How to install plug-in solar in the UK: the steps in order

The rules cover devices “installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions” (Explanatory Memorandum to SI 2026/848, para 5.1). This guide sets out what the official rules require. It isn’t electrical advice. If you’re unsure about your wiring, get an electrician.

1. Buy a Compliant kit

The kit must meet the government’s Interim Product Specification (IPS). The manufacturer must have it listed as Compliant on the ENA Type Test Register before selling it. Submitting it for registration isn’t enough (IPS §7). Battery kits are outside the rules (see batteries).

You may have only one plug-in device per household (Ofgem, approving G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1). Plug-in solar isn’t yet legal to use in Northern Ireland.

Our in stock and kits pages show Compliant kits by default. The compliance checklist covers what else to look for.

2. Get permissions

The IPS makes you responsible for “obtaining any necessary permissions from the property owner, landlord, freeholder, managing agent or relevant authority prior to installation”, and for any planning permission and listed building consent (§8.3.1). It also asks you to check whether the kit affects your insurance. See landlord permission, planning permission and insurance.

3. Check your electrics

From the IPS (§8.3.2 and footnote 9):

• Check for modern residual current protection (RCBOs). Homes with older fuses and no RCBOs should be checked and upgraded by an electrician.
• If your kit has more than 960 W of panels, the manufacturer must advise you to “consider professional assessment” of your wiring (§4.1).
• Any change to the circuit itself, such as replacing its protective device, is work for a qualified electrician only.

The charity Electrical Safety First goes further. It recommends “at least a Type A bidirectional RCD”, says homes with Type AC RCDs should upgrade first, and advises an electrician’s assessment before you buy. See sockets and wiring.

4. Choose the socket

• A fixed BS 1363 wall socket, with the kit’s own moulded plug straight into it (IPS §6.2.3).
• A socket circuit only. Not a lighting circuit, or a spur feeding fixed equipment such as a cooker or boiler (IPS §8.3.3).
• If it’s outdoors, the socket must be rated at least IP55 (IPS §4.2.3).
• No separate circuit needed: the IPS covers connecting to “an existing low-voltage electrical installation … without requiring installation of a separate electrical circuit”.

5. Mount the panels

Mounting must be reversible and non-permanent. Cable ties, rope, tape, bungees or straps alone don’t count (IPS §5.5.1). Not on timber balconies, timber, ACM, MCM or HPL cladding, or a wall shared with a neighbour (IPS §5.8, §8.3.2).

The panel limits are built into the kit: no more than four modules, no more than two in series, and no Y-connectors (IPS §4.2.2). Don’t add panels the manufacturer doesn’t allow. Where to put them, and planning limits in England, are in mounting.

6. Fit the warning label

The kit includes a warning label to fix near your consumer unit (fuse box) (IPS §8.2.3.1). It tells anyone working on your electrics that a generator is connected.

7. Plug in

Connect the panels to the inverter as the manual shows, then plug the kit into the socket. Once it’s running, the IPS asks you to test the RCBO periodically while the device is generating (§8.3.4). Your manual should explain how.

8. Register with your DNO

Telling your network operator (DNO) is mandatory (Ofgem; IPS §8.2.3.1). DESNZ says it’s a short online form “within 28 days of installation”, taking about 5 to 10 minutes (impact assessment, para 25).

One DNO, Electricity North West, says to register “before you use them” and links to myplugin.solar. The safe course is to register before plugging in, or at the latest within 28 days. You must also tell the DNO if you permanently remove the kit. Full steps: register and G98.

What to do next

See which Compliant kits are in stock, or check what your spot would generate in the calculator.