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Guide 2 of 105-minute read · short version 1 minute

Which type of solar suits you?

Rooftop panels, panels in the garden, a plug-in balcony kit, or a small system wired in by an electrician: what each one is, who it suits and what it involves.

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The short version

  1. Rooftop panels make the most electricity and can earn export payments. They suit homeowners with a roof that gets sun, and are fitted by an installer.
  2. Garden or garage panels work the same way, on a frame or an outbuilding. Planning limits on size and height apply.
  3. Plug-in (balcony) solar is a small kit that plugs into a wall socket. It is cheap and quick, but limited to 800 W and can’t include a battery. It is not yet permitted in Northern Ireland.
  4. A small wired-in system is connected to your fuse box by an electrician. It can be bigger than 800 W and can include a battery.
  5. If you rent, or own a flat, ask your landlord or freeholder before you choose anything.
Four ways to get solar at homeRooftop panels fitted by an installer; ground-mounted panels in the garden; a plug-in balcony kit limited to 800 W that plugs into a socket; and a small system wired in by an electrician, which can be bigger than 800 W and include a battery.Rooftop panelsUsually about 4.5 kWpFitted by an installerCan earn export paymentsGarden panelsOn a frame in the gardenFitted by an installerPlanning limits applyPlug-in (balcony)Up to 800 W outputPlugs into a socketNo battery allowedSmall wired-in kitWired in by an electricianCan be over 800 WCan include a battery
The four main ways to get solar at home.

Layer 2

In more detail

How the four options compare, and a simple way to choose.

How they compare

RooftopGarden or garagePlug-inWired-in kit
Typical sizeAbout 4.5 kWp (12 panels)Depends on spaceUp to 800 W output, 2,000 W of panelsOften up to about 3.68 kW
Who fits itInstallerInstallerYouElectrician
BatteryCan add oneCan add oneNot allowedCan include one
Export paymentsYes, with MCSYes, with MCSNot normallyOnly with MCS
Typical costAround £7,600VariesFrom about £450Varies: get quotes
Telling the networkInstallerInstallerRegister before useInstaller or electrician

Costs are Energy Saving Trust figures. “Not allowed” and “register before use” apply to the plug-in route in England, Wales and Scotland.

A simple way to choose

Which type of solar might suit youIf you do not own your home, ask your landlord or freeholder first; plug-in solar is often the easiest option. If you own a house with a roof that gets sun, rooftop solar gives the most electricity. If not, and you have garden or garage space, consider panels there. Otherwise consider plug-in solar on a balcony or wall, or a small wired-in system. In Northern Ireland plug-in solar is not yet permitted.Do you ownyour home?Ask your landlord orfreeholder first. Plug-inis often the easiest option.NoYesA house with a roofthat gets sun?Rooftop solar: usuallythe most electricity,and export payments.YesNoGarden or garagespace with sun?Garden or garagepanels (planninglimits apply).YesNoPlug-in solar on a balcony or wall, or a small wired-in system.Check your lease and the planning rules first.Northern Ireland: plug-in solar is not yet permitted.Rooftop and wired-in systems are available there.
A starting point, not a decision: your roof, budget and permissions all matter.

Rooftop panels

For most homeowners with a suitable roof, rooftop panels make the most electricity for the money. The Energy Saving Trust says a typical system is about 4.5 kWp, around 12 panels, costing around £7,600. An unshaded south-facing roof is best, and east- or west-facing roofs get around 15 to 20% less. Use an MCS-certified installer if you want to be paid for the electricity you export. See Rooftop solar explained.

Panels in the garden or on a garage

Panels can also go on a frame in the garden or on the roof of a garage or shed. In England, stand-alone panels in a garden can be permitted development if the array is no more than 9 square metres and stays within height limits, and panels on outbuildings follow the same roof limits as the house. The cable has to run back to the house, so this is a job for an installer or electrician. See Flat roofs, garages and garden solar.

Plug-in (balcony) solar

A plug-in kit is one or more panels with a small inverter and a three-pin plug. The Energy Saving Trust says compliant kits cost from around £450, generate around 700 kWh a year and save around £70 to £100 a year. Only one is allowed per household for now, it normally earns nothing for the electricity it exports, and it is not yet permitted in Northern Ireland. See Plug-in solar explained.

A small wired-in system

Some kits, including some sold as balcony systems with a battery, are designed to be connected to your consumer unit (fuse box) by an electrician rather than plugged into a socket. That costs more, but the connection gets its own protected circuit, the system can be bigger than 800 W, and it can include a battery.

Once it is wired in, it is no longer the plug-in route, and the normal rules apply: your network operator must be notified (under G98 for systems up to about 3.68 kW on a normal supply), the electrical work must meet building regulations, the usual planning rules apply to where the panels go, and you will only be paid under the Smart Export Guarantee if the system is installed and certified under MCS or an equivalent scheme. See Plugging in, or having it wired in?

