{"id":688123,"date":"2026-07-12T19:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T19:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688123\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T19:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T19:49:14","slug":"plug-in-solar-for-homes-will-get-approval-in-august","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688123\/","title":{"rendered":"Plug-in solar for homes will get approval in August"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plug-in solar panels<\/a> will be legalised across the UK before the end of the summer, The i Paper understands.<\/p>\n

A change in the law to permit the use of the devices \u2013 which can take \u00a3100 a year off a household\u2019s energy bills<\/a> \u2013 in private homes is expected in August.<\/p>\n

An industry source told The i Paper that panels could be in shops in \u201cas quickly as a month\u201d after receiving the legal go-ahead \u2013 with retailers like Lidl, B&Q, Currys, Asda, Screwfix and Wickes all expressing interest in selling them.<\/p>\n

However, even if the panels are on shelves by September, shoppers will have missed the chance to benefit from England\u2019s hottest June on record<\/a> \u2013 and the three heatwaves which have already struck.<\/p>\n

Plug-in solar refers to low-cost panels that can be placed on balconies and outdoor spaces.<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional solar panels, which can be expensive and complex to install, they are plugged directly into a mains socket like any other device, providing a home with free solar power.<\/p>\n

The appliances cut the amount of electricity a household draws from the grid, reducing energy bills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Panels are available on the market from about \u00a3400 and would cut a typical UK home\u2019s bills from \u00a370 to \u00a3110 a year, meaning a family would make their money back in around four years.<\/p>\n

UK safety regulations currently make plug-in solar illegal, but in March, the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband<\/a> announced that the Government would change the law to allow Britain to benefit from the plug-in boom which has been witnessed in European countries like Germany<\/a>, where about half a million devices are purchased each year.<\/p>\n

A Government insider said that officials were working \u201cfull steam ahead\u201d to get the appliances greenlit before the end of the summer, with ministers desperate not to miss the opportunity to announce the law change while the weather is hot.<\/p>\n

Ministers working \u2018full steam ahead\u2019<\/p>\n

A consultation on changing the regulations closed on 30 June, with a response expected from DESNZ by 22 July. A minister would then need to sign a statutory instrument \u2013 a form of secondary legislation \u2013 to change the regulations.<\/p>\n

In this instance, the statutory instrument will not require the active approval of Parliament, meaning the Commons summer recess \u2013 which starts next Thursday \u2013 will not delay the change.<\/p>\n

August is seen as the most likely month for when the regulations will be changed. There would then be a race for manufacturers and retailers to get products onto shelves while the weather remains warm.<\/p>\n

An industry source told The i Paper that manufacturers were \u201cpretty much ready to go\u201d. \u201cThis technology already exists across Europe, so we\u2019re just waiting for the word,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

A second industry source said that supermarkets and electrical retailers<\/a> were \u201call gearing up for it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Shops such as Lidl, B&Q, Currys, Asda, Screwfix and Wickes have all expressed interest in selling plug-in solar panels, along with the online retailing giant Amazon.<\/p>\n

But some organisations, such as the Institute of Engineering and Technology, have raised concerns about the safety of plug-in solar in the UK.<\/p>\n

An energy sector source said there was a risk that incorrect use of technology \u2013 such as connecting multiple devices into an extension lead \u2013 could overload sockets and cause a fire risk.<\/p>\n

However, DESNZ said it had commissioned an independent electrical safety study which had concluded that plug-in solar products could be safely installed on UK domestic wiring provided minimum product standards were met.<\/p>\n

The department will introduce an \u201cinterim product specification\u201d which will allow the panels to be used if they meet certain standards. Consumer guidance will also be published alongside to provide instructions on safe use.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson said: \u201cWe expect plug-in solar panels to be available to buy this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis technology, already widely used by households throughout Europe, is easy to install and could save many households significant amounts on their energy bills, as part of our drive for clean, homegrown power.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plug-in solar panels will be legalised across the UK before the end of the summer, The i Paper…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[9610,1397,1912,101619,11853,12636,90,5408,12634,1043,56,44208,54,55],"class_list":["post-688123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ed-miliband","tag-environment","tag-net-zero","tag-net-zero-emissions","tag-politics-exclusive","tag-renewable-energy","tag-science","tag-solar-energy","tag-solar-power","tag-summer","tag-uk","tag-uk-politics","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}