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Safety

A compliant plug-in solar kit is engineered with several safety features built in as a condition of meeting the DESNZ Interim Product Specification. This page covers what's already handled for you, what's still worth checking yourself, and the single most important warning: never install more than one kit.

A plug-in solar kit MUST connect directly into a wall socket. Do not use extension leads, multi-way adaptors, travel adaptors or RCD adaptors - the Interim Product Specification requires a direct plug-to-socket connection. See Extension leads for why.

Never install more than one plug-in solar kit. Each kit is only risk-assessed, tested and notified to your network operator as a single, one-off connection. A second kit - even fed from a different socket - stacks two inverters' worth of injected current onto wiring that was only ever assessed for one, can put you outside your home insurance's terms, and is outside what myplugin.solar's registration actually covers. See Considerations for the ring-circuit detail and Registration for the one-per-household rule.

What's already built in

  • Anti-islanding protectionMandatory on every compliant inverter - detects loss of mains within roughly 100 milliseconds and stops energising, discharging to a safe voltage (below 34V) within 100ms-1s, so the device can never "backfeed" a line an engineer thinks is dead
  • Fixed, non-rewireable plugManufacturer-fitted BS 1363 plug with a BS 1362 fuse rated at no more than 5A - you can't accidentally under- or over-fuse it
  • Hard output ceiling800VA / 3.5A AC maximum, whatever the panels are rated at - the inverter itself won't push more than that into your home's wiring
  • WeatherproofingOutdoor-rated panels and cabling to an appropriate IP rating for external mounting, as part of the manufacturer's compliance declaration
  • No export payment, not "no export"If your panel briefly generates more than your home is using, the surplus can flow out onto the grid the same as any small grid-tied inverter's would - there's just no metering or tariff (like the Smart Export Guarantee) set up to pay for it from a kit like this. That's a payment gap, not a technical block, and it's a separate point from anti-islanding above, which only reacts to a lost grid connection, not to export itself

What's still worth checking yourself

  • Before you buyConfirm the exact model is on the ENA's live Type Test Register - see Certification - rather than trusting a retailer's own claim
  • Before each season / after stormsInspect the plug, cable and panel casing for cracks, discolouration or water ingress; stop using and unplug immediately if you see any
  • The socket itselfShould be in good condition, ideally on its own or a lightly-loaded circuit - see Considerations for consumer unit and ring-circuit detail
  • FixingMust use a proper rated bracket, never bare timber or tape/cable-ties alone - see Mounting - a panel coming loose in high wind is a genuine fall/impact hazard
  • Children and petsKeep cabling out of reach and avoid routing it across walkways where it becomes a trip hazard
  • Never attempt your own repairsIf the inverter fails, return it under warranty rather than opening the casing - there's no user-serviceable part inside and doing so voids both the compliance declaration and the warranty

Sources

This page is informational, not electrical-safety advice for your specific home. If your consumer unit is old, your circuits are unidentified, or anything about your installation looks unusual, get a qualified, registered electrician's opinion before fitting one yourself.