Last reviewed: 4 September 2026. Every check below is traced to a clause of the DESNZ Interim Product Specification version 2.0 (July 2026), to SI 2026/848, or to ENA Engineering Recommendation G98. Nothing here comes from a retailer.
Most non-compliant kits on sale in Britain are not counterfeits. They are perfectly good European balcony systems designed for a German Schuko socket and a German regulatory regime, listed on a marketplace that does not check, and shipped to a country whose plug, whose circuit topology and whose network rules are all different. The single most useful check takes two minutes and costs nothing: look the device up on the ENA Type Test Register before you buy. If it is not there, verified, the manufacturer has not done the one thing the specification requires before the product may be placed on the market.
Check one: the ENA Type Test Register
Clause 7 of the specification is unusually blunt. Manufacturers “shall ensure that the device has been type tested in accordance with G98 requirements”, “shall register devices on the ENA Type Test Register (ENA Direct Connect platform) and obtain confirmation that the device has been assessed and identified as compliant prior to placing them on the market”, and — the sentence that catches people out — “a device being submitted for registration shall not, in itself, be regarded as demonstrating compliance.” The type test section repeats it: completion of type testing alone is not compliance with G98; the evidence must be submitted, registered and verified before the product goes on sale.
The register is publicly searchable without an account, through the ENA’s Connect Direct platform. Search by manufacturer and model, and match the model number on the register against the model number on the product’s own permanent marking — not against the marketplace listing title, which is written by a seller.
- Not listed at all: treat as non-compliant. Ask the seller for the registration reference in writing before you buy; a compliant manufacturer will have one.
- “Registration pending” or “submitted”: the specification says that is not compliance.
- Listed under a different model number: a common trap with white-labelled inverters. The registered entry has to be the device you are buying.
The checklist
| # | Check | Requirement and clause | What a fail looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ENA registration | Registered and verified on the ENA Type Test Register before being placed on the market (cl. 7, 9.3) | No entry; “pending”; a different model number |
| 2 | AC output | Maximum apparent power ≤ 800 VA and maximum current ≤ 3.5 A (cl. 4.1); the SI’s own ceiling is 800 W AC | “1,200 W”, “1,600 W micro-inverter”, or a listing that quotes only DC watts |
| 3 | No battery | SI 2026/848 excludes devices designed to import electricity to store it for later supply; instructions must warn against pairing a battery (cl. 8.3.2) | Any “balcony power plant with storage” — very common in the EU market |
| 4 | The plug | BS 1363-1 plug, non-rewireable moulded, BS 1362 fuse not exceeding 5 A, partially insulated pins (cl. 6.2.3.2) | A Schuko plug; a rewireable plug; a 13 A fuse; a supplied travel adaptor |
| 5 | Markings on the plug | One-device-per-household-circuit statement, rated current, ISO 7010-M002 sign, and a warning against extension cables, multi-way and RCD adaptors (cl. 8.2.3.2) | An unmarked moulded plug with nothing near it |
| 6 | Markings on the product | Manufacturer name, postal address and email; model and serial number; mains voltage and frequency; highest continuous current; rated power; IP rating; protective class; a statement that DNO notification of connection and disconnection is mandatory, with a link; a statement of compliance with this specification (cl. 8.2.3.1) | No UK-reachable manufacturer address; no compliance statement; a sticker rather than indelible marking |
| 7 | The consumer unit label | A durable label supplied, to be fixed at or near the consumer unit indicating a plug-in PV device is present (cl. 8.2.3.1) | No label in the box — a quiet but reliable tell |
| 8 | Mounting system | Supplied as part of the kit, with a full component specification and a structural analysis for wind and snow loads to BS EN 1991-1-3 and 1991-1-4 (cl. 5.5.1) | “Fixing straps included”. Cable ties, rope, string, adhesive tape, bungee cords and straps are expressly not permitted as the mounting method |
| 9 | DC side | Connectors to BS EN 62852, supplied by the manufacturer, matching pairs from one family, adaptors pre-assembled, no Y-connectors (cl. 6.2.2) | A bag of generic MC4-alikes; a Y-splitter to add a third panel |
| 10 | Panel count and DC limits | Total module power ≤ 2,000 W; maximum four modules; no more than two in series per string; open-circuit voltage at the inverter ≤ 120 V DC (cl. 4.1, 4.2.2) | Six-panel “expandable” kits; string voltages above 120 V |
| 11 | Weather protection | IP55 or better for outdoor components and outdoor plugs and sockets; better than IP44 for indoor-only parts (cl. 5.4) | An IP20 inverter sold for outdoor mounting |
| 12 | The instructions | In English (cl. 8.1), containing the mandated warnings listed below (cl. 8.3.1–8.3.4) | A German manual, a QR code to a German PDF, or a two-page leaflet |
Check the instructions for the warnings that must be there
This is the cheapest test of all, because the specification prescribes the content rather than the wording. A compliant manual must include, among other things:
- A prominent warning that installation is not permitted on aluminium composite (ACM) or metal composite (MCM) cladding, high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding, timber cladding or timber balconies — and not on buildings subject to external wall remediation or building safety remediation works.
