Is planning permission needed for it?
Usually not. Plug-in solar leans on the permitted development rights that already exist for small solar, and most houses sit inside them. The right comes with conditions, so it isn't automatic. A house that falls outside them needs a planning application, and the government expects that to cost more than the panel.
Can it go on a timber balcony?
No. Since 27 August 2026 the planning right has left out wooden walls, balconies and timber cladding for plug-in solar. The same change applies to houses and to blocks of flats. We look at yours before anyone quotes.
How many is a household allowed?
One. The product specification allows one device per final ring circuit, then points at the network requirements, which are tighter. G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 allows one device per household, and that holds until it is amended.
Do I need an electrician?
You don't need one to plug the panel in. The specification is written for a product an ordinary person installs and runs. You do need a qualified electrician to test or alter your own wiring, to change the overcurrent protection on a final circuit under BS 7671 section 551.7.2, and to look at any socket you're unsure about.
Can I put a battery with it?
Not within the approved class. The specification doesn't cover plug-in battery systems, or plug-in solar with a battery built in. People who responded to the consultation said that leaving batteries out reduces the payback, and the government recorded that.
Who do I have to tell?
Your distribution network operator, and you've got 28 days from when the panel goes in to do it. It's a short online form asking for your name, email address and the installation address. Up here that's Northern Powergrid. If you'd rather check for yourself, ring 105. The call is free and it connects you to your own operator.
Will an extension lead do?
No. You can't use an extension cable, a multi-way adaptor, an RCD adaptor or a travel adaptor with one. The specification says so on the device marking and again in the instructions. If the socket is in the wrong place, we arrange for one to be fitted.
I rent, or I own a leasehold flat.
Ask your landlord or your freeholder first. The government response to the consultation records renters and leaseholders needing that consent. It also records lease terms and building management getting in the way.
What will it save me?
We won't put a figure on that. What a panel generates is not what you save. What you save depends on how much electricity you're using while it generates, and batteries sit outside the approved class, so there's nowhere to put the rest.
How can I check a device is approved?
It has to be on a register. The manufacturer must have it type tested to G98, register it on the ENA Type Test Register and get confirmation that it was assessed as compliant before it goes on sale. A kit that isn't on the register hasn't been through any of that.
Sources: the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations and ESQCR (Amendment) Regulations 2026, the DESNZ interim product specification version 2.0, the government response to the consultation, the final stage impact assessment, Ofgem on the G98 change, the Planning Portal and PVGIS. We read each of these ourselves, on 13 September 2026.
Where were you thinking of putting it?
Tell us your name, postcode and email, and the roof, wall or yard you're thinking of. The reply is an email saying whether the rules allow it and roughly what it would generate.
Replies come by email. Nothing is passed on and nobody pays us commission.
Tell us about your house
Send us a postcode and a line about the surface. You get an email back with the answer for your own house.
- What your surface is made of. The rules treat brick, stone, render and timber differently.
- Where you want the panel. A roof, a yard, a wall or a balcony. Each one generates a different amount.
- An answer by email. We say whether the rules allow it, and what it would generate at your house.
One postcode is enough for us to start
If the rules don't cover your surface, we'll say so. The government expects a planning application to cost more than the panel itself.
Check my postcode