The Government Just Opened a 14-Day Window That Decides When You Can Buy Plug-In Solar

DESNZ published the formal plug-in solar consultation yesterday alongside a retailer roundtable with Amazon, B&Q, Currys, Lidl, Screwfix and Wickes. The consultation closes 30 June. It decides when plug-in solar kits become legal to buy in UK shops, but it comes with a catch most coverage has missed: batteries are excluded.

Seven major retailers sat around a table with Energy Minister Martin McCluskey yesterday. Combined, that is almost four thousand stores and dominant online reach. McCluskey called plug-in panels "transformative for renters or those on lower incomes." B&Q said it is "working closely with government and suppliers to understand and help shape the guidance." Currys pointed to "the more than 80% of UK households that shop at Currys." Lidl wants to "make sustainable choices affordable and accessible to every household."

That is the press release version. The consultation document tells a more complicated story.

Two things are on the table

First, changes to the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994. This is the law that currently makes it illegal to sell a solar kit with a standard UK 13A plug designed to feed power back into your home. Without amending PSSR, no retailer can legally stock these products regardless of how many roundtables they attend.

Second, an interim product specification. Until yesterday, the industry assumption was that the BSI product standard (expected mid-July) was the single gating factor for legal retail sales. The government is now proposing its own interim spec, based on the German standard DIN VDE 0126-95, to allow compliant products onto the market during a transitional period.

In plain English: the government wants a faster route to market than waiting for BSI.

The battery problem…

Buried in the detail is a line that matters enormously: the consultation covers panels and microinverters connected directly to a mains socket, "without batteries."

The first wave of legal UK plug-in solar kits will be panels plus microinverter only. No storage. No overnight use of your solar generation. No tariff arbitrage.

In Germany, the market moved rapidly from panels-only to panels-plus-battery. The Hoymiles HiBattery 4020 launched across Europe this month. Anker's Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro started shipping on 12 June. The European market has moved on from panels-only. The UK consultation explicitly has not.

The question that could cap your options permanently

Question B6 asks whether the spec should limit you to one microinverter per household or one per circuit. Per household = capped at 800W forever. Per circuit = you can run more than one kit on separate circuits. If you have a house with space for more than two panels, you want the per-circuit option.

The timeline from here

The consultation closes 30 June. DESNZ is expected to publish a summary of responses in the weeks after. The PSSR amendment needs to be laid before Parliament. Manufacturers need to certify against the interim spec. Retailers need stock.

A realistic reading: compliant kits could be legally available in late summer or early autumn 2026. The 0% VAT on solar products expires in March 2027, when it reverts to the 5% reduced rate. That gives roughly six months where legal kits would be completely VAT-free.

This comes off the back of a record year for solar in the UK. 2025 saw 269,000 solar installations completed, the highest total ever recorded and 37% higher than the year before. That is a new rooftop solar installation every two minutes throughout the year. Plug-in solar could accelerate this further by removing the installation barrier entirely.

You can respond in 5 minutes

The government explicitly wants to hear from consumers. There are two ways to respond:

Option 1: Online form. The government has a Citizen Space form with 8 pages covering each section of the consultation.

Option 2: Email. Send your response to pluginsolarconsultation@energysecurity.gov.uk before 30 June.

We have written a full breakdown of the consultation with copy-paste responses for every question, plus a complete email template you can send in 5 minutes.

What this means for you: This is the most important moment in UK plug-in solar since the government announced legalisation in March. The more consumer voices in this consultation, the better the outcome for buyers. If you care about getting access to affordable, legal solar kits this year, take five minutes and have your say before 30 June.

For the full guide to what's legal right now, see Is Plug-In Solar Legal in the UK in 2026?

Sources: DESNZ press release, Consultation document, Plug-in solar electrical safety study