- A prominent warning that the device is not intended to be connected to, operated with, or used in conjunction with a battery energy storage system.
- Advice to check that the installation has modern residual current protection (RCBO) and is in good condition, and that an installation still using older fuse protection without RCBOs “shall be checked and, where necessary, upgraded by a professional electrician”.
- A clear statement that only one device of up to 800 VA may be installed per household circuit.
- A clear statement that extension cables, multi-way adaptors, RCD adaptors and travel adaptors are not permitted. See extension leads and plug-in solar.
- Advice that above 960 W of total module capacity you should consider a professional assessment of your existing installation.
- Instructions for identifying which sockets share a circuit, and advice to consult a professional electrician where you are unsure.
- Current DNO registration and deregistration obligations, “including provision of a QR code directing consumers to the relevant guidance and registration process”.
- Statements that you are responsible for obtaining permission from the property owner, landlord, freeholder, managing agent or relevant authority; for planning permission and listed building consent where needed; and for checking whether the product affects your insurance.
- That any attachment method must be reversible and non-permanent and must not compromise the structural integrity, fire performance or weatherproofing of the building.
A manual missing several of these is not a manual that was written against this specification. That is a compliance signal that costs you nothing to check before the money leaves your account.
Five listing red flags
- The headline number is DC. “2000 W solar kit” tells you about the panels. The legal ceiling is 800 W AC at the inverter. Both figures can be true at once — but a listing that never states the AC figure is hiding the one that matters.
- An adaptor is in the box. If the kit needs a converter to reach a British socket, it was not built to clause 6.2.3.2, and plug convertors are on the prohibited list anyway.
- Storage in the product name. Battery-integrated balcony kits are outside the statutory definition entirely, not merely non-compliant with the specification. See can I add a battery to plug-in solar.
- “Plug and play, no electrician, no paperwork.” The paperwork is real: G98 notification within 28 days. A seller who says otherwise has not read the rules they are selling under. See how to fill in a G98 notification.
- No manufacturer, only a brand. The specification requires a permanent marking with the manufacturer’s registered name, postal address and email. A marketplace storefront is not that.
If you have already bought one
Stop before you plug it in, and work in this order.
- Do not connect it if it fails checks 2, 3 or 4 — output ceiling, battery, or the plug. Those are safety and legality, not paperwork.
- Return it under your consumer rights. Goods must be as described and fit for purpose; a kit sold for use in Great Britain that cannot lawfully be used here is neither. If you paid by credit card, section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 gives you a route against the card issuer as well. See section 75 claims and warranty and your UK rights.
- Report a genuinely unsafe product to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service; the Office for Product Safety and Standards is the national regulator behind them.
- If it is already installed and you now doubt it, unplug it, and get the socket and circuit looked at by a competent electrician if anything is warm, discoloured or smells hot. Then notify your DNO of the removal. See telling your DNO you removed a device.
Frequently asked questions
Is a UKCA or CE mark enough?
No. Conformity marking is a general product-safety obligation under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, which the specification cites separately. It says nothing about the 800 VA ceiling, the plug, the mounting analysis or ENA registration. A kit can be correctly CE-marked in Germany and still be non-compliant here.
Can I import a kit from the EU and make it compliant?
Changing the plug does not make a device type-tested, registered and verified against G98, and swapping the manufacturer’s supplied cable is itself prohibited. See importing a balcony solar kit from the EU.
What about a kit bought before 27 August 2026?
It is judged by the same criteria. Plenty of pre-2026 imports fail on the plug, on integrated storage, or on registration. See when plug-in solar became legal.
Does an electrician fitting it make a non-compliant kit compliant?
No. Compliance is a property of the product. An electrician can make your installation sound — which matters, and is sometimes necessary — but cannot certify somebody else’s device. See do I need an electrician.
Does the register tell me whether a kit is any good?
No. It tells you the device has been type tested and verified for connection. Efficiency, build quality, warranty terms and the honesty of the mounting hardware are separate questions — see how to choose a kit and the product specification explained.
Primary sources.
DESNZ, Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification version 2.0, July 2026 (PDF) ·
ENA Type Test Register, searchable on Connect Direct ·
SI 2026/848 (legislation.gov.uk) ·
Office for Product Safety and Standards ·
ENA, G98 and G99 documents and forms.
General information, not legal or electrical advice. If you have any doubt about the condition or suitability of a socket, a circuit or a consumer unit, have it assessed by a competent electrician working to BS 7671 — see our editorial methodology.