How we check our facts

The 0% rate started on 1 April 2022 in Great Britain.

The rate started on 1 May 2023 in Northern Ireland, after the Windsor Framework.

This is the end date set in law right now. It has not been extended or made permanent as of mid-2026.

HMRC's own notice says: "From 1 April 2027 onwards these will revert to the reduced rate of VAT of 5%." We first published this page saying it goes back to 20%. That was wrong. We fixed it.

HMRC's internal manual confirms this start date.

If you buy the kit on its own and fit it yourself (DIY), you do not get the 0% rate.

The saving you lose after 2027 is the gap up to 5% VAT, not 20%. We first published bigger numbers (£1,400 and £2,400), about four times too high. We fixed them. These figures assume a price before VAT.

These are Ofgem's official low, medium and high bands: 1,800 / 2,700 / 4,100 kWh a year, in place since October 2023. We first published a narrower range, 2,700 to 3,500. That was wrong.

Ofgem reviewed its typical consumption figures in March 2026 and set this new, lower medium value.

This is Ofgem's price cap rate for 1 July to 30 September 2026 (up from 24.67p in April to June 2026). We first published 27p. That was wrong.

The rule applies to suppliers with at least 150,000 domestic customers, counted on 31 December the year before.

This is Ofgem's own rule for generators who want to export power under the scheme.

Basic fixed rates are around 3p. Smart, time-of-use rates run to about 20 to 24p, for example Octopus Flux. Octopus's fixed export rate was 12p in March 2026. We first published "1p to just over 10p", which understated the top end.

Ofgem confirms you are free to pick separate suppliers for buying and exporting power.

This matches typical output figures for current UK panels.

MCS's own data shows an average system size of about 4.6 kWp in 2024. The Energy Saving Trust puts it at around 3.5 kWp.

Across the UK this ranges from about 750 kWh/kWp in northern Scotland to about 1,050 kWh/kWp on the south coast. 900 is a standard average for a well-sited system.

The Energy Saving Trust puts a 3.5 kWp system at about £6,100. Real-world prices run about £1,400 to £1,800 per kWp.

Systems with a battery tend to pay back in about 9 to 10 years. Systems without a battery tend to take about 10 to 12 years.

25 years is the norm for the performance warranty, meaning the panel should still make at least about 85% of its original power at year 25. The product warranty, covering the panel itself, usually runs 12 to 25 years. We now say which warranty we mean.

That 10 to 25% figure is for heavy overcast. On light cloud, output is much higher, about 50 to 80%. We first published "10 to 30%", which was wrong.

A panel's output falls by roughly 0.3 to 0.4% for every 1°C rise in temperature, so cool weather helps.

Without a battery, homes typically use about 25 to 40% of their solar power as it's made. With a battery, that rises to about 70 to 90%.

The law is called The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It was made on 16 July 2026, laid before Parliament on 17 July 2026, and came into force on 27 August 2026.

Regulations 1 and 2 (plug approval) extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Regulation 3 (installing and operating the panel) extends to England and Wales and Scotland only.

The law defines a plug-in microgenerator as a device that turns sunlight into electricity, has a maximum output of no more than 800 watts, plugs into a standard low-voltage socket, works alongside the grid, and is not built to store power for later use.

The official specification allows one device per final ring circuit. But it also says current grid rules (Engineering Recommendation G98 Issue 2 Amendment 1 2026) limit this to one device per household until that rule changes. So the real limit today is one per household.

The specification sets a maximum apparent power of 800 VA and a maximum current to the installation of 3.5 amps, for single-phase domestic use at up to 253 volts AC, 50 Hz.

The specification does not apply to plug-in battery systems, or plug-in solar devices combined with a battery. It also excludes full PV installs done under wiring rule BS 7671 Section 712, building-integrated solar, and any plug-in generator that isn't solar PV.

Fitting is not allowed on aluminium or metal composite cladding, high pressure laminate cladding, timber cladding, timber balconies, or buildings under external wall fire-safety remediation or similar restrictions. Fixing a panel with only cable ties, rope, string, tape, bungee cords or straps is also not allowed.

The specification requires every product to carry a statement that telling your distribution network operator about connecting and disconnecting the device is mandatory, not optional.