Households will soon be able to buy balcony solar panels from high street retailers as the Government moves to cut energy bills and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
A new wave of ‘plug-in’ solar panels is set to arrive in UK shops within months, offering households a simple, low-cost way to generate their own electricity and cut energy bills.
Photo by Dave Dugdale / Openverse
Historically, plug-in solar panels – such as those used on private balconies – have not been permitted for general use in the UK due to electrical safety regulations and grid connection standards.
Plug-in solar panels are designed to be plugged into a regular socket, feeding power back into a home’s electrical system. However, UK sockets aren’t typically designed for power input, only for output.
In Germany, where solar panels on balconies are a familiar sight, regulations have been adapted to allow small-scale plug-in systems with safety features such as smart plugs or grid-compatible inverters.
It has now been announced that retailers including Lidl and Amazon, alongside manufacturers such as EcoFlow, are working with the Government to bring this technology to UK consumers. This will enable the panels to be plugged directly into a mains socket without the need for a professional installer, feeding free solar power into a home’s electrical system and reducing the amount of electricity drawn from the grid.
The Government’s aim is to make plug-in solar available ‘within months’.
The announcement comes alongside new rules that took effect today implementing the Future Homes Standard, which requires the majority of new homes in England to be built with solar panels and clean heating as standard. Officials estimate these measures could save families up to £830 a year on energy bills compared to a standard home with an EPC rating of C, while cutting carbon emissions by at least 75%.
Georgina Hall, Corporate Affairs Director at Lidl GB said: ‘At Lidl GB, we are committed to making sustainable living affordable for everyone and we welcome the Government’s move to modernise regulations in the UK. Updating the regulatory landscape for this ‘plug-and-play’ technology is a positive step towards empowering British households to manage their energy costs and support the nation’s net-zero ambitions.’
Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, added: ‘People want to be free of these fossil fuel crises – since the conflict in the Middle East began, interest in solar has shot up 50%, heat pump and electric cars are also seeing surges.
‘Every solar panel, heat pump and battery cuts bills and boosts Britain’s energy independence. And the government’s latest steps can help cut the costs of electrification.
‘With solar, many homes can produce and use their own electricity, and cut their bills further by selling the excess back to us. With heat pumps and electric cars, their own electricity can slash heating and driving bills – stuff you simply can’t do with gas and petrol.’
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