Since 27 August 2026, Great Britain has a specific socket-connected route for qualifying plug-in solar. The headline 800 W limit is only one part of that route: it is not general permission to connect any 800 W solar or battery device to a household socket.
The useful way to read the framework is in layers: technology or category first, then the product and plug route, then the network route, and finally the electrical installation in the premises. A matching power figure does not let a product skip those other checks.
In short
Qualifying plug-in solar has a defined Great Britain route from 27 August 2026. The 800 W figure is a limit inside that route, not a universal plug-in rule. Home batteries are outside the solar-specific statutory and IPS route, even though current G98 network rules can include plug-in Electricity Storage in certain circumstances.
What changed on 27 August 2026?
The key change is no longer pending. SI 2026/848 came into force on 27 August 2026, creating the statutory basis for a defined category of plug-in microgeneration. The government’s plug-in solar consultation outcome provides the policy context for the final framework.
The legal definition is narrower than “800 W with a plug”
Under the statutory definition, the qualifying device must generate electricity from sunlight, have a maximum rated AC output of no more than 800 W, connect through a standard plug and socket, operate in parallel with the distribution network, and not be designed to import electricity for later storage. That final condition is one reason a home battery cannot be classified as plug-in solar simply because one of its ratings is 800 W.
What counts as a compliant plug-in solar device?
The statutory definition is only the starting point. The current GB Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, Version 2.0, July 2026 adds product and installation conditions that have to be considered together.
800 W, 800 VA and 3.5 A are related, but not interchangeable
These figures apply to different tests in the framework. Treating any one of them as a stand-alone permission test can produce the wrong answer.
The panel-side DC rating can therefore be higher than the device’s mains-side limits. That does not increase the permitted AC output or remove any of the other IPS conditions.
A normal-looking socket is not the only condition
A qualifying product must be used with the manufacturer-supplied plug and in an electrical installation that meets the applicable IPS conditions, including the required residual-current protection. The IPS does not permit extension leads, multi-way adaptors, RCD adaptors or travel adaptors for this connection route.
Socket, circuit and mounting suitability still matter. Follow the product instructions, and where the manufacturer advises professional assessment — including the IPS condition for total PV-module ratings above 960 W — treat that advice as part of the decision rather than assuming “plug-in” means no electrical checks are ever needed.
Do the 2026 rules cover plug-in home batteries?
No — not under the new solar-specific statutory and IPS route. The IPS explicitly excludes plug-in battery systems and plug-in solar PV devices integrated with battery systems. Separately, the statutory definition requires qualifying plug-in microgeneration to be solar generation that is not designed to import electricity for later storage.
That is a classification boundary for this solar route. It should not be expanded into the different statement that every plug-in battery is automatically unlawful in every possible configuration.
Why an 800 W home battery does not become plug-in solar
Category first, connection route second, power limit third. Check what the product is and which product or installation route applies before using an 800 W figure as a threshold. An energy-storage product does not become a qualifying plug-in solar device just because one electrical rating matches a solar-route limit.
Why the S2400’s numbers must not be used as legal eligibility
Sunpura’s current Product Fact Registry identifies the S2400 as an energy storage system. Its rated on-grid AC output is 800 W and its rated on-grid AC output current is 3.5 A. Those two figures match two numbers used in the plug-in solar IPS, but they do not establish IPS eligibility because the S2400 is a battery system and the solar IPS excludes plug-in battery systems.
If you are comparing the S2400, see the current S2400 specifications, then assess the applicable installation and network route separately. A product power rating does not determine the lawful installation or network route.
How G98 fits in — and why it does not settle battery socket legality
This is where two different regulatory layers are easy to confuse. The current ENA EREC G98 A1 Issue 2, published in August 2026, says G98 permits a single Plug-in Micro-generator, including plug-in Solar PV and plug-in Electricity Storage, where Registered Capacity is 800 W or less.
Current G98 also allows that plug-in micro-generator to coexist with permanently wired micro-generators where the aggregate Registered Capacity of all micro-generators, expressed as current at a nominal 230 V, does not exceed 16 A per phase. Connecting more than one Plug-in Micro-generator is not allowed under that provision.
G98 answers a network-connection question. It does not itself make a battery product lawful to connect through an ordinary household plug. Ofgem’s decision on the G98 amendment explicitly says the change addresses network safety, supply quality and operability, and should not be read as deciding wider product legality, consumer protection or electrical safety within the premises.
Why “battery = G99” is not a safe shortcut
Battery technology by itself is not enough to decide G98 versus G99. If an installation falls outside the relevant G98 conditions — for example, because the aggregate Registered Capacity exceeds the 16 A-per-phase limit — the applicable G99 route may need to be assessed. The correct route depends on the complete installation, not simply whether the equipment contains storage.
For the wider storage connection decision, see how G98 and G99 apply to home battery systems in Great Britain.
Do you still have to notify the DNO?
Yes. The current IPS requires product information to state that notification of both connection and disconnection to the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) is mandatory and to provide instructions for the current registration process. “Plug-in” does not mean “the DNO does not need to know”.
Current public guidance uses a 28-day post-installation notification window. Because the consumer workflow is new and may evolve, use the latest instructions from your DNO and the current ENA G98 page and application forms rather than relying on an old third-party registration link.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland are different cases
The complete connection framework described here is Great Britain-first. Northern Ireland should not be treated as using the same G98 route.
The territorial position is more precise than saying the legislation “does not apply to Northern Ireland”. SI 2026/848 states that Regulations 1 and 2 extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, while Regulation 3 — the ESQCR amendment — extends only to England and Wales and Scotland. The IPS also states that G98 applies only to Great Britain; Northern Ireland has G98/NI and application of the specification there requires separate consideration.
Five checks before you plug in a solar device
Before connecting anything, work through the route in the right order rather than starting with the 800 W headline.
Connection checklist
If any of these checks is unclear, do not use the 800 W figure as a shortcut. Establish the product category and the applicable connection route before connecting the system.
Check the network route before you connect storage
If your decision involves a home battery, existing generation or an installation that may sit outside G98, use the dedicated Great Britain guide to check the connection route before treating any single power figure as decisive.
Read the G98/G99 guide