Plug-in solar · Batteries
Plug‑in batteries UK: what you need to know
You can’t yet plug a battery into a socket the way you can with plug-in solar. But home batteries are already allowed. Here’s the difference, and where things stand.
By Mike · Updated 2 October 2026 · 8 min read
Can you get a plug-in battery in the UK?
Not in the same way as plug-in solar. Not yet.
Home batteries are already installed in UK homes through the normal electrical and network-connection routes. What you can’t do under the new plug-in solar rules is add a battery through the same simple plug-and-socket route.
The government deliberately left batteries out, and is now looking at them separately. There’s no confirmed date for that to change.
In short
Plug-in solar: allowed
Home batteries: allowed
Plug-in batteries: not covered
A government study is planned
No confirmed date
● Possible today
What can I do now?
Both of these are allowed, each under its own rules.
Buy an approved plug-in solar kit and plug it into a suitable wall socket
Have a home battery installed through the normal electrical and network-connection routes
● Not covered yet
What can’t I do yet?
The new plug-in rules don’t include batteries.
Plug a battery into a socket as part of the plug-in solar route
Use a plug-in solar kit that has a battery built in
Assume a battery sold in Europe is approved for use here
The difference
Three things people mix up
Plug-in solar, home batteries and plug-in batteries sound similar. Under UK rules, they’re three different things.
What it is
Where it stands today
Plug-in solar
Allowed. An approved solar kit plugs into a suitable wall socket, under the new plug-in solar rules.
Home battery
Allowed. It’s installed through the normal electrical and network-connection routes, under rules that already existed.
Plug-in battery
Not covered. The new plug-in rules don’t include a battery that simply plugs into a socket.
Plug-in batteries not being covered doesn’t mean you can’t have a battery at home. It means the simple plug-it-in-yourself route only exists for solar.
The basics
What is a plug-in battery?
A battery you’d plug into a wall socket and set up yourself, with no installer.
The idea is simple. Your solar panels make electricity during the day. Your home uses what it needs. The battery stores some of what’s left over, and you use it later, like in the evening.
Some battery systems can also charge from the grid when electricity is cheaper, then supply it when it’s more expensive. Not every product works the same way, and future UK products may not either.
The rules
Are plug-in batteries legal in the UK?
They’re not covered by the UK’s plug-in solar rules.
The rules that started on 27 August 2026 created one new, narrow route: an approved solar-only kit can be plugged into a socket. The government’s product rules say they don’t apply to plug-in batteries, or to plug-in solar kits with a battery built in.
That isn’t the same as saying it’s illegal to buy or own a battery with a plug on it. It means nothing in the new rules allows a battery to feed your home through a socket. What the plug-in solar rules allow.
Are home batteries legal?
Yes. Home batteries are already installed in UK homes through the normal electrical and network-connection routes. That’s different from simply plugging a battery into an ordinary socket yourself. Depending on the system, your local network operator either has to be told about it, or has to approve it first.
Can I just plug a battery into a socket?
Not as part of the plug-in solar route. That route is for approved solar kits only. The government has asked for a safety study into whether plug-in batteries could be allowed, and what would need to change first.
Both together
Can I have a battery with plug-in solar?
Not by simply plugging both in. They come under two different sets of rules.
Home batteries are installed through the normal electrical and network-connection routes. Plug-in solar has its own new socket-based route. Here’s what the rules do and don’t say about having both:
Every approved plug-in solar kit must carry a warning that it isn’t intended to be connected to, operated with, or used in conjunction with a battery system.
So we can’t tell you that the two can simply be combined.
Equally, the rules don’t say that having a separately installed home battery somewhere at your home rules out plug-in solar.
A home battery never becomes part of the plug-in route. It has to meet the rules for its own installation.
One thing the official registration site does say: if your home already has a 3.68kW solar system, any extra generation has to be wired in, not plugged in.
So if your home already has battery storage, or you’re planning it, check with your installer or network operator before adding plug-in solar. When you need an electrician.
The appeal
Why would I want a battery with plug-in solar?
Because plug-in solar often makes the most electricity when you’re using the least.
Panels produce most in the middle of the day. If you’re out, your home might only be running the fridge and a few things on standby. A battery could store some of the rest for the evening.
What happens to solar electricity I don’t use?
It flows out to the grid. With plug-in solar you usually won’t be paid for it, because export payments need a certified installation, and the government expects that won’t apply to most plug-in kits at first.
