Plug-In Solar Compliance Checker

Not as far as we can establish. The ENA Type Test Register is the gate every kit has to pass, and as at 11 August 2026 it contained no verified plug-in solar kits at all. That means essentially every kit you can buy today will fail the ENA register rule in this checker. It is not a fault in the tool — it is where the market currently stands, and it should change once manufacturers put UK-specification kits through certification.

No, and this is the single most common misconception. The specification requires a BS 1363 plug fitted at the factory, non-rewireable, and fused by the manufacturer at 5 A or less. A travel adapter on a Schuko lead meets none of those conditions and introduces a connection the safety assessment never covered. A Schuko kit with an adapter is still a Schuko kit.

Registration means a manufacturer has submitted a device to the ENA Type Test Register. Verification means the listing has been checked and confirmed as compliant. IPS version 2 tightened the wording specifically to require verification, because a registration on its own is only the manufacturer's own claim. A listing that says nothing more than 'registered' does not satisfy the rule.

Not through the plug-in route. Battery storage inside the device is excluded from the framework, so a battery-integrated kit cannot be self-installed on a plug. The product is not illegal and not unsafe — it simply needs a conventional installation by a qualified electrician instead.

One, however many socket circuits you have. IPS version 2 does allow one device per household final ring circuit, replacing version 1's one-per-household rule — but the specification notes that GB network connection requirements apply as well, and that Engineering Recommendation G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 2026 restricts this to one device per household "unless and until that is amended". Two limits apply at once and the tighter one wins, so the per-circuit allowance is not yet the operative rule. The "number of devices" rule in this checker applies the household limit for that reason.

Yes, and this catches people out. The 2,000 W figure is a cap on total panel wattage, but the specification separately limits how the array is wired: up to 4 PV modules may be connected to the inverter, no more than 2 may be connected in series within any string, and the open-circuit voltage at the inverter inputs must not exceed 120 V DC. The reason given is that panels in series can produce harmful DC voltages at the inverter input, and that the risk of sustained DC arcing rises with DC voltage. A five-panel kit, or a four-in-series string, breaches the specification whatever the wattage adds up to.

No. This is an advisory, not a limit, and the checker treats it that way — it will never turn a compliant kit non-compliant. The specification says manufacturers "shall advise that consumers installing plug-in solar devices with a total PV module maximum power above 960W should consider professional assessment of their existing electrical installation prior to installation", and describes the threshold as a precautionary measure for larger arrays. What is mandatory is that the advice is given. The hard cap is more than twice this figure, at 2,000 W.

Neither. The specification says plug-in solar devices "shall only be connected to socket circuits and not to circuits supplying lighting or other fixed equipment", giving a spur feeding an electric cooker or boiler as an example of what is not permitted alongside a lighting circuit. Separately, it does not permit multi-way adaptors, travel adaptors, RCD adaptors or plug convertors, and requires the plug itself to carry a warning that the device must not be connected to an extension cable, multi-way adaptor or RCD adaptor. The plug goes straight into a socket-outlet, or the kit is being used outside the rules.

Yes, and it is a longer list than most people expect. The specification states that installations "shall not be permitted" on aluminium composite material (ACM) or metal composite material (MCM) cladding systems; on high pressure laminate (HPL) cladding systems; on timber cladding systems; on timber balconies; on buildings subject to external wall remediation works, building safety remediation works, or equivalent restrictions relating to external wall fire safety. These are fire-safety exclusions written as a prohibition rather than a caution, so no freeholder, managing agent or landlord can waive them. If you live in a block and do not know how the external walls are built, the specification tells you to consult the building owner, freeholder, managing agent or other responsible person before installing.

No. It applies the published Interim Product Specification to the answers you give it. It is guidance, not a legal determination and not an electrical inspection. If a kit passes here, that reflects what you told us about it — it is not a certificate, and it does not replace advice from a qualified electrician.

Yes — it is mandatory. IPS version 2 requires a compliant product to carry a statement that notification to the Distribution Network Operator about connection and disconnection is mandatory, with a link to instructions, plus clear information on registration and deregistration obligations and a QR code directing you to the guidance and registration process. A compliant plug-in device does not remove the duty. What was still in development at the time of writing is the simplified registration pathway, not the obligation itself.