Plug-in solar becomes legal in the UK on 27 August 2026: the law is made
Law made — 16 July 2026 SI 2026 No. 848 Published: 22 July 2026
Last verified: 22 July 2026 — against the legislation itself.
What has actually happened
On 16 July 2026 the Secretary of State made The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 — SI 2026 No. 848. It was laid before Parliament on 17 July 2026 and was signed by Martin McCluskey, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
This is the step the site has tracked since the consultation opened. It follows the DESNZ consultation “Plug-in solar: regulatory amendment and interim product specification”, which ran from 16 June 2026 and closed at 11:59pm on 30 June 2026.
Read the primary source: legislation.gov.uk — SI 2026 No. 848 (as made).
What the law changes
The instrument amends two sets of regulations:
- Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 — regulation 8 now lets a notified body approve a type of standard plug intended for a plug-in microgenerator. It can do so where the plug fails to conform to BS 1363 only because BS 1363 prohibits or restricts using a plug to connect a generating device to a socket-outlet; where the plug otherwise conforms to BS 1363; where it complies with the Interim Product Specification; and where sampling and testing give reasonable confidence that production will match the approved samples.
- Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 — regulation 22(1)(c) is replaced so that where the source of energy is a plug-in microgenerator, it must not be installed or operated unless it complies with the Interim Product Specification.
In short: the plug becomes approvable, and the device becomes lawful to install and run — but only if it meets the specification.
What counts as a “plug-in microgenerator”
The regulations define it precisely. A plug-in microgenerator is a source of energy which:
- generates electricity from the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity;
- 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 the installation for the purpose of storing energy for later supply — other than for control or auxiliary functions permitted by the Interim Product Specification.
Note what this list does not contain: the legislation itself does not set out voltage, current, DC panel wattage, fuse rating or one-device-per-household figures. Those detailed requirements sit in the Interim Product Specification, not in the regulations — so we are not quoting numbers here that the law does not state.
The product specification is the gatekeeper
The regulations point to the Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, version 2, published by the Secretary of State on 16 July 2026. Compliance with it is what makes a device lawful to install and operate, and it is one of the conditions for approving the plug.
The specification is published on GOV.UK at the plug-in solar consultation page (a hard copy can be requested free of charge from DESNZ).
What this means for buying: we do not yet know which products currently on sale will be certified to version 2 of the specification. Certified products are expected in shops from late August, around the 27 August in-force date. Until a manufacturer or retailer states that a product meets the Interim Product Specification v2, treat it as unconfirmed — including kits marketed for the European market.
Where it applies
The instrument sets out its own extent:
- Regulations 1 and 2 (citation, commencement and the plug approval change) extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- Regulation 3 (the ESQCR change) extends to England and Wales and Scotland.
What has not changed — until 27 August
Between now and 27 August 2026 the position is unchanged. The compliant route today remains a hardwired system up to 800W, installed by a competent-person-scheme registered electrician and notified to your distribution network operator under G98 Connect & Notify. Our G98 notification walkthrough covers that process, and the UK legal guide explains the current rules in full.
We will not tell you plug-in solar is legal before it is. The date in the legislation is 27 August 2026.
How to be ready for day one
- Wait for the certification claim, not the marketing. Before buying for the plug-in route, look for an explicit statement that the product meets the Interim Product Specification v2.
- Know your options now. Our best UK balcony solar kits 2026 covers what is available and how each kit is set up.
- Check your setup. Our guide on whether you can plug into a normal socket explains what changes on 27 August and what does not.
- Understand the cap. The 800W limit explained covers where that figure comes from and how it is measured.
Sources
- The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026 No. 848 (as made) — made 16 July 2026, laid 17 July 2026, in force 27 August 2026.
- GOV.UK — Plug-in solar: regulatory amendment and interim product specification (consultation ran 16–30 June 2026; the Interim Product Specification is published here).
If you spot a fact on this page that has shifted, let us know — we update.