Plug-in solar
Plug-In Solar and Your DNO: When and How to Notify Them
Yes. Since 27 August 2026 you must notify your distribution network operator when you connect or remove a plug-in solar kit. Who your DNO is and how to do it.
Key facts
- Notifying your distribution network operator is mandatory for plug-in solar in Great Britain, both when you connect the kit and when you remove it.
- The requirement comes from Engineering Recommendation G98, amended for plug-in micro-generators with Ofgem approval on 11 August 2026 and in force since 27 August 2026.
- Your DNO is the company that runs the local wires, not your energy supplier; Great Britain has six DNO groups, found by postcode.
- G98 allows one plug-in micro-generator per household, rated at 800 W or less.
- Notification asks no permission: compliant devices are already type-tested and listed on the ENA register, and the government expects a 5 to 10 minute online form within 28 days of installation.
Yes. Since 27 August 2026, anyone in Great Britain who plugs in a solar kit must notify their distribution network operator (DNO), and notify it again when the kit is removed. It is a notification, not a request for permission, and we have found no DNO charging for it: compliant kits are already type-tested and listed on the Energy Networks Association register. Your DNO is the company that runs your local cables, not the supplier that bills you.
Why the DNO needs to know
Every home in Great Britain is connected to a low-voltage network owned by a distribution network operator. Those networks were built for electricity flowing one way, from substation to home. Each solar system pushes some power back the other way on sunny days, and network operators plan cables, transformers and voltage control on the basis of what they know is connected.
One 800 W kit changes almost nothing. The concern is the total. The National Energy System Operator told the industry consultation it was worried about the aggregate effect of widespread plug-in solar, and the government’s safety study recommended monitoring deployment, including unregistered devices. Ofgem’s decision of 11 August 2026 concluded that a simple consumer notification, combined with government monitoring, was the proportionate answer. Notification is how network operators learn where the panels are.
Where the rule comes from
The duty sits in Engineering Recommendation G98, the industry document that sets out how small type-tested generators up to 16 A per phase connect to the public network. G98 forms part of the Distribution Code, which every DNO is licensed to follow. Until 2026 it assumed a competent installer: the installer fitted the system and sent the network operator a commissioning form.
The Energy Networks Association raised a change on 1 April 2026 (DCRP/MP/26/02) at the government’s request. Ofgem approved it on 11 August 2026, to take effect when the new plug-in regulations came into force on 27 August 2026. According to Ofgem’s decision, the change:
| What the G98 amendment does | Detail |
|---|---|
| Defines plug-in micro-generators | Registered capacity of 800 W or less |
| Limits the number | One per customer installation, in effect one per household |
| Allows them alongside other generation | If all micro-generators together stay within 16 A per phase; above that, G99 applies |
| Keeps type testing | The device must meet G98’s technical requirements and be type-tested |
| Removes installer duties | No competent installer, no cut-out photograph, no installer wiring and labelling checks |
| Requires notification | Customers notify the DNO on installation and on decommissioning, using simplified forms |
The government’s product specification closes the loop. Every compliant kit must be marked with a statement that notification to the DNO about connection and disconnection is mandatory, with a link to instructions, and its documentation must include a QR code that takes you to the notification process.
Who is my DNO?
Great Britain is split into fourteen licence areas run by six DNO groups. You cannot choose your DNO, and switching supplier does not change it.
| DNO group | Areas served |
|---|---|
| UK Power Networks | London, the South East and the East of England |
| National Grid Electricity Distribution | The Midlands, South West England and South Wales |
| Northern Powergrid | North East England and Yorkshire |
| Electricity North West | North West England |
| SP Energy Networks | Central and southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales |
| Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks | Northern Scotland and central southern England |
Some newer housing developments are served by an independent distribution network operator (IDNO) that sits inside a DNO’s area. The quickest way to be sure is the ENA’s network operator search, which works from your postcode. Calling 105, the national power cut number, also puts you through to your local network operator.
How to notify your DNO
The notification route has been changing since August 2026. Ofgem’s decision says the ENA is developing a digital, consumer-facing notification journey based on ENA Connect Direct, the platform installers already use to tell DNOs about heat pumps, chargers and solar. Several independent guides describe a portal of this kind for plug-in solar, but we could not open it ourselves on 3 November 2026. The most reliable instructions are the ones the manufacturer must print on your kit.
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Find the instructions on the kit. The specification requires a label statement and a QR code leading to the notification guidance. Keep the box and manual until you have finished.
