Which is the best plug-in solar kit for me?
The short answer
Check the exact model reference on the register, then compare panel wattage, the frame and the warranty.
Every compliant kit does the same job. The differences that matter are how much panel you get, whether the frame suits your spot, and who you can go back to if it fails.
We do not have commission deals with any retailer, so this page names no shops and has no buy buttons. It tells you what to compare. Our kit tracker lists every compliant kit we can find on sale, with the specifications and the price range we saw.
The shortlist, by what you need
We have not tested these and we do not rank them by preference. What follows is simply what our own database says when you sort the 23 kits on sale by one question at a time. Every one is marked Compliant on the ENA register, and every reference can be checked there.
Cheapest two-panel kit £336
City Plumbing DMEGC 930W HiFlow kit, 930W of panels, 800W output. Register reference CITYP/21096/V1/A4.
Cheapest single panel £449
PatioSun Lite, 445W, ground frame. Register reference PATIO/21264/V1/A1.
Most panel wattage 1,260W
UKSOL Pro Max 1260W, hybrid mount, £989. Above the 960W line, so consider a wiring check. Reference UKSOL/21013/V1/A2.
Only kit for a pitched roof One choice
The EcoFlow STREAM kit is the single entry in our data listing a pitched roof mount, from £449. It also covers a facade and a flat roof. Reference ECOFL/21128/V1/A3.
For a balcony 3 kits
Three kits in our data list a balcony mount, from £594. See flats and balconies before you buy.
For a garden 15 kits
Fifteen of the 23 list a ground frame, the easiest and most forgiving option, from £449.
Eighteen of the 23 kits keep their panels at or under 960W, which is the level above which the official guidance says to consider having your wiring assessed. If you would rather avoid that conversation, that is the group to look at.
Sorted from our own kit database, last checked 26 September 2026, covering the kits we could find on sale to UK households. Prices are the lowest we saw and they move. We name no retailer, link to no shop and earn nothing from any of this. Full list with filters: the kit tracker.
First: check the model reference
This is the step to do before any other, and the one most likely to cost you money if you skip it.
Every legal kit is listed on the ENA Connect Direct Type Test Register with a System Reference, something like CITYP/21096/V1/A4. The register says Compliant or Non-compliant. Find your exact model and read its status before you buy.
It matters because several makers have near-identical entries where one is compliant and the other is not. Real examples from the register on 26 September 2026:
- One maker has two models whose names differ by a single character, one compliant, one not.
- Another has two kits with the same panel and wattage but different inverters, again one of each.
- One maker has two compliant entries for the same 890W kit, one for the ground mount and one for the hybrid mount. The reference has to match the mount you are actually buying. A retailer has already been seen printing the wrong one.
If a listing does not give a System Reference, ask the seller for it before you order. If they cannot supply one, that answers the question.
One more nuance. “Non-compliant” on the register does not automatically mean unsafe. It can mean the evidence has not been accepted yet, and entries do move to Compliant later. But until it says Compliant, it is not a kit you can legally plug in, and the registration portal will not let you select it.
One panel or two?
| One panel | Two panels | |
|---|---|---|
| Panel total | 340W to 515W | 800W to 1,260W |
| Price we saw | £449 to £679 | £336 to £999 |
| Space needed | About 2m by 1m | About 4m by 1m, or 2m by 2m |
| Cost per unit generated | Higher | Lower, because one inverter serves both |
| Best for | Small yards, balconies, testing the water | Gardens, anyone home in the day |
Two panels is usually the better buy if you have the room. You pay roughly 30 per cent more and get roughly twice the electricity, because the inverter, the frame design and the delivery are largely the same cost either way.
Why kits are sold above 800W
A 1,030W kit is not breaking the rules. The 800W cap is on what the inverter sends into your house. The panels may total up to 2,000W, and bigger panels mean you reach that 800W ceiling earlier in the morning, later in the afternoon and on duller days. In a British climate that is worth real money.
The trade-off: above 960W of panels, the official guidance says to consider having an electrician assess your existing wiring first. Several popular kits are above that line. Factor the cost of that check into the comparison, or stay under it.
The frame is half the product
People compare wattage and price and ignore the mounting, which is a mistake. A panel is a sail. A frame that is not right for your spot will either be unusable or unsafe.
- Ground frames are the easiest option and the most forgiving. They need ballast or pegging, and the good ones are heavy for that reason. One registered kit weighs 45kg.
- Balcony rail mounts suit flats. Check the rail can take it, and check your lease.
- Wall mounts mean drilling into the building, which needs permission if you do not own it, and is excluded from permitted development in England on timber cladding.
- Fence mounts are offered by at least one maker, but in England a wooden fence is excluded from permitted development, and the Energy Saving Trust says not to use one unless a professional says it is safe.
One thing to check on the register comments: three entries from one maker note “Mounting system not included”, even though a complete kit is supposed to be supplied with one. Read what is actually in the box.
What else to compare
- Warranty, and who honours it. Panels usually carry a long performance warranty. The inverter is the part that fails first. Ask how long it is covered and whether you deal with the seller or the manufacturer.
- Delivery. A two-metre panel on a pallet is not a cheap parcel. Some sellers include it, some add a lot. Compare the total.
- Monitoring. Most microinverters report to an app. It is not essential, but it is the only way to know the thing is actually working, and it teaches you a lot about your own house.
- Extension and spares. If you buy one panel now, can you add a second to the same inverter later? Some inverters take two, some do not.
- Who you are buying from. A UK company you can telephone is worth something over the cheapest listing.
Things that should give you pause
- No System Reference given, or a reference that does not match the model you are looking at.
- A battery sold as part of the kit, or an “add a battery” upgrade. That takes you outside the rules.
- Claims of a specific annual saving in pounds, without asking where you live or who is home.
- A price far below everything else. Check what is in the box, and whether a frame is included.
- A seller who tells you no notification is needed. It is.
Sources: our own research into the kits on sale to UK households, prices checked on sellers’ own sites on 26 September 2026; the ENA Connect Direct Type Test Register, plug-in solar category, read 26 September 2026; the Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification version 2; Energy Saving Trust guidance, updated 24 September 2026. We name no retailers and earn nothing from this page. Prices change: always check the current one.