In short: Plug-in solar became legal in Great Britain on 27 August 2026. Since then, compliant kits have gone on sale through one energy supplier, Octopus Energy, as well as high street and trade retailers and brands selling direct. Registration with your network operator is live, Ofgem is reviewing how time-of-use tariffs are capped, and more brands are arriving, with Zendure taking UK pre-orders from 2 November. Plug-in batteries are still not allowed, and Northern Ireland is not yet covered.
This is a record of events we could date and source. We have left out forecasts, rumours and unconfirmed launches. For the rules themselves, see is plug-in solar legal in the UK? and our complete guide to plug-in solar.
The rules that made it legal
11 August 2026: Ofgem approves the network rule change. Ofgem approved a change to Engineering Recommendation G98, the technical rule for connecting small generators, so that compliant plug-in solar can connect to the local network. Its decision limits plug-in devices to 800W and one per household, and says it would take effect when the government’s safety regulations came into force. The decision also notes that plug-in batteries will remain prohibited from being sold, supplied or used under the current proposals.
26 August 2026: the government announces the launch. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said in its announcement that major retailers, including Currys, B&Q, Screwfix and Amazon, had worked with the government on the rollout and would soon have kits available. It also said decisions on permission requests are a matter for landlords, freeholders or councils.
27 August 2026: the law changes. SI 2026/848 came into force, amending the plug and socket safety rules and the electricity supply regulations so that compliant kits of up to 800W can be sold and used. In England, a planning change, SI 2026/896, came into force the same day and brought plug-in solar into permitted development, with limits set out in our complete guide.
Suppliers and retailers
27 August 2026: British Gas opens a waiting list. British Gas launched a competition for 30 households to win a plug-in solar unit, open to people who registered interest before 16 September. On 19 October its plug-in solar page still said it will “soon” offer kits and make its Smart Export Guarantee tariff compatible with plug-in solar.
Octopus Energy’s bundles. Octopus sells one-panel and two-panel bundles through its plug-in solar page. When we checked on 19 October, it gave delivery estimates by order date: orders placed after 28 September were expected to arrive by the end of November.
What we found on sale on 19 October. Argos, Currys, Screwfix, City Plumbing and Maplin all listed plug-in solar kits on their own websites, alongside brands selling direct such as PatioSun, Thunder Energy and UKSOL. B&Q’s and Wickes’s website searches did not show a plug-in solar kit when we checked. Our guide to where to buy plug-in solar has the detail, and the checks to make before you pay.
15 October 2026: Zendure announces its UK launch. Zendure said pre-orders for its SolarFlow 800 plug-in kit open on 2 November 2026. See our report.
Registration and the register
Registration is live. Owners must tell their network operator about a kit. The Energy Networks Association says plug-in solar devices are registered by householders through myplugin.solar, in its 14 September 2026 news release. Our guide to registering with your DNO explains the process.
The register keeps changing. Only complete kits listed as Compliant on the ENA type test register can be used. When we read the plug-in solar category on 19 October, it included Compliant entries from an energy supplier (Octopus Energy), retailers and manufacturers, and some entries marked Non-compliant. Entries are added and removed often, so check the exact model on the day you buy.
Prices and tariffs
1 October 2026: the price cap changes. Ofgem’s cap for October to December set the average electricity unit rate at 26.32p per kWh. A plug-in kit saves you the unit rate on the electricity you use as it is generated, so this sets the value of each kWh for now. See what the October cap means.
12 October 2026: Ofgem reviews time-of-use caps. Ofgem published a call for input on how the price cap should treat time-of-use tariffs. Responses close on 20 November 2026. If daytime rates change, so does the value of solar you use at home. See our report on the review.
Still unresolved
- Batteries. The product specification says kits are not intended to be connected to, operated with or used in conjunction with a battery energy storage system, and Ofgem’s decision says plug-in storage stays prohibited under the current rules. Some retailers list plug-in batteries alongside kits, so check carefully before you buy.
- Export payments. Most plug-in kits cannot use the Smart Export Guarantee because it requires certified installation. Octopus offers its own export tariff to customers with its kit, and British Gas says it will make its SEG tariff compatible.
- Northern Ireland. The use permission does not cover Northern Ireland. NIE Networks lists a consultation on changing G98/NI for plug-in micro-generation on its open consultations page, checked 19 October.
- One per household. G98 limits households to one plug-in device for now, even though the product specification allows one per circuit.
We will update this page as things change.
Sources
- DCRP/MP/26/02 Distribution Code proposed changes, Ofgem, 11 August 2026, and the decision document
- Households can save as plug-in solar panels come to market, GOV.UK, 26 August 2026
- SI 2026/848 and SI 2026/896, legislation.gov.uk
- British Gas to help more Brits generate their own power as plug-in solar arrives, Centrica, 27 August 2026
- Plug-in solar panels explained, British Gas, read 19 October 2026
- Plug-in Solar, Octopus Energy, read 19 October 2026
- Zendure brings plug-in solar to the UK, Zendure via PR Newswire, 15 October 2026
- ENA Connect Direct news release, Energy Networks Association, 14 September 2026
- ENA type test register: plug-in solar, Energy Networks Association, read 19 October 2026
- Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, version 2.0, DESNZ
- Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges, Ofgem
- Open consultations, NIE Networks, read 19 October 2026
Last checked: 19 October 2026
Image credit: Microfotovoltaico via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
