Last reviewed: 4 September 2026. Figures and legal points checked against primary sources (legislation.gov.uk, gov.uk, Ofgem and the relevant network operator).
Last reviewed: 3 September 2026. This page cites the
statutory instrument and the regulations it amends, and nothing else. Where a date or a limit comes
from the government’s specification rather than from the law, we say which.
27 August 2026, in England, Wales and Scotland. That is the day
SI 2026/848 came into force. It did two separate things — it allowed a plug that departs from BS 1363
to be approved for a solar device, and it changed the rule that had made connecting such a device
unlawful. Northern Ireland was left out of the second half, so “UK” is the wrong word: the correct one
is Great Britain.
The short chronology
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2026 | No lawful route. Kits were imported and sold, but the parallel-operation rule required compliance with BS 7671, which does not contemplate a generator connected through a plug |
ESQCR 2002, reg. 22(1)(c) as originally made |
| 16 July 2026 | Interim Product Specification version 2 published by the Secretary of State; SI 2026/848 made the same day |
SI 2026/848, reg. 2(3) |
| 17 July 2026 | SI 2026/848 laid before Parliament, with the government response to the consultation | legislation.gov.uk |
| 29–30 July 2026 | The planning side made and laid: SI 2026/896 amends permitted development rights for solar, and defines “plug-in solar” in planning law for the first time |
SI 2026/896, arts. 1 and 5 |
| 27 August 2026 | Both instruments come into force on the same day. Lawful use begins in England, Wales and Scotland |
SI 2026/848, reg. 1(2); SI 2026/896, art. 1(2) |
| 26 August 2027 | End of the transitional period in the planning order for development that was permitted before the change and no longer is |
SI 2026/896, art. 6 |
Why it was not legal before, in two sentences
The obstacle was never a ban on solar. It was two ordinary technical rules that happened to combine
into a wall.
First, the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 only allow the approval
of plug types that conform to BS 1363 — and BS 1363 contains a provision restricting the use of a plug
for connecting an electricity-generating device to a socket-outlet. So a compliant “generation plug”
could not be approved. Second, the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations
2002 said at regulation 22(1)(c) that where a source of energy is part of a low-voltage
consumer’s installation, the person installing or operating it must comply with “British Standard
Requirements”, which those regulations define as BS 7671. Between them, the two rules made a plug-in
generator unapprovable and its operation non-compliant.
What SI 2026/848 actually changed
Read the instrument and it is strikingly small — three regulations, one signature. It works like
this:
- Regulation 2 inserts a new paragraph (3A) into regulation 8 of the 1994
Regulations. A notified body may now approve a plug type for a plug-in microgenerator even though it
does not conform to BS 1363 — provided the only reason it does not conform is that
restriction on generating devices, it conforms in every other respect, and it complies with the
Interim Product Specification. - Regulation 3 replaces regulation 22(1)(c) of the 2002 Regulations. The
requirement now reads, in effect: where the source of energy is part of a low-voltage consumer’s
installation, comply with BS 7671; but where it is a plug-in microgenerator, comply with the
Interim Product Specification instead.
That second substitution is the whole reform. The specification steps into the place BS 7671 used to
occupy, for this one product category only. It is also why the specification is legally load-bearing
rather than guidance: breach it and you are outside regulation 22.
The definition, in the words of the instrument
Both regulations insert the same definition. A “plug-in microgenerator” is a source of energy which
generates electricity from the direct conversion of sunlight; has a maximum rated alternating current
output not exceeding 800 watts; is intended for connection to a low-voltage consumer’s installation by
means of a standard plug and socket; is designed to operate in parallel with a distributor’s network;
and is not designed to import electrical energy from that installation for the purpose
of storing energy for later supply, other than for control or auxiliary functions permitted by the
specification.
Note what the definition does not contain: the 2,000 W DC panel limit, the 3.5 A current limit and
the 5 A plug fuse are all in the Interim Product Specification, not in the law. Guides that attribute
them to “the 2026 regulations” are citing the wrong document. See
the specification explained.
Great Britain, not the UK
Regulation 1 of the instrument splits the extent deliberately. Regulations 1 and 2
— the plug-approval half — extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Regulation 3 — the half that makes operation lawful — extends only to England and
Wales and Scotland.
The reason is structural rather than political: the 2002 Regulations are a Great Britain instrument.
Northern Ireland’s equivalent is the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (Northern
Ireland) 2012, whose regulation 23 still requires compliance with British Standard Requirements and was
not amended. The Interim Product Specification says so itself in a footnote to its scope: G98 applies
to Great Britain only, connection requirements in Northern Ireland are set separately by G98/NI, and
application of the specification to Northern Ireland “is subject to further consideration and may
require amendment”. We have set out what that means in practice in
plug-in solar in Northern Ireland.
The date the planning rules changed too
It is easy to miss that a second instrument shares the commencement date. The Town and Country
Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 came into force on the same
27 August, inserted a definition of “plug-in solar” into Part 14 of Schedule 2 to the GPDO, and folded
plug-in solar into the existing definition of “solar PV”. It also introduced a restriction that catches
a lot of balcony owners: plug-in solar installed on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure, or on a
timber-clad part of the exterior, is not permitted development. That is England only. See
do plug-in solar panels need planning
permission.
Frequently asked questions
Is a kit I bought in 2025 now legal to use?
Only if it meets the current requirements — 800 W AC ceiling, no storage, and compliance with the
Interim Product Specification, with the plug type approved on that basis. A European balcony kit,
particularly one sold with an integrated battery, will often fail on more than one of those. See
how to spot a non-compliant kit.
Which version of the specification is legally referenced?
Version 2, published by the Secretary of State on 16 July 2026. The instrument names it by version
and date, which matters: a later revision does not silently change the legal reference.
Was anyone prosecuted before the change?
We are not aware of enforcement action against a householder and we are not going to imply there
was. The practical effect of the old position was different: a non-compliant connection sat outside the
regulatory framework, which is a problem for insurance, for a landlord’s consent and for any dispute,
rather than a criminal risk. [VERIFICAR: si existe algún caso público de enforcement previo a
2026 — no localizado en fuentes primarias]
Does the change give me any right to install on a building I do not own?
No. Nothing in either instrument touches a tenancy, a lease, a freeholder’s consent or a managing
agent’s rules. The specification puts it plainly: users are responsible for obtaining any necessary
permissions from the property owner, landlord, freeholder, managing agent or relevant authority before
installation.
Is it “one kit per household” for good?
Not necessarily. The government decided the specification should permit one device per final circuit
protected by its own breaker, but made that conditional on a corresponding amendment to G98. Until that
amendment lands, G98’s one-device-per-household limit applies. See
can I have two plug-in solar kits.
Primary sources.
SI
2026/848, made version ·
ESQCR 2002, reg. 22 (parallel operation) ·
SI
2026/896, GPDO (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 ·
DESNZ, Interim Product Specification version 2 and government response, July 2026.
General information, not legal advice — see legal notice.