City Plumbing Plug-In Solar Kits: An Independent Review

City Plumbing is a plumbing and heating merchant with branches across the UK, and it registers its own-brand plug-in kits on the ENA register under its own name. The kits pair DMEGC panels with a Hoymiles HiFlow microinverter and a mounting frame. Prices start at £336 for a single panel, the lowest price for any verified kit we track. We have not tested one. This review is built from the listings, City Plumbing’s own guides, the manufacturers’ datasheets and the register.

The range and prices

Kits on sale that we could match to a verified register entry, cheapest first:

• * CITYP/21096/V1/A4: Two DMEGC 465W panels and a Hoymiles HiFlow microinverter, as registered; City Plumbing's part number (DME-930W-BW-1) differs from the register's model code.
• * CITYP/21277/V1/A1: Two DMEGC 515W panels and a Hoymiles HiFlow microinverter, as registered; City Plumbing's part number (DME-1030W-BW-1) differs from the register's model code.
• * UKSOL/21002/V1/A2: Part number UKS-C1-460-MZ1-UKG, but the listing's manufacturer model field reads UKS-PRO-C-1-515-MZ1. Confirm the model with City Plumbing before buying.
• * UKSOL/21003/V1/A2: Part number UKS-D2-890-MZ1-UKG, but the listing's manufacturer model field reads UKS-PRO-D-2-890-MZ1 (the hybrid-mount code). Confirm the model with City Plumbing before buying.

City Plumbing also lists a “DMEGC 930W Hoymiles HiFlow Plug In Solar Kit (Black)”. Its title says 930W, its part number (DME-940W-BW-1-B) says 940W, and its description is copied from the single-panel 515W kit, so we could not tell which panels it contains or match it to a register entry. We have left it out.

What is in the box

Every City Plumbing kit page lists the same contents: the panels, a mounting frame per panel, one microinverter “with 5m plug and play cable” and two 2m DC cables. The category page says kits come with “Approved floor and wall mounting kits”. Delivery is free, and stock is shown by branch or postcode.

The inverter: Hoymiles HiFlow HF-800-WB

From Hoymiles’ own datasheet:

• 800 VA maximum output, 3.48 A
• One MPPT input: 16 to 96 V MPPT range, 100 V maximum DC input, 16 A maximum input current
• 97% peak efficiency, 96% EU weighted
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, monitored in the S-Miles Home app
• IP67, fanless, 2.1 kg
• 12-year Hoymiles warranty

One input means the two-panel kits share a single MPPT. City Plumbing’s June blog calls the HiFlow “dual-input”; the datasheet says one. It matters most if one panel is shaded and the other is not.

The panels

The kit pages give wattage only. City Plumbing’s standalone panel listings and datasheets for the matching DMEGC models describe N-type, double-glass, all-black panels: the 465W model is 1762 × 1134 mm and 24.0 kg (23.3% efficiency), and the 515W model is 1977 × 1134 mm and 27.1 kg (22.9%). Both carry a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year power warranty. We are assuming the kits use these exact models; the kit pages don’t say.

Those are full-size roof panels. At around 1.8 to 2 metres long and 24 to 27 kg each, measure your space and check the mounting instructions’ height limits before you order, especially on a balcony. Our mounting guide covers the options.

Check these before you buy

• The plug. Hoymiles’ datasheet lists the HiFlow’s cable with a Schuko (CEE 7/7) plug, and City Plumbing’s own assembly guide tells you to connect the “Flex-S3 Plug and Play-CEE7/7” cable to the socket. The category page promises “a standard 13A UK plug”. A compliant plug-in device must have a factory-fitted BS 1363 plug with a 5 A fuse, and adaptors are not allowed. Check what arrives, and return it if it is not a fused UK plug.
• The part number. The 930W and 1030W listings carry part numbers that differ from the register’s model codes, although their described contents match. The single-panel kits match exactly.
• The warranty. The product pages say “Years Guaranteed 10” without saying what for. Hoymiles gives the inverter 12 years and City Plumbing’s guide gives the brackets 12 years.
• Listed sizes. The single 515W kit lists a length of 1762mm, which is the 465W panel’s length; the 515W panel is 1977mm.

UKSOL kits at City Plumbing

City Plumbing also sells 2 UKSOL ground-mount kits, listed above. UKSOL’s quick setup guide names the inverter as the APsystems EZ1-M and tells you to “Insert the supplied fused UK plug”. Both are delivery only. Argos and UKSOL’s own store sell the same kits, so compare all three before buying; our UKSOL review puts the prices side by side. The 460W listing’s model field reads UKS-PRO-C-1-515-MZ1, a 515W code, so confirm the model with City Plumbing.

What City Plumbing claims about savings

City Plumbing’s 27 August guide says an 800W kit “currently retails between £600 and £1,000” and could “save you between £100 and £250 per year”, with a “payback period of just 4–6 years”. Its own kits cost less than that range. For comparison, the reported government estimate is £70–£110 a year. Real savings depend on direction, shading and how much you use while the panels generate; our calculator will give you a figure for your home.

Registered but not on sale

City Plumbing has more verified kits on the register than it lists. We could not find a listing for 7, including single-panel 475W, 525W and Jinko 470W kits and two-panel kits using the Hoymiles HMS-800-2WB inverter. Its September DNO blog also mentions a “Dual-panel Jinko 940W” kit that was not in its plug-in category on 25 September 2026. Expect the range to change.

Buying, returns and help

• Free delivery on the kits; stock is shown by branch for collection or by postcode for delivery.
• Returns: the general policy accepts items “in a resellable condition within 30 days”, at any branch. It excludes “Non-faulty unsealed electronic goods”, so ask about an opened inverter before you unbox.
• No installation service is offered for the kits. Branch staff and a free online kit builder are the help on offer.
• No star rating or review count showed on any kit page on 25 September 2026. The Facebook threads that come up for “City Plumbing solar panels” are campervan owners discussing loose panels, not these kits.

After you buy

Plug it into a socket circuit directly, no extension leads or adaptors, and notify your network operator under G98. Only one plug-in device is allowed per household for now. To compare against the other verified kits, see the best plug-in solar kits.

Questions