Plug-in solar became legal to buy and use in Great Britain on 27 Aug 2026. It is a genuinely new category and it is worth understanding, particularly if you rent, live in a flat, or have a roof that cannot take a conventional system.
We should say up front: this is not something we get you quotes for. There is no installer and no quote. You buy it in a shop. We have written this page because people ask about it and most of what is online about it is either German or out of date.
What it is
A small solar panel or pair of panels, usually mounted on a balcony, wall, fence or in a garden, with a small inverter that plugs into an ordinary mains socket. The electricity it generates feeds into the house’s circuits and reduces what you draw from the grid.
Capacity is capped at 800W. That is roughly a fifth of a typical rooftop system.
Government named Currys, B&Q, Screwfix and Amazon among the retailers bringing it to market.
Source: Households can save as plug-in solar panels come to market. Checked 4 Nov 2026.
What makes it different
It plugs into a socket Plug-in kits of up to 800W have been on sale in Great Britain since 27 Aug 2026, sold as easy to install and connected to an ordinary domestic socket. In England they cannot be fixed to a wooden wall, a balcony, a fence or timber cladding.
No network application Unlike a rooftop system, which needs the notification or permission described on grid connection.
No scaffolding, no roof work, no Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate. Which is why it costs a fraction of a rooftop system.
You can take it with you It is not attached to the building, so a tenant can move it.
What it realistically saves
Be realistic about the scale. At 800W maximum, in British conditions, you are offsetting background load: the fridge, the router, standby, a laptop, a washing machine run during daylight.
It will not cover a family’s electricity use and it will not do much for evening demand, because there is no storage. It is a useful reduction rather than a transformation.
What it is genuinely good at is offsetting the electricity a house uses all day, every day, which most households never think about.
Who it suits
- Renters. You cannot fit solar to a roof you do not own. You can put a panel on a balcony and take it when you leave.
- Flats. Same reasoning.
- Anyone whose roof does not work. Too shaded, too small, wrong direction, a listed building, or a conservation area refusal.
- People who want to try it. A low-cost way to see whether generating your own electricity actually changes your habits.
Who it does not suit
- Anyone with a suitable roof who can afford a proper system. The economics of a rooftop installation per pound spent are better.
- Anyone expecting it to make a serious dent in a large bill.
Before you buy one
Check permissions You may need agreement from a landlord, a freeholder or a building owner. Planning permission or listed building consent can apply, particularly if the panel is visible from the street or the building is listed. This is the step most people skip.
Check the product meets the interim specification Government published a product specification for plug-in solar devices. Buy from a mainstream retailer selling a product made for the British market rather than importing something designed for another country’s socket and wiring rules.
Check how it is fixed A panel on a balcony is exposed to wind. Fixings matter, and so does whatever is underneath if it comes loose.
Do not assume you can be paid for exports Whether a plug-in unit can claim the Smart Export Guarantee is not established. Assume you cannot, and treat any generation you do not use as a bonus rather than income.
What we would say
If you have a roof that works, get quotes for a proper system, because the return on the money is better. If you do not, plug-in solar is the first realistic option renters and flat-dwellers have had in this country, and that is a meaningful change.