About the register and the kits we list
Why do you only list one kit?
Because it is the only device we have found on the register and read for ourselves. Several vendor pages claim between 40 and 52 approved kits between them, and we could not get those numbers to agree with each other, let alone with what the register showed us, so we do not repeat them.
Will you add more kits over time?
Yes, as we check them. Each one has to have its own record read on the register before it appears here. We will not add a kit on the strength of a listing alone.
What does Compliant actually mean on the register?
The Energy Networks Association defines it as a device that has been assessed by its engineers and deemed acceptable for use by distribution network operators. Non-compliant devices stay listed too, rather than being removed, so the register is a record of what failed as well as what passed.
Do you take anything from Octopus Energy for listing their device?
No. Nothing on this site earns us commission. We list the record because we read it ourselves, not because anyone paid for the mention.
Buying and the specification
What is the maximum size I can buy?
At most 800 VA into the mains and 3.5 amps, from up to four panels totalling no more than 2000 watts, with no more than two panels wired in series in any one string.
Is a second device allowed?
No. The connection rules limit a household to one, regardless of how many circuits you have.
Can I add a battery?
No. Plug-in battery systems, and solar devices with storage built in, are both outside the approved class. A kit sold with a battery has not been assessed under this specification.
Do I need an electrician to fit it?
Not to plug it in. You do need one for anything that changes your fixed wiring, including a new outdoor socket or replacing an overcurrent protection device.
Money and prices
Why don't you list a single price?
We have not found a UK figure worth trusting. The only cost figure in the government's own paperwork is a European range for an 800 watt system, not a British shelf price, and it leaves out fitting. We would rather leave that blank than guess at a number.
Will you add prices later?
If we find a UK retailer price for a kit we have checked, we will list it against that kit with the date we checked it. Until then, our deals section says plainly that there is nothing to list.
Do any of your links earn you money?
No. None of the links on this site are affiliate links, and nothing here earns us commission.
Planning and where it can go
What about a balcony?
Only if the balcony, or the wall behind it, is not timber. Houses and blocks of flats both lost cover for wooden walls, balconies and timber cladding when the planning right changed on 27 August 2026. A metal or glass balcony is a different question.
Do I need planning permission?
Most of the time, no, but it is never a given. Plug-in solar relies on the existing permitted development right for small scale solar, which comes with conditions attached. Stay inside those conditions and there is nothing to apply for. A listed building or a conservation area, for example, and there is one.
What if I am not sure whether my wall or balcony counts as timber?
Tell us what it looks like and we will point you at the right guidance. What matters for the rule is the actual surface, not how a listing describes it.
Looking at a kit right now?
Send the name or the link. We'll check the register and reply.
Tell us the kit you're looking at
Name, email, and the kit's name or a link to the listing. We check it against the register and the specification and reply with what we found.
We reply by email. Sellers don't see your message and we don't sell your details.