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What can 800 W of solar run?

A plug-in kit makes at most 800 W, and much less in winter. Pick your appliances and see which ones it can run directly, which it only helps with, and how that changes through the year.

typical June midday output near Birmingham
515 W
typical December midday output
206 W
a day in June / December
3.5 / 0.9 kWh
A glass electric kettle full of boiling water on a white worktop
Photo: engin akyurt / Unsplash
1Pick your appliances

Typical yearly use from the sources listed under each one. Tap to add or remove.

2Your kit

Output is capped at 800 W, whatever the panels.

Birmingham, facing south, tilted 30°.

Share of these appliances’ electricity the kit supplies as it’s made

25%

205 of 824 kWh a year. The kit makes 853 kWh.

June

32%

midday output ~515 W

December

14%

midday output ~206 W

Supplied by the kitFrom the grid
Monthly use of the chosen appliances and the share the kit supplies
MonthUse, kWhSupplied by the kit
Jan7016%
Feb6420%
Mar7026%
Apr6830%
May7031%
Jun6832%
Jul7032%
Aug7030%
Sep6827%
Oct7022%
Nov6817%
Dec7014%

  • Fridge-freezer

    Runs on solar through the daylight hours, even in winter

    43%of a year

  • Wi-Fi router

    Runs on solar through the daylight hours, even in winter

    47%of a year

  • TV (55-inch LED)

    Used after dark, so the kit can’t run it directly

    0%of a year

  • Laptop

    Runs fully on solar at midday in summer; 81% in December

    91%of a year

  • Washing machine

    Too powerful to run on solar alone: covers 22% at a summer midday

    17%of a year

  • Kettle

    Too powerful to run on solar alone: covers 17% at a summer midday

    13%of a year

Washing machines, dishwashers, dryers and cooking assume you run them in the brightest four hours of the day; computers are spread over the daylight hours. Heating appliances are counted at their full power rating. Several appliances share the kit’s output, so the total can be lower than the sum. Exported electricity isn’t counted.

Appliance by appliance

What an 890 Wp kit covers near Birmingham

Share of each appliance’s electricity supplied directly by the kit, facing south at 30°, on its own. Appliances you can time run in the brightest four hours of the day; computers are spread over the daylight hours.

ApplianceUse a yearPowerRuns on solar alone?JuneDecemberWhole year
Fridge-freezer244 kWh~28 W avgYes, all year59%23%43%
Fridge116 kWh~13 W avgYes, all year61%28%46%
Freezer234 kWh~27 W avgYes, all year59%24%43%
Wi-Fi router58 kWh~7 W avgYes, all year63%29%47%
Standby (whole home)200 kWh~23 W avgYes, all year59%24%44%
TV (55-inch LED)160 kWh80 WUsed after dark0%0%0%
Laptop29 kWh30 WYes, all year94%81%91%
Desktop computer166 kWh88 WYes, all year82%60%77%
Washing machine166 kWh2,300 WOnly partly22%9%17%
Dishwasher294 kWh2,400 WOnly partly21%9%17%
Heat pump dryer236 kWh625 WOnly partly82%33%64%
Kettle167 kWh3,000 WOnly partly17%7%13%
Microwave56 kWh1,270 WOnly partly41%16%31%
Electric oven290 kWh2,990 WOnly partly17%7%13%
Induction hob226 kWh2,200 WOnly partly23%9%18%

Output from PVGIS for Birmingham, after the 800 W output cap. “Runs on solar alone” compares the appliance’s power with the kit’s typical midday output (515 W in June, 206 W in December). Heating appliances are shown at their full rating, so their real share is often higher. Sources for each figure are listed below.

How it works

Power now, not energy over the day

A kit can only run what it’s powering at that moment. Anything above its output is topped up from the grid, automatically.

43%

Always-on appliances

Fridges, freezers and routers draw a little all the time. The kit covers them through the daylight hours: about 43% of a fridge-freezer’s year, and the grid takes over at night.

82%

Appliances you can time

Run the dishwasher, washing machine or dryer around midday. A 625 W heat pump dryer gets 82% of its power from the kit at a June midday. In June the kit can run these on its own: fridge-freezer, fridge, freezer, wi-Fi router, standby (whole home), laptop, desktop computer.

17%

High-power bursts

A 3,000 W kettle, an oven or a hob draws far more than 800 W. Solar covers a slice (about 17% of a boil at a June midday) and the grid supplies the rest.

Winter is the hard part. Near Birmingham the kit makes about 3.5 kWh on an average June day but only 0.9 kWh in December, and the midday output drops from about 515 W to 206 W. Even then it covers 29% of a router’s December use.

Nothing needs switching over. The kit feeds your sockets and your home uses its power first; anything extra comes from the grid. The calculator turns this into a yearly saving, and the tariff matcher shows which tariff suits it.

Where the numbers come from

Appliance figures and their sources

Fridge-freezer

A new E-rated 60 cm fridge-freezer: 244 kWh a year on its energy label. It cycles on and off, so we use its average power. Older ones use more: the HES average was 427 kWh.

