I’ve been thinking about getting solar panels for my home for a few years, but the cost (i was quoted about £10,000) has always prevented me going ahead. But, recently the UK government has approved the use on Plug-in Solar. Which can be installed for a much lower price, starting at about £400 and can be DIY installed!
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What is plug-in solar
As the name suggests its a solar system that allows you to plug solar panels directly into a main power socket in your home. I had no idea that you could send electricity the wrong way down a plug socket and it could then be used to power other devices in your home.
The big benefit to plug-in solar is that you can do it all yourself, no need for electricians or solar panel fitters. You simply buy the kit and install it yourself, its incredibly easy to do
What you need for Plug-In Solar
In the UK plug-in solar is very new and there are not that many consumer friendly manufacturers who do complete kits and make the process super easy for your average Joe. At the moment (early 2026) the big name in UK plug-in solar is a company called Ecoflow. I went with Ecoflow for my battery and inverter (i’ll explain what this is in a bit) and purchased my solar panels from a manufacturer called DMEGC.
Below are the main components that make up a plug-solar system.
Solar Panels
The obvious part to any solar system are the solar panels. These are the things that magically turn light into electricity. There are loads of different brands, models and sizes.
Inverter
This is the device that converts (DC to AC) the electricity generated from the solar panels so it is useable in your home.
The solar panels and inverter are all you need to get going with a basic plug-in solar system. If you get a kit from someone like Ecoflow everything is guaranteed to be compatible and you’ll also get all the required cables included. The only you’ll have buy separately are brackets \ mounting for the solar panels
Battery
If you are willing to spend a bit more, then you can get a home battery. This can be charged by the solar panels during the day and the electricity it stores can be used at night. Batteries are the most expensive part to plug-in solar, starting at about £800 for a small 2kWh battery
Smart Meter
This is not the smart meter supplied by your electricity company (e.g. Octopus, British Gas etc). A smart meter used by plug-in solar is a small box that connects to your mains electricity using a clamp around the mains live wire (no electrician required) to constantly monitor how much power your home is using. The smart meter can be paired to the solar system so it can make ‘intelligent’ decisions about how the solar energy is used most efficiently.
How much electricity does plug-in solar Generate
It’s important to understand that plug-in solar is not designed to completely power your home, but instead to help lower your electricity bills by generating some of the energy your home uses during the day (and night if you have a battery).
In the UK, the maximum amount of electricity a plug-in solar system is allowed to feed into your home is 800 watts. This amount of power allows for most homes to easily cover the baseload.
Baseload refers to the minimum amount of electricity your home continuously uses throughout the day and night, even when you are not actively using electric appliances and devices.
This includes things like:
- Fridges and freezers
- Routers
- Standby (TVs, computers)
My four bed house on average has a baseload of 300w. So the 800w max limit easily covers my home.
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