Would a plug-in battery save me money?
It could help in principle, in three ways: storing your own solar for later, using more of what you generate, and charging when electricity is cheap to avoid buying it when it’s expensive.
But there are no approved UK products to judge yet. What a battery costs, how much it loses in storing electricity, your tariff and the eventual rules would all decide whether it pays. We won’t put a savings figure on something that doesn’t exist here yet. Is plug-in solar worth it? covers the solar side.
In the shops
Can I buy plug-in battery products already?
You’ll see them for sale. That doesn’t mean they’re covered by the UK’s plug-in rules.
Plug-in batteries are already sold in other countries. The government’s own study brief lists products from makers such as Anker, EcoFlow, Fox and Lidl as the kind it wants examined.
Being on sale, here or in Europe, isn’t the same as being approved for the UK’s plug-in route. Today, that route only covers solar-only kits listed as compliant on the official register. No battery product can be on it as plug-in solar.
And there’s no guarantee that a battery made for another country’s rules will meet whatever the UK eventually decides.
What happens next
When will plug-in batteries be allowed?
There’s no confirmed date. The government hasn’t said when, or whether, it will happen.
WattVerdict plug-in battery watch
Plug-in batteries
Not included in the plug-in solar rules
Home batteries
Already possible, through the normal installation routes
Government study
Out to tender. Bids close 7 October 2026
Study timetable
Expected November 2026 to 31 March 2028
Confirmed approval date
None
Last checked 2 October 2026
Why were batteries left out?
The government said battery products raise extra technical and regulatory questions that weren’t looked at when the plug-in solar rules were drawn up. The safety testing behind those rules covered solar kits on UK sockets, not batteries. Batteries bring their own questions, including fire safety.
What is the government doing?
It has put out a tender for a safety study of plug-in batteries of up to 800W. The study would look at products sold in other countries, test several of them, and recommend what would need to change for plug-in batteries to be used safely and legally in UK homes.
Does that mean plug-in batteries are coming in 2028?
No. March 2028 is when the study contract is expected to end. It isn’t a date for plug-in batteries to be approved. Any change to the rules would come after the study, and the government hasn’t committed to one. Our article When will plug-in solar batteries be allowed in the UK? follows the timeline.
Good to know
Common questions
Are batteries banned with plug-in solar?
No. Home batteries are legal. What isn’t covered is plugging a battery into a socket under the plug-in solar rules, or using a plug-in solar kit with a battery built in.
What about flats and renters?
This is who plug-in batteries could suit, because fitting a conventional home battery isn’t practical for many people who rent or live in flats. That’s one of the arguments the energy organisation Regen has made for allowing them. But nothing has been decided.
Would a plug-in battery keep things running in a power cut?
Don’t assume so. Approved plug-in solar kits must switch off when the mains supply is lost. Whether a future plug-in battery could provide backup would depend on how it’s designed and on the rules that are eventually set.
What is the industry asking for?
Regen has called on the government to commit to a date for plug-in batteries, carry out a rapid safety study and back a new product safety standard. Those are its recommendations, not government policy.
Does this apply in Northern Ireland?
The plug-in solar rules cover England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate connection requirements, and the new rules don’t cover it yet.
Will WattVerdict update this page?
Yes. This is our permanent guide to plug-in batteries. When the UK position changes, we’ll update it and the battery watch box above.
Sources
Where this information comes from
Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, version 2.0
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), July 2026. Batteries excluded (page 7); the battery warning on every kit (page 34).
Plug-in solar: government response
DESNZ, July 2026. Why batteries were left out, and that the rules don’t extend to plug-in batteries.
Plug-in batteries safety study: tender notice
DESNZ on Find a Tender, published 11 September 2026. What the study covers, and its expected dates.
Plug-in solar registration: questions and answers
Energy Networks Association. One plug-in device per home, and what applies if you already have a system.
Engineering Recommendation G98
Energy Networks Association. Home batteries count as small generators; telling the network operator.
Plug-in solar: final stage impact assessment
DESNZ, 2026. Export payments, and how storage could help plug-in solar (page 27).
Plug-in solar is coming. Plug-in batteries should follow.
Regen, 13 May 2026. Industry recommendations, not government policy.
Sources checked 2 October 2026.
Related questions
Latest
When will plug-in solar batteries be allowed in the UK? →
The timeline, and what’s been said.
Compare
See which solar-only kits are approved
Every system we track is checked against the official ENA register, with the date we last checked it.