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Will a plug-in solar kit pay back where you live?
Plug-in solar became legal across Great Britain on 27 August 2026, for kits of up to 800 W. Pick your town and how you'd mount it to see what it saves you.
Check whether you need permission: from a landlord, building owner or freeholder, or for planning or listed-building consent. The government says kits can go in any outdoor space or on some balconies.
A panel hanging vertically on a railing catches less sun than one tilted at 30°. In Leeds it makes about 708 kWh a year per kWp against 943, but it holds up better in winter, when the sun is low.
Size a whole home for December, not June
The Off-Grid Blueprint takes you from a plug-in kit to a full off-grid power system: real PVGIS data for your area, battery sizing, the winter gap, the 2026 wiring rules, and every step costed three ways.
Sources: GOV.UK, "Households can save as plug-in solar panels come to market" (27 Aug 2026); PVGIS 5.3, EU Joint Research Centre (fetched 27 Sep 2026); Ofgem price cap Oct–Dec 2026 unit rate 26.32p/kWh; VAT on domestic electricity removed from 1 Oct 2026.