Your situation
Plug-in solar for gardens
Can you put plug-in solar panels in your garden? Output by angle and direction, England's height and size limits, and how to get power to a socket.
PVGIS solar data
The numbers
Estimated yearly output of a typical 890 Wp kit (800W cap), from PVGIS solar data for each place. Get yours.
| Setup | London | Manchester | Edinburgh |
|---|---|---|---|
| South-facing, tilted 30° (garden stand) | 899 kWh | 783 kWh | 795 kWh |
| South-facing, tilted 15° (low frame) | 846 kWh94% of the first row | 740 kWh95% of the first row | 742 kWh93% of the first row |
| South-facing, tilted 60° (steep stand) | 869 kWh97% of the first row | 753 kWh96% of the first row | 778 kWh98% of the first row |
| South-west-facing, tilted 30° | 841 kWh94% of the first row | 737 kWh94% of the first row | 746 kWh94% of the first row |
A garden gives you the most freedom: you can face the panels the best way and pick the angle, instead of being stuck with a wall or railing. The figures above compare common garden-stand angles and directions for your location.
Rules and permissions
Planning in England. A free-standing plug-in kit in the garden of a house falls under Class B of the permitted development rules (stand-alone solar). The limits are (SI 2026/896):
- Height: no more than 1 m if within 5 m of the boundary and in front of the house’s main elevation; 2 m if within 5 m of the boundary (or, in a conservation area, nearer the road); 4 m otherwise.
- Panel area: no more than 9 m².
- Not within the grounds (curtilage) of a listed building.
- Not on a wooden fence, gate, wall or other enclosure (see fences).
- In a conservation area, a stand-alone kit nearer the road than the house has a 2 m limit and needs prior approval from the council.
Other existing Class B conditions still apply, so check the full order or ask your council if you’re near a limit. We found no plug-in-specific planning change in Scotland or Wales.
Permission. If you rent, or the garden is shared or communal, you need the owner’s permission first (IPS §8.3.1; DESNZ).
Fixing. The product specification requires reversible, non-permanent mounting, not held by cable ties, rope, tape, bungees or straps alone (IPS §5.5.1, §8.3.2). Ground frames are usually held down with ballast or ground anchors; follow the kit’s instructions.
What to look for
- Getting power to a socket. This is usually the deciding factor. The kit’s plug must go straight into a fixed socket, with no extension lead or adaptor (IPS §6.2.3). An outdoor socket must be rated at least IP55 (IPS §4.2.3). Measure the distance before you buy. Adding an outdoor socket is a job for an electrician.
- Cable protection. Route the cable where it won’t be tripped over, mown or chewed.
- An adjustable stand. A stand you can angle lets you trade summer and winter output, and move the kit if shade changes.
- Shade through the year. Trees, fences and the house cast much longer shadows in winter. Our figures assume open sky; a spot that’s sunny in June may be shaded from October.
- Wind. Garden stands catch the wind. Use the ballast or anchoring the manufacturer specifies.
- Security. Consider whether panels in a front garden can be seen or reached from the street.