Panel, Box, Plug: Plug-in Solar on a Terrace
No roof, no scaffolding, no meter swap. A plug-in kit is three bits of kit and a socket, and your house uses what it makes first.
Three bits of kit, one socket
- 1The panels. On the house wall (after a professional assessment) or a frame on the yard floor, facing the sun.
- 2The microinverter. A small box behind the panels that turns their power into mains power, up to 799VA.
- 3Your outdoor socket. The kit's own 4m lead plugs straight in. No extension leads or adaptors.
- 4Your house. The fridge, the router and the telly use the solar power first, before anything comes from the grid.
Where the power goes in your house
The power goes into your house wiring through the socket, and whatever's switched on uses it straight away. Fridge, freezer, router, the washing machine on a sunny Saturday: all of it pulls from the panels first.
If you're using more than the kit's making, the rest comes from the grid as normal. You won't notice the switch.
It's not a backup supply. If there's a power cut, the kit switches itself off, for the safety of anyone working on the lines.
What happens when you're not using it
Anything you don't use goes out to the grid. With a self-installed plug-in kit you generally don't get paid for that, so our savings figures count only what your house uses.
That's why it pays to run the washer, dishwasher or dehumidifier while the sun's out. Plug-in kits can't be used with a home battery.
What you need before you start
- A weatherproof outdoor socket within the kit's 4m lead. The plug goes straight in: no extension leads, cable reels or adaptors.
- Modern RCD protection in your fuse box. Got an old fuse box, or not sure? An electrician can check it, or fit the outdoor socket for you.
- Renting, leasehold or in a managed block? Ask first and get a yes in writing from your landlord, freeholder or managing agent.
- Going on a wall? A professional assessment first (the maker's rule), and only a wall of your own house, never the yard's boundary wall.
- Kits over 960W of panels (Plus 1030W and Max 1260W): have a professional check your electrics before you plug in.
- Tell your home insurer, and register the kit free at myplugin.solar before first use. That lets Electricity North West know.
- One kit per household, and never with a home battery.
Will my meter run backwards?
No. A modern meter just records less coming in from the grid while the panels are working.
Does it need Wi-Fi?
No, it works without. The microinverter has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you can see what it's making in its app, if you like a graph.