"Ed Throws Trade Bodies Into Chaos Over DIY Solar!" (efixx) :-) lol
Cue another early amendment and Section in BS7671 and another 'membership' level in the brilliant CPSs for the trade to do DIY Solar installs.
:-)
"Ed Throws Trade Bodies Into Chaos Over DIY Solar!" (efixx) :-) lol
Cue another early amendment and Section in BS7671 and another 'membership' level in the brilliant CPSs for the trade to do DIY Solar installs.
:-)
Well nothing happens for years, and then it moves at pace, perhaps to avoid being overtaken by other events.
We now have a national specification - though not a British standard, this being written by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to me, it seems technically perfectly OK on a quick read.
Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification -Technical and safety requirements for plug-in solar photovoltaic devices
Version 1.0, June 2026
Also there is now public consultation on plug-in solar is now open - but it seems calculated only to get the most enthusiastic of responses, as will be closed in a little under 2 weeks ! This smacks of doing only the legal minimum to say we had a consultation phase.
I can see question 6 raising a few eyebrows.
6 The electrical safety study showed plug-in solar was safe at a circuit level. Should the Interim Product Specification limit the number of microinverters to one per household or one per household circuit?
At the very least. I don't know about many other houses but I have 2 indoor socket circuits, not counting the cooker branch or the one on the loft lights for the TV am, namely main ring and kitchen, and 2 more outdoors, garage and out-buildings. So perhaps I could have 3 plug in inverters making a total of 2.4kW with 6kw of panels ?
The government announced its intention to make plug-in solar panels available in shops within months, providing households with a simple and affordable way to take control of their energy use and reduce costs. This consultation is a critical step in delivering that ambition.
Issued: 16 June 2026
Respond by: 30 June 2026
Enquiries to:
Clean Power Unit
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Ground Floor
3-8 Whitehall Place
London
SW1A 2AW
Mike
I can see question 6 raising a few eyebrows.
6 The electrical safety study showed plug-in solar was safe at a circuit level. Should the Interim Product Specification limit the number of microinverters to one per household or one per household circuit?
Glad to see that progress is being made.
One per circuit is an interesting idea, but I suspect that the average householder has little concept of a circuit, let alone knowing which sockets are attached to which circuit.
The limiting factor is likely to be the amount of space which is available for the panels.
Indeed.
Note I've just opened another thread specific to the survey and proposed standard, as I think there is a bit of 'fast and loose' about the timing.
and this thread is getting very convoluted indeed.
Mike
BS7671 already states type A rcd if DC might be present, which covers most household use with leds and switch mode power supplies, i dont recall the regs ever being retrospective.
I note that Octopus Energy have launched plug-in batteries that are "compatible with solar systems", Octopus batteries
David
Plug-in: I wonder how they will get around BS 1363 and PSSR 1994? Then there is PAS 63100, epecially, 6.5.5.
Presumably they're banking on the proposed changes to cover them ... so they might be disappointed by the actual proposals (or perhaps they know something we don't).
- Andy.
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