bills in last year’s Budget and the expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount to around six million households.
