Plug-in home batteries in the UK: rules, G98 and safety

Plug-in batteries – compact units that charge from a socket or from plug-in solar and feed power back into your home through the same socket – are popular in the Netherlands and Germany. In Great Britain the legal picture changed in August 2026, when plug-in solar became legal. But the new rules deliberately leave batteries out. This guide explains where that leaves you, and what the safe alternatives are.

What changed in August 2026

The government announced that from 27 August 2026 easy-to-install plug-in solar panels can be plugged into homes, with each kit producing up to 800 W ¹. The legal basis is an amendment to the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 ². According to the government, the UK safety specification is stricter than Germany’s ¹.

Key points from the government response ³:

Why plug-in batteries are not included

The consultation and the new rules cover only plug-in solar devices without batteries. In the government’s words, they “do not extend to plug-in batteries or other forms of plug-in microgeneration”, and battery-integrated products “remain outside the scope of the current framework”, though the government will keep the evidence under review ³.

In practice that means:

• A plug-in battery that exports through a socket is not covered by the new plug-in framework.
• Kits that combine plug-in solar with a battery do not benefit from the new rules either.
• A portable power station that you charge and then use to run appliances directly (not feeding back into your wiring) is a different product; this guide is about devices that feed power into your home circuits.

What our database shows

Our database includes six plug-in batteries sold mainly in continental Europe. Four deliver a maximum of 800 W, two can output 2.4–2.5 kW, and capacity per unit is 1.9–5.1 kWh, all with LFP cells. For comparison, the median across all 39 home batteries in our database is 10 kWh and 3.5 kW. You can see the models in our list of plug-in home batteries – but check the UK rules above before buying one for use in Great Britain.

The safe alternative: a small installed battery

If you want storage without a big system, the established route is a small installed battery, connected by an electrician to its own circuit:

• G98 applies if your total generation, including the battery, stays within 16 A per phase; the installer notifies the DNO within 28 days of installation ⁴.
• G99 applies above 3.68 kW with storage, and must be approved before installation ⁴.
• DNOs treat a battery as demand when importing and generation when exporting ⁴.

A small AC-coupled battery can often stay within G98. Read more in our guide to AC vs DC-coupled batteries.

Safety and where to put it

Wherever the rules end up, siting matters. PAS 63100:2024 sets out fire-safety requirements for installing battery storage in homes, including whether a loft is an acceptable location ⁵. It has no standing in Building Regulations and is not directly referenced in the MCS battery standard, but the IET Code of Practice (3rd edition) says it should be used when deciding where a battery goes ⁵. More in our home battery fire safety guide.

Practical points for any battery that plugs in or is wired in:

• Don’t use extension leads or multi-way adaptors.
• Keep it out of bedrooms and escape routes, away from heat and combustible materials.
• Tell your home insurer.

Does it pay?

A small battery shifts only a few kWh a day, so savings depend heavily on your tariff and solar surplus. See home batteries and time-of-use tariffs and our guide to usable capacity before deciding.