If you rent, or own a flat

Whatever you choose, fixing panels to a wall, balcony or roof usually needs your landlord’s or freeholder’s written consent. A plug-in kit is often the most practical option, because it can be taken down when you move. See Renting, leasehold and flats.

And a battery?

A battery stores spare solar power for the evening, or charges cheaply overnight. It can be added to rooftop, garden or wired-in systems, but not to a plug-in kit. See Home batteries.

Not sure which gives you most? Try our generation estimator and plug-in savings calculator.

Key words

kWp
The rated size of a solar system.
Permitted development
Work you can do without applying for planning permission, if you meet the conditions.
Consumer unit
Your fuse box, where the circuits in your home start.
MCS
The certification scheme for installers and products, usually needed for export payments.
Layer 3For the technically mindedOrientation, mounting angle, supply type and the rules behind each option

Direction and angle

In the UK, panels facing south at around 30° to 40° make the most over a year. Roughly, as used in our estimator: south-east or south-west loses a few per cent, east or west around 15 to 20% (in line with the Energy Saving Trust), and north-facing at a normal roof pitch can lose 40% or more. Panels mounted vertically, as on many balcony railings, typically lose around a quarter of their output compared with the best angle, and more if they don’t face south.

Single-phase and three-phase supplies

Most homes have a single-phase supply. Under Engineering Recommendation G98, type-tested generation of up to 16 amps per phase can be connected and then notified: about 3.68 kW on a single-phase supply, or up to 11.04 kW across a three-phase supply. Anything larger needs the network operator’s agreement under G99 before installation. See G98 and G99 explained.

The rules behind each option

  • Plug-in: SI 2026/848 (in force 27 August 2026) and the government’s Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification: 800 VA output, up to 2,000 W of panels, no battery, listed on the Energy Networks Association register, one device per household under the current grid code.
  • Rooftop and garden (England): permitted development under the planning rules updated on 27 August 2026, with a transition until the end of 26 August 2027. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own planning systems.
  • Wired-in: G98 or G99 connection, building regulations for the electrical work (in England and Wales a new circuit is notifiable work that a registered electrician can self-certify), and MCS installation if you want Smart Export Guarantee payments.

Flats with their own consumer unit

The one-plug-in-device limit is per household. A household is one dwelling with its own consumer unit, so flats with separate consumer units count separately.

Frequently asked questions

Is plug-in solar legal in the UK?

In England, Wales and Scotland, yes, for compliant devices. Since 27 August 2026 a qualifying plug-in solar device can be sold and plugged into a standard socket under SI 2026/848. In Northern Ireland, compliant kits can be sold but are not yet permitted to be plugged in. A kit is only lawful if it meets the government's specification, so an ordinary solar kit with a UK plug fitted is not automatically legal.

Full answer with sources

Can a solar system be bigger than 800 W if it is wired in?

Yes. The 800 W limit applies only to the plug-in route. A system wired in by a qualified installer can use a larger inverter: up to 16 amps per phase, about 3.68 kW on a normal single-phase supply, under the G98 notification process, and above that with the network operator's approval under G99. To be paid for exported electricity under the Smart Export Guarantee, the system also needs to be installed and certified under MCS or an equivalent scheme.

Full answer with sources

Do I need planning permission for ground-mounted solar panels in my garden?

Not necessarily. Under the England rules from 27 August 2026, stand-alone solar in the grounds of a house can be permitted development if the array is no more than 9 square metres, is not within the boundary of a listed building or scheduled monument, and stays under the height limit: 1 metre within 5 metres of the boundary in front of the house, 2 metres within 5 metres of the boundary, and 4 metres otherwise. Extra limits apply in conservation areas, World Heritage Sites and other protected land. Until the end of 26 August 2027 you can instead follow the old rules.

Full answer with sources

Can I put solar panels on a garage, shed or other outbuilding?

The Planning Portal's rules for solar mounted on a building cover buildings within the curtilage of the house, so the same roof limits apply. On a pitched roof panels must not be above the highest part of the roof and must project no more than 200 mm, and on a flat roof no more than 600 mm above the highest part. It is not permitted development on a building within the grounds of a listed building. Ask a qualified electrician how the panels will be connected.

Full answer with sources

How many plug-in solar kits can I have?

One per household for now. The government specification permits one device per final circuit, but the current network connection rules (Engineering Recommendation G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 2026) restrict it to one per household unless and until they are amended. A household is one dwelling with its own consumer unit, so flats with separate consumer units count separately.

Full answer with sources

Still deciding? Tell SolarBot about your home, whether you own or rent, and your roof, and it will talk through the options.

Ask SolarBot

Official sources

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Written 2 October 2026. General information, not legal, electrical or financial advice. Confirm current rules before you buy or connect anything.