Recent changes to solar rules in the UK

VAT on household electricity now ends on 30 June 2027 (Great Britain)

The Budget on 28 October 2026 extended the zero rate of VAT on domestic electricity in Great Britain from 31 March 2027 to 30 June 2027. We have updated the costs and payback guide, the solar tariffs and export payments guide, the guide to how solar panels work and the portable power stations guide. Northern Ireland is not affected: household electricity stays at 5% there.

VAT on solar and battery installation: the 5% rate returns on 1 April 2027 (Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

The Budget on 28 October 2026 confirmed that the zero rate for installing solar panels and batteries in homes will not be extended beyond 31 March 2027. We have updated the VAT answers (FAQs 404 and 703), the costs and payback guide, the guide to how solar panels work and the country guides.

Plug-in solar: shade and direction wording clarified (FAQ 112)

The answer now says the Energy Saving Trust's estimates assume an unshaded, south-facing position, so shaded or north-facing sites will save less.

Portable power stations: border stops (FAQ 1619 and the portable power stations guide)

We now say the Office for Product Safety and Standards stopped at least two portable power stations at the UK border in 2025.

Calculators easier to find; portable power station planner shows the yearly solar saving

The five calculators now sit directly under the app's opening screen and in their own section above the guides, so you do not have to hunt for them in the text. The portable power station planner now also tells you what the solar panel saves you over a year, in the same way it shows the saving from cheap night-rate charging. We now say "portable power station" throughout, to avoid any confusion with the power stations that supply the grid.

New: portable power stations and solar panels

We added Guide 4 on portable power stations (solar generators) with solar panels, a companion guide comparing 19 current UK models with suitable panels, 21 new FAQs with sources, and a portable power station planner in the app. The guides explain that a stand-alone portable power station needs no installer or network notification, that battery products feeding a wall socket are outside the plug-in solar route (SI 2026/848 and the July 2026 government response), and that feeding a home through a socket is unlawful under regulation 21 of the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002. Guides 4 to 11 are now Guides 5 to 12.

Read the guide

New guide: battery types, cold weather and where to put a battery

We added a guide comparing LFP, NMC, sodium-ion and lead-acid batteries, explaining why lithium batteries cannot charge below about 0 °C, and setting out where PAS 63100:2024 lets a battery go in a home (it applies to every battery type, including sodium-ion). Battery prices now include 2026 market figures alongside the Energy Saving Trust's, and the battery calculator starts at a 10 kWh battery at a typical installed price.

Guide: Battery types, cold weather and safety

Energy Saving Trust updates its plug-in solar guidance

The Energy Saving Trust now says a plug-in device must be registered before use, that compliant kits cost from around £450, generate around 700 kWh a year and save around £70 to £100 a year. Our plug-in guide and answers have been updated.

Source: Energy Saving Trust: Plug-in solar panels

Price cap for October to December 2026

Ofgem's price cap rose by 4% for a typical dual-fuel Direct Debit customer. Electricity averages 26.32p per kWh with a standing charge of 54.83p a day, excluding VAT, which the government has removed from domestic electricity bills from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Our savings examples use this rate.

Source: Ofgem: Changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026

Northern Ireland answer clarified

We re-checked the legislation. The plug-approval part of SI 2026/848 applies across the UK, so compliant kits can be sold in Northern Ireland, but the part that makes plugging a kit into a socket lawful applies only to England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland's own connection rules have not been changed, so plug-in solar is still not permitted for use there.

Source: legislation.gov.uk: SI 2026/848

Northern Ireland still not permitted

The Energy Saving Trust's checklist says plug-in solar panels are not currently permitted for use in Northern Ireland and may follow once regulations are updated.

Source: Energy Saving Trust: Plug-in solar panels, checks to make before you buy

Plug-in solar becomes legal in England, Wales and Scotland

The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/848) came into force. Compliant devices of up to 800 VA can now be sold and plugged into a standard socket.

Source: GOV.UK: Households can save as plug-in solar panels come to market

England's permitted development right for solar updated

The right now covers plug-in solar, with separate limits for houses and blocks of flats and a ban on fixing plug-in solar to timber walls, balconies and enclosures. The old rules can still be used until the end of 26 August 2027.

Source: legislation.gov.uk: SI 2026/896, changes to permitted development for solar equipment (England)

Ofgem approves the network-code change for plug-in solar

Ofgem approved the distribution code amendment (DCRP/MP/26/02) that allows plug-in solar devices meeting the government's specification to connect with a plug.

Source: Ofgem: decision to approve DCRP/MP/26/02, amendment to facilitate plug-in microgeneration (PDF)

Regulations made and final product specification published

SI 2026/848 was made on 16 July 2026, and the final Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification (version 2.0, July 2026) replaced the withdrawn draft.

Source: GOV.UK / DESNZ: Plug-in solar: regulatory amendment and interim product specification

Ofgem lowers its typical electricity use figure

Ofgem's typical domestic consumption value for a medium electricity user is now 2,500 kWh a year. Our battery sizing examples use this figure.

Source: Ofgem: Energy price cap update from 1 July 2026, revised typical consumption values (PDF)