Plug-in solar and home insurance: what to ask your insurer

This is not insurance or legal advice, and we are not paid by any insurer. It is a checklist so that you get a clear answer from the only company whose answer counts: your own.

Why it is worth asking

Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, when you take out or change a home insurance policy you have a duty to take reasonable care not to give the insurer wrong information. Not confirming or correcting details when the insurer asks you to can count as giving wrong information. If an insurer later finds that what it was told was wrong, it may be able to reduce or refuse a claim.

Separately, many policies ask you to tell the insurer about changes to your home during the year. Whether a plug-in kit counts depends on the wording of your policy. Asking settles it, and costs nothing.

What to tell them

• The kit’s make and model, and its ENA System Reference. Say that it is listed as Compliant on the official ENA register, and keep a screenshot of the entry. Our kit tracker gives the reference for every kit on sale.
• How it connects. Straight into a wall socket, with no extension lead or adapter. See sockets, leads and safety.
• Where the panels go. On the ground in a frame, on a wall, on a balcony, or on a roof, and how they are fixed.
• That you have told, or will tell, your network operator, as the law requires. See telling your network operator.
• Whether an electrician has checked the circuit. Official guidance says to consider this if your panels add up to more than 960W.

What to ask

1. Does fitting this kit change my cover or my premium?
2. Is the kit covered under my contents or my buildings insurance? Does fixing it to the house or a wall change that?
3. Is it covered outdoors against theft, storm and accidental damage?
4. Is there any change to my cover for fire or electrical damage?
5. If a panel falls or blows away and damages a neighbour’s property or injures someone, am I covered?
6. Do you need anything from me, such as an electrician’s report or proof of purchase?
7. Please confirm your answer in writing.

If you rent or own a flat

The building is often insured by someone else. If you rent, your landlord insures the building and you insure your own belongings, so ask your landlord as well as your own insurer. If you own a leasehold flat, the freeholder or managing agent usually arranges the buildings insurance, and your lease may say you must tell them about anything fixed to the outside. Our guides to renters and landlords and flats and balconies cover permission.

What to keep

• Your insurer’s answer, in writing.
• The receipt and the kit’s instructions.
• A screenshot of the kit’s entry on the ENA register, with the date.
• Your confirmation from the network operator.
• Any electrician’s report.
• Photos of the kit once it is set up, showing how it is fixed.

Questions people ask

Will plug-in solar put my home insurance up?

We cannot say, and neither can anyone except your insurer. Some may not change anything; others may ask questions or adjust the premium. Ask before you buy, so the answer is part of your decision.

Do I have to tell my insurer by law?

The law says that when you take out or change a policy you must take reasonable care not to give the insurer wrong information, including when it asks you to confirm your details. Your policy may also ask you to report changes to your home during the year. Telling your insurer is the simplest way to be sure you are covered.

Is my kit covered if it is stolen from the garden?

It depends on your policy. Many policies treat items kept outdoors differently from those inside. Ask your insurer directly whether the kit is covered outdoors, and for how much.

Source: Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2, read on legislation.gov.uk on 7 October 2026. The 960W guidance and the duty to tell your network operator are sourced on our rules page.