Registration

In Great Britain the law requires your electricity network operator (DNO) to be told about a plug-in solar kit before, or at the time of, first use (ESQCR regulation 22, as amended from 27 August 2026). The process follows G98, which Ofgem amended for plug-in solar on 11 August 2026. DESNZ's Interim Product Specification requires every compliant kit's documentation to include a QR code and instructions for exactly how to do this, and to state that notifying your network operator about connection and disconnection is mandatory. It is meant to be quick, not a site visit or a weeks-long approval. For now the exact website or form depends on your network operator; the Energy Networks Association is developing a single digital notification route on its Connect Direct platform.

A plug-in solar kit must connect directly into a wall socket. Do not use extension leads, multi-way adaptors, travel adaptors or RCD adaptors - the Interim Product Specification requires a direct plug-to-socket connection. See Extension leads for why.

How to register

  1. Check the kit is compliant. Confirm your exact model is on the ENA's live Type Test Register before you buy or fit it - see Certification.
  2. Check your home is not excluded. Fitting on certain cladding, on a timber balcony, or on a building under remediation is not allowed at all, and renters and leaseholders need landlord or freeholder permission - see Mounting.
  3. Follow the QR code in your kit's documentation. A compliant kit is required to include one, leading to the notification process for your network operator. Expect to give your name, postcode and the kit's make and model - Electricity North West, for example, asks for exactly those, and directs its customers to register at myplugin.solar.
  4. No QR code, or it does not work? A compliant kit must have one, so if it is missing, check the model on the ENA Type Test Register before going further. If the code does not work, contact your network operator (DNO) directly and ask to notify a plug-in solar connection under G98 - the Energy Networks Association's G98/G99 page (see Sources below) has the underlying standard and can point you to your DNO if you are not sure which one covers your address.
  5. Fit the kit following the manufacturer's instructions, using a properly rated bracket (see Mounting) and checking your consumer unit and circuit first (see Considerations).
  6. Fix the consumer unit label. Every compliant kit comes with a durable label to fix at or near your consumer unit, in a clearly visible place.
  7. Keep your registration confirmation. It is useful evidence for your home insurer, and for a future buyer or new tenant if you move.
  8. Tell your network operator if you remove it. Notifying disconnection is mandatory too - for example when you move house and take the kit with you.

One device per household. G98, as amended by Ofgem on 11 August 2026, allows one plug-in solar device per customer installation - effectively one per household. That amendment has now happened, and it kept the one-per-household limit: it was not relaxed to one per circuit. Your kit's plug and label may say "one device per household circuit" because the product specification allows that, but the network rule is stricter and takes priority. Ofgem's decision does not set a date for reviewing the limit. See Considerations for the circuit detail.

What if you do not register?

There is no export payment for these systems, so there is no financial "workaround" incentive to skip registration the way there might be for a bigger, export-metered system. But it is a legal requirement in Great Britain, not an optional courtesy: ESQCR regulation 22 requires your network operator to be told before, or at the time of, first use, and your kit's documentation must say that notification is mandatory. Network operators keep records of what is connected to the local network for safety and planning reasons. Register it - it takes a few minutes and there is no reason not to.

Northern Ireland registration gap

The G98 amendment and the ESQCR change that created this notification route cover Great Britain only. Northern Ireland's connection rules are set separately (NIE Networks runs its own version of G98, under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012), and the Interim Product Specification says its application in Northern Ireland is still under consideration. If you are in Northern Ireland, contact NIE Networks before connecting anything - this route is not available to you yet - see Mounting for the wider nations comparison.

Sources

Rules last checked: 29 October 2026, against the Interim Product Specification v2 (16 July 2026), SI 2026/848 and Ofgem's G98 decision of 11 August 2026. The specification has not been updated or replaced since July 2026.

DESNZ's and Ofgem's documents do not name a single consumer registration website - they require your kit's documentation to include a QR code to the right process for your network operator. Some network operators link to an online form - Electricity North West, for example, points customers to myplugin.solar. Follow the link in your kit's documentation or on your own network operator's website.