Plug-in solar panels are now legal: what landlords in Wales need to know
Since 27th August 2026, compliant plug-in solar systems have legally been sold and used in England, Scotland and Wales, offering households a cheaper and more portable alternative to traditional rooftop solar.
For tenants, the attraction is fairly obvious. They can potentially reduce electricity bills without the cost or permanence of a full rooftop installation, and the equipment can usually be taken with them when they move.
For landlords, though, there is rather more to consider.
I’ve been looking closely at the new rules, the final Government-backed consumer guidance and the concerns being raised by electrical professionals. I’ve also had to consider how plug-in solar fits with occupation contracts in Wales.
My conclusion isn’t that landlords should automatically refuse them. Equally, I don’t think tenants should simply buy a system, plug it in and assume that because it uses a conventional three-pin plug there is nothing else to think about.
The sensible approach lies somewhere between the two. In short, tenants should get permission before buying or installing plug-in solar, not every property will necessarily be suitable, and I’ve strengthened our occupation contracts to make the permission requirement completely clear. We’re also educating existing tenants of properties we manage and letting them know they to contact us before proceeding.
What exactly is plug-in solar?
Traditional rooftop solar is normally a permanent installation. Panels are fixed to the roof, an inverter is installed and the equipment is wired into the property’s electrical system.
Plug-in solar is different. The panels are smaller and more portable and can potentially be positioned on balconies, patios, walls, shed roofs or other suitable outdoor areas. A microinverter converts the electricity they generate and feeds it into the home’s electrical installation through a standard mains socket.
Any electricity being generated can then be used by appliances operating in the property, reducing the amount being bought from the electricity supplier.
Under the current framework, the amount of power fed into the socket is limited to 800W. The panels themselves can have a higher combined rating because the microinverter limits, or “clips”, the amount entering the circuit.
The current rules also cover plug-in solar without plug-in battery storage.
Is it actually worth it for tenants?
Possibly, depending on their circumstances.
Government estimates suggest plug-in solar could provide up to 20% of an average home’s electricity use and save a household up to around £110 a year.
Comparable systems are currently expected to cost roughly £400 to £600 before any additional mounting or electrical work. On those figures, the payback period could be somewhere around four to six years.
Someone expecting to remain in the same home for several years may see considerable appeal. The financial case is perhaps less obvious for a student staying for a relatively short period, although the fact that the equipment can potentially move with them changes that calculation.
Why isn’t it as simple as plugging in any other appliance?
This is probably the most important point.
A television, kettle or phone charger takes electricity from a socket. Plug-in solar feeds electricity back into the circuit.
Government-commissioned testing concluded that compliant plug-in solar equipment can operate safely within the conditions tested, which is why the new framework has been introduced. But that doesn’t automatically mean every electrical installation in every rented property is suitable.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology, or IET, has taken a more cautious position than the Government-backed consumer guidance. It recommends that consumers have their electrical installation assessed by a competent electrician before buying or connecting a system, because some older installations and protective devices may not be suitable.
The final consumer guidance doesn’t go quite that far. Instead, it identifies particular circumstances where a qualified electrician should be consulted, including where there are older rewireable fuses, uncertainty about the condition of the wiring, a socket needs to be moved or installed, or the panels have a combined capacity above 960W.
I don’t think landlords need to pick a side in that debate. A valid existing electrical condition report is clearly useful, but it wasn’t necessarily carried out to determine whether a particular plug-in solar device, socket and circuit were suitable. My view is that each request should therefore be considered individually, with professional electrical advice obtained where appropriate.
There are also some quite specific rules around the products themselves.
At present, only one plug-in solar device can be connected per property, systems must not be linked or “daisy-chained”, and the particular device should appear on the relevant ENA register.
The system must also plug directly into a suitable socket. Extension leads, international adaptors and altered plugs should not be used, while an outdoor socket must be suitable for outdoor use and professionally installed.
That one-device rule is particularly relevant to HMOs and shared student houses, where you could otherwise quite easily have several tenants independently buying systems for the same property.
Then there is the physical installation. Panels need to remain secure in wind and poor weather, while any mounting arrangement should not damage the building, interfere with fire safety or compromise weatherproofing. Flats can bring additional considerations around balconies, cladding, freeholders and building management.
So whilst the phrase “plug-in solar” makes the technology sound very straightforward, there is actually quite a lot going on behind that three-pin plug.
Does a tenant need the landlord’s permission?
In short, yes.
The final guidance specifically tells tenants, leaseholders and residents of managed buildings to obtain permission from whoever is responsible for the building before buying plug-in solar equipment.
The Government has also told consumers to check whether landlord, building-owner, freeholder, planning or listed-building permissions apply before purchasing or installing a system.
That doesn’t mean landlords should automatically refuse requests. Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, where something requires the landlord’s consent under an occupation contract, that consent cannot simply be unreasonably withheld and unreasonable conditions cannot be imposed.
A properly managed permission process therefore makes much more sense than a blanket ban.
What are we doing at CPS Homes?
The good news for landlords whose properties we manage is that our existing occupation contract already gives quite a lot of protection.
Contract-holders already have responsibilities around ensuring electrical items they introduce are safe, they can be held responsible for damage caused by faulty or improperly used electrical equipment, and they cannot make alterations to the property without consent.
There is, however, a small grey area, as it’s perfectly possible to imagine a tenant placing freestanding panels in a garden or patio area and plugging them into an existing socket without drilling into or physically altering the building.
I think it’s sensible to remove any ambiguity, so I’ve updated our occupation contract to ensure tenants are aware of the risks and must ask before proceeding. I’ve deliberately avoided filling the contract with today’s technical requirements because regulations and standards inevitably change.
We’re contacting contract-holders across our managed portfolio to explain what plug-in solar is, highlight the relevant safety and permission requirements and ask them to contact us before buying or installing anything. That gives us an opportunity to identify a proposed installation before a tenant purchases unsuitable equipment, connects it to an inappropriate circuit or fixes something to the property without permission.
If somebody does make a request, we – along with the landlord – can consider the particular product, the property’s electrical installation, the proposed socket, where the panels will go and how they’ll be secured, along with any landlord, insurance, freeholder, planning or building-safety considerations.
The Government-backed guidance doesn’t require another electrical inspection in every case, even though the IET recommends one. Introducing a blanket requirement for every tenant to arrange and pay for a new electrical certificate could therefore fall foul of laws around the costs for services that can be imposed on contract-holders, so we’ll instead establish what is reasonably necessary for the particular property and proposal.
My view
Plug-in solar is an interesting development and potentially a useful one. I don’t think landlords need to fear it, and I don’t think tenants should be unnecessarily prevented from accessing technology that could reduce their electricity bills.
But a device that generates electricity and feeds it back into a landlord’s electrical installation shouldn’t be treated in exactly the same way as plugging in a television. For me, the right balance is permission, information and proper assessment.
That’s the approach we’re taking at CPS Homes: educating our existing tenants, strengthening our occupation contracts and putting a clear process in place so that landlords are protected without reasonable requests being dismissed out of hand.
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The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.
