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Plug-in solar, worked out for the UK

Plug-in solar in the UK, worked out for your home

Plug-in solar is legal in Great Britain since 27 August 2026. See what an 800 W kit makes in 33 UK towns, what it saves at the price cap, and which kits plug in.

  • 33UK towns, PVGIS data
  • 800 Wlegal output cap
  • 17kits and batteries priced

By the editorial team of Socket Sun

Updated 14 November 2026

What would a kit make where you live?

Pick your town, the way your wall or balcony faces and how the panels sit. EU PVGIS sunshine data, capped at the 800 W legal limit.

Full calculator, method and all 33 towns ›

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Since 27 August 2026, a small solar kit that plugs into an ordinary socket can be used legally in England, Wales and Scotland, if the product meets the government's specification and stays at or below 800 W of output. Socket Sun does the sums for your home: what a kit generates in your town, what that is worth at the Ofgem price cap, and which kits on sale in the UK are actually sold as plug-in.

In one minute. A two-panel kit (920 Wp) hung on a south-facing balcony railing makes about 683 kWh a year in London [calc]. If you use half of it at home, at 26.32p per kWh that is about £90 a year [calc]. The cheapest two-panel plug-in kit we found, DMEGC 950W Hoymiles HiFlow Plug In Solar Kit at City Plumbing, cost £456 on 14 November 2026.

What a 920 Wp kit makes across the UK

Production for a typical year from the European Commission's PVGIS service (version 5.3, SARAH3 satellite data), for two panels totalling 920 Wp, after 14% system losses and the 800 W output cap. "Saved" assumes half the solar is used at home at the Ofgem cap rate of 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026.

TownNationVertical, south (kWh/yr)Tilted 35°, south (kWh/yr)Saved, vertical (£/yr)
LondonEngland68393790
BristolEngland68094089
ManchesterEngland59581578
Newcastle upon TyneEngland65887187
CardiffWales68695890
GlasgowScotland58278477
AberdeenScotland62782182
BelfastNorthern Ireland62884583

How we compare: criteria, sources and dates

Bar chart of monthly kWh for a 920 Wp vertical south-facing kit in London, Glasgow and Belfast
Vertical panels keep a useful share in winter, but most of the year's output comes from April to August.

The full table covers 33 towns, from Truro to Lerwick, in six directions and three positions: use the generation calculator. To turn kWh into pounds with your own unit rate and habits, use the savings and payback calculator.

What counts as plug-in solar in the UK

Details, dates and Northern Ireland: is plug-in solar legal in the UK? The limit itself: the 800 W limit explained.

The kits

We read 17 products on 14 November 2026: 11 plug-in kits with panels (Octopus Energy, Zendure, City Plumbing), one plug-in microinverter sold alone, and five systems from EcoFlow, Anker SOLIX, Jackery and Zendure that their sellers describe as hardwired or do not describe as plug-in. All of them, with our picks and the rules behind them: plug-in solar kits in the UK.

Frequently asked questions

Is plug-in solar legal in the UK?

In England, Wales and Scotland, yes, since 27 August 2026 (SI 2026/848), for solar-only devices up to 800 W AC that meet the government's Interim Product Specification. The connection rule (the ESQCR amendment) does not extend to Northern Ireland.

How much does a plug-in solar kit generate?

A 920 Wp kit hung vertically on a south-facing railing makes about 683 kWh in a typical London year, and 582 kWh in Glasgow, from EU PVGIS data. Tilted at 35° it makes more: 937 kWh in London.

Can I add a battery?

Not on the plug-in route. The 2026 framework covers solar-only devices; plug-in batteries and solar devices with built-in batteries are excluded, and the battery systems we found on sale are sold for hardwired installation by an electrician.

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