Fridge

A new E-rated larder fridge: 116 kWh a year on its energy label, averaged over the day.

Freezer

A new E-rated upright freezer: 234 kWh a year on its energy label, averaged over the day.

Wi-Fi router

On day and night. HES measured an average of 58.2 kWh a year, about 6.6 W.

Standby (whole home)

Everything left on standby, together: about 200 kWh a year in the average home, or 5% of its electricity.

TV (55-inch LED)

80 W on its EU label (SDR), watched for 2,006 hours a year as HES measured for LCD TVs: 160 kWh. Mostly watched after dark.

Laptop

HES measured 29 kWh a year, and used 30 W as a laptop’s power when on. We assume it’s used through the daylight hours.

Desktop computer

HES measured 166 kWh a year, with a computer and its screen and extras drawing 88 W on average while on. We assume it’s used through the daylight hours.

Washing machine

HES measured 166 kWh a year (284 washes). Its heater draws up to 2,300 W, far more than a kit makes, so solar covers only part of a wash. Run it in the middle of the day.

Dishwasher

HES measured 294 kWh a year (254 cycles). The heater draws up to 2,400 W, so solar covers part of a cycle at best. A new B-rated machine uses 0.64 kWh on Eco.

Heat pump dryer

236 kWh a year on its energy label (160 cycles). At 625 W it fits within a kit’s output on a bright day.

Kettle

HES measured 167 kWh a year. A 3,000 W kettle draws nearly four times a kit’s maximum, so solar only ever covers part of a boil.

Microwave

HES measured 56 kWh a year. An 800 W microwave draws 1,270 W from the socket.

Electric oven

HES measured 290 kWh a year. A single oven is rated at 2,990 W, though it cycles once hot. Only daytime cooking can use solar.

Induction hob

HES measured 226 kWh a year for hobs. A large induction zone draws 2,200 W (3,700 W on boost).

What plug-in solar can run: questions

What can 800 W of solar run?

Anything that draws less than the kit is making at the time. Near Birmingham, an 890 Wp kit facing south makes about 515 W around midday in June but only 206 W in December. That runs a fridge-freezer, router, laptop or TV directly, and a heat pump dryer on a bright day. Kettles, ovens and the heaters in washing machines draw 2,000–3,000 W, so solar only covers part of their use.

Can plug-in solar run a fridge-freezer?

For much of the daylight hours, yes. A new E-rated fridge-freezer uses about 244 kWh a year, an average of 28 W. In our Birmingham example the kit supplies about 43% of that over a year, 59% in June and 23% in December. At night it runs from the grid.

Can plug-in solar boil a kettle?

Only partly. A kettle draws 3,000 W and a plug-in kit can never supply more than 800 W, so the grid makes up the rest. At a June midday near Birmingham solar covers about 17% of a boil; in December about 7%.

Should I run my washing machine in the day?

Yes, if you can. Run in the brightest part of the day, solar covers at least 22% of a wash in June near Birmingham, against the full 2,300 W heater rating. Much of a cycle draws far less than that, so the real share is usually higher. A timer or delay-start makes it easy.

How much of my home can plug-in solar power?

An 890 Wp kit makes about 853 kWh a year near Birmingham, facing south. Ofgem’s typical home uses 2,500 kWh a year, so that’s about 34% of it, if you could use it all as it’s made. In practice you use part of it and the rest goes to the grid.

Where do the appliance figures come from?

Yearly use comes from the Household Electricity Survey, which measured appliances in 250 English homes for DECC, Defra and the Energy Saving Trust, or from current EU energy labels. Power ratings come from manufacturer spec sheets. Each appliance lists its sources on this page. Your own appliances may use more or less: the energy label or the rating plate shows yours.

Sources

  1. Bosch KGN34NWEAG spec sheet (186 × 60 cm, E class, EU energy label data)
  2. Household Electricity Survey, final report (Intertek R66141 for DECC, Defra and the Energy Saving Trust, 2012)
  3. Bosch KSV36VWEPG spec sheet (larder fridge, E class, EU energy label data)
  4. Bosch GSN36VWEPG spec sheet (upright freezer, E class, EU energy label data)
  5. Powering the Nation 2 (DECC and the Energy Saving Trust, 2014)
  6. EU EPREL product database: Samsung UE55CU7092U (55-inch LED, class G)
  7. Bosch WGG24409GB spec sheet (9 kg, A class, EU energy label data)
  8. Bosch SMS4EKI06G spec sheet (13 place, B class, EU energy label data)
  9. Bosch WTH85223GB spec sheet (8 kg heat pump, A++, EU energy label data)
  10. Bosch TWK7203GB spec sheet (kettle, EU energy label data)
  11. Bosch BFL524MS0B spec sheet (800 W microwave, EU energy label data)
  12. Bosch HBS534BS0B spec sheet (71 litre oven, EU energy label data)
  13. Bosch PUE611BB5B spec sheet (60 cm induction hob, EU energy label data)
  14. Ofgem: review of typical domestic consumption values, decision (2026)
  15. EU JRC PVGIS 5.3: photovoltaic output by location, direction and tilt

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