UK DIY Solar Legislation and Compliance Status (2026)

Current Position (as of 2 September 2026)

• Plug-in solar is legal UK-wide from 27 August 2026, under an amendment to the 1994 Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations, for compliant kits up to 800VA per property.
• Only seven compliant kits are confirmed on the market so far, all from a single manufacturer, UKSOL. Cheaper non-compliant alternatives exist but fall outside the legal framework and can invalidate home insurance.
• One kit per property is the hard limit, not one per socket or room. DNO registration is required within 28 days of installation, via myplugin.solar or your local DNO directly.
• There is no equivalent legalised plug-in pathway for above-800VA systems. For larger systems, use existing non-plug-in connection routes and installer-led compliance workflows.

Compliance Matrix

Electrical Safety Requirements

• DC leakage is capped at the inverter: the product specification limits inverters to no more than 5mA of DC leakage, in both normal operation and fault conditions, with responsibility placed on the inverter manufacturer.
• You should not need to upgrade an existing RCD or RCBO just to connect a compliant plug-in kit. Even so, test the RCD (press the test button) while the system is generating at peak output, and call an electrician if it does not trip.
• Any socket circuit without RCD protection should be inspected by an electrician before a plug-in solar system is connected to it.
• Inverters must include anti-islanding protection, shutting down automatically if the mains supply is lost rather than continuing to energise the circuit.
• Panels, microinverter and mounting equipment must be supplied and certified as a complete kit. Mixing components, or substituting your own cable ties, connectors or mounting hardware, takes the installation outside the compliant framework.
• Strings are limited to two panels in series at a maximum of 120V DC, keeping the panel wiring within extra-low-voltage range and reducing the risk of a sustained DC arc.
• The AC plug into the wall socket must be a moulded, non-rewireable 13A plug. DC connectors on the solar string cables may be user-terminated, but mixing connector types from different manufacturers is a known compatibility and fire risk, don't assume "compatible" claims are safe to rely on.
• Panels themselves, not just the mounting surface, must meet fire performance requirements as part of the product specification.

Practical Rule Checks

• Only buy a confirmed compliant kit. As of early September 2026 that means one of seven UKSOL products; check the current approved list before ordering.
• One kit per property, 800VA maximum. Buying two cheaper kits to cover more load is not a legal workaround. This traces back to G98, the network operator's grid-connection notification process, which only accommodates one small-scale generation system per installation, so a second kit has nowhere compliant to register even where the socket wiring could technically support it.
• Register with your DNO within 28 days of installing, via myplugin.solar or directly with your local network operator.
• Renting or leasehold: get written permission from your landlord, freeholder or managing agent first. There is no statutory right to install without it.
• Not permitted on timber structures (fences, sheds, timber-clad walls) without separate council permission.
• Don't connect a plug-in kit to a home battery yourself. That needs a qualified electrician to sign off, and a simplified route isn't expected until 2027.
• Don't expect SEG export payments yet. SEG needs MCS certification, which plug-in kits can't get until a simplified route lands, expected around 2027.
• For hard-wired systems, account for electrician and notifiable-work compliance requirements.
• Common planning checks cited in guidance include pitched-roof protrusion limits, flat-roof height limits, and garden array distance/size constraints.
• Always verify the latest DNO, BS 7671 and local planning position before installation.

Primary Sources

• GOV.UK plug-in solar announcement (24 March 2026)
• Byline Times: the small print on the 27 August legalisation (single-kit cap, 28-day registration, approved products)
• GOV.UK energy-device registration guidance (DNO/G98/G99 context)
• ENA G98 single-premises guide
• Ofgem SEG framework
• Our coverage: plug-in solar becomes legal, 27 August 2026
• Our coverage: the small print the announcement left out
• Our coverage: why SEG export income isn't available yet
• eFIXX (UK electrician channel): "Plug in Solar Now Legal", published 27 July 2026 (pre-launch proposal detail on DC leakage, RCD testing, anti-islanding, string voltage limits and complete-kit rules; verify against final guidance since it predates the 27 August legalisation by a month)