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Note the device details. You will normally need the manufacturer, the model and its ENA register reference, the serial number, the rated output (800 W or less) and the date you first plugged it in.
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Confirm your DNO. Use the ENA postcode search or the network operator’s name shown in the notification tool.
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Submit the notification. Use the route the kit’s instructions point to, or the plug-in or simplified G98 form on your DNO’s website. You do not wait for a reply before using the kit.
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Keep proof. Save the confirmation email or a screenshot with the date. Landlords, freeholders and insurers may ask for it.
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Notify again when you remove it. G98 now requires a decommissioning notice too, including when you move house.
What notification is not
It is not permission. You are not asking the DNO whether you may connect. A kit that is listed as compliant on the ENA Type Test Register has already passed the technical checks the DNO would otherwise make. If the network operator finds a problem with your submission, it contacts you.
It is not a meter change. Plug-in solar does not need a new meter. Modern smart meters record exported electricity separately and do not run backwards; older meters are your supplier’s concern, not part of the DNO notification.
It does not get you paid for exports. The DNO notification is separate from any export payment from your supplier. Smart Export Guarantee tariffs have their own eligibility criteria, and the government’s impact assessment expects many plug-in users not to qualify at first. See plug-in solar and the Smart Export Guarantee.
It does not replace other permissions. Landlord or freeholder consent, planning and insurance are separate questions; see plug-in solar in a flat.
Edge cases
You already have rooftop solar. G98 allows a plug-in device alongside permanently wired micro-generation, as long as the combined registered capacity at your property stays within 16 A per phase, roughly 3.68 kW on a single-phase supply. A typical 4 kW rooftop system with a 3.68 kW inverter already uses that headroom, in which case adding a plug-in kit would move you into the G99 application process. Check with your DNO first.
You want two kits. G98 allows one plug-in micro-generator per household, even though the government specification would allow one per circuit. Until G98 changes, a second kit is not permitted.
You live in a flat. Each dwelling with its own consumer unit counts as a separate household, so each flat may have one device and notifies separately.
You live in Northern Ireland. Connection rules there are set separately (G98/NI), and plug-in solar is not yet lawful to use. See is plug-in solar legal in the UK.
Your kit is not on the ENA register. A notification does not make a non-compliant kit legal. If the device cannot be found as compliant on the register, the DNO has nothing to match it against, and the device does not meet the regulations.
Next steps
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to tell my DNO about plug-in solar?
Yes. The amended G98 connection rules require customers to notify their distribution network operator when they install or decommission a plug-in micro-generator, and compliant kits must carry a statement that notification is mandatory. It is a notification, not an application, so you do not wait for approval.
Is my DNO the same as my energy supplier?
No. Your supplier sends your bills; your distribution network operator owns and runs the cables and substations in your area. You cannot choose your DNO, and it does not change when you switch supplier. The ENA's postcode search tells you which one you have.
How long do I have to notify my DNO?
Under G98, small generators are notified within 28 days of being commissioned, and the government's impact assessment expects plug-in users to complete a short online form within 28 days of installation; the London Fire Brigade gives the same 28-day advice. We could not read the final amended G98 text ourselves, so follow the instructions supplied with your kit and notify on the day you plug in.
Does notifying my DNO cost anything?
No. We have found no DNO charging for a G98 notification, and Ofgem's decision describes the process as simplified and consumer friendly. Be wary of any third-party service asking for a fee to notify on your behalf.
What happens if I do not notify my DNO?
The G98 rules require notification, and the kit's own documentation tells you it is mandatory. We have found no published penalty regime aimed at householders. The practical risks are that you are not complying with the connection rules your kit was approved under, and that an insurer or landlord may ask for proof.
Do I need to notify my DNO again if I move house?
Yes, in effect twice. Notify decommissioning at the old address when you unplug the kit, and a new installation at the new address when you plug it in again, since each address has its own network connection and possibly a different DNO.
Sources
- Ofgem decision to approve DCRP/MP/26/02: amendment to facilitate plug-in microgeneration (11 August 2026)
- Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification, version 2.0, July 2026
- DCRP/MP/26/02 Distribution Code proposed changes
- SI 2026/848: Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) and ESQCR (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- Who is my network operator
- Plug-in solar: government response (July 2026)
- Response to ENA's consultation on the proposed amendment to facilitate plug-in micro-generation (30 June 2026)
- Plug-in solar final stage impact assessment (16 July 2026)
- Plug-in solar panels: safety advice for residents and homeowners
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or electrical advice. Your utility, state and local code have the final say.