Step 3 of 4
Is it legal, and who connects it?
Since 27 August 2026, a compliant plug-in solar kit can be connected to a normal wall socket yourself, with no electrician needed to make the connection. That's a real change in UK law — but it only applies to kits that explicitly meet the new product spec, and it doesn't remove your DNO notification duty.
What changed, and when
BS 7671 Amendment 4 came into force on 15 April 2026, adding a new chapter covering small plug-in generator systems. A government consultation ran from 16 to 30 June 2026 and came back overwhelmingly in favour (466 responses, over 85% supportive), leading DESNZ to publish its response alongside an Interim Product Specification (IPS v2.0) on 16 July 2026. The legal change itself — SI 2026/848, amending the plug and socket safety regulations and the electricity safety regulations — was laid on 17 July 2026 and came into force on 27 August 2026. From 2 October 2026, all new electrical installation work in Great Britain also has to be certified against Amendment 4 rather than Amendment 3.
What you can now do yourself
If your kit meets the Interim Product Specification, you can buy it, mount the panel(s), and plug the inverter straight into a standard socket yourself — no dedicated circuit, and no electrician needed to make that final connection. To qualify, a kit needs all three of:
- An AC output capped at 800W.
- A certified micro-inverter built to EN 50549.
- A standard moulded BS 1363 plug.
The qualifier that matters most: the manufacturer has to explicitly state IPS v2.0 compliance. A kit imported from Germany or the Netherlands with CE or VDE marking does not automatically qualify for UK self-install just because it looks similar — those are different standards. Always check the product listing or manual for an explicit IPS v2.0 compliance statement before assuming you can self-connect; if it isn't stated, treat the kit as needing an electrician until you've confirmed otherwise.
Early compliant kits are already on sale: the government named Lidl and Iceland as launch retail partners for own-brand kits around £400–500, Octopus Energy became the first major UK energy supplier to sell a branded kit (one- and two-panel bundles from £450), and Amazon, Currys and B&Q are expected to list compliant kits too.
DNO notification (G98) — still required
Self-install doesn't remove your notification duty. You still have to notify your Distribution Network Operator under G98, and that hasn't changed. An 800W kit sits well within the 3.68kW-per-phase G98 threshold, so it's the simpler fit-and-notify route — not the more involved G99 prior-approval process. That means you don't need permission before connecting, only to notify your DNO — typically processed within 28 days, though most DNOs confirm much faster in practice — and it's free. The July 2026 government response confirmed a simplified G98 route specifically for plug-in solar kits. Skipping it isn't worth the risk regardless — it can affect your home insurance and complicate a future property sale.
What falls outside this framework
- Battery add-ons. The Interim Product Specification covers grid-tied generation only, not stationary storage. A plug-in kit bundled with a battery may need separate consideration — check the manufacturer's compliance documentation before assuming the whole bundle self-installs.
- Systems over 800W. Go above the 800W cap and you're out of the plug-in category entirely and into standard grid-tied solar, which needs a dedicated circuit from your consumer unit and potentially a different DNO notification process.
- Export payments. Non-MCS plug-in systems still don't qualify for SEG or other export payments (Octopus Energy runs a partial exception on some export tariffs for customers with a SMETS2 meter, but that's not the norm).
For the full timeline, sourcing, and edge cases, see our plug-in and balcony solar legal guide.