Buying guide: what makes a plug-in solar kit IPS v2 compliant

What the specification covers, and what it excludes

The specification applies to single-phase plug-in solar for domestic use, rated up to 253 V AC, 50 Hz, with maximum apparent power not exceeding 800 VA.

It states explicitly that it does not apply to:

• PV systems under BS 7671 Section 712 — that is, conventional rooftop solar
• building-integrated PV
• plug-in battery systems
• plug-in solar devices integrated with battery systems
• plug-in generation from anything other than solar PV

So a product with a battery in the box is not a compliant plug-in solar device, however it is marketed. See why batteries stay excluded.

The numbers

The 960 W figure is the one most often misreported. It is not a cap — it is the point above which the manufacturer must advise you to have your electrical installation professionally assessed. The specification says the threshold reflects the principle in the German standard that larger devices warrant that step.

What must be marked on the product

The product as a whole must be permanently marked with all of the following. This is a list you can hold against a photograph of the rating label:

• the manufacturer’s name or registered trademark, postal address and email address
• a model number, name or other designation
• a serial number or code so the device can be identified
• rated values: mains voltage, mains frequency, highest continuous current, rated power
• IP rating to BS EN 60529
• protective class — and where components differ, the lower class governs the whole product
• a statement that a maximum of one inverter of up to 800 VA may be plugged in per household circuit
• a statement that notification to the DNO about connection and disconnection is mandatory, including a link to instructions
• a statement that the product complies with this specification

Labels must be affixed visibly, legibly and indelibly to the equipment itself, and comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016.

The product must also be supplied with a durable label to be affixed at or near the consumer unit, indicating that a plug-in PV device is present on the installation. If a kit arrives without that label, something required is missing.

What must be in the documentation

The instructions are where most of the specification’s consumer protection actually lives. A compliant kit’s documentation must include, among other things:

Safety and installation limits

• a prominent warning that installation is not permitted on aluminium composite (ACM), metal composite (MCM), high-pressure laminate (HPL) or timber cladding systems, or timber balconies — see fire safety
• a prominent warning that it must not be installed on buildings subject to external wall remediation or equivalent fire safety restrictions
• a prominent warning that the device is not intended to be used with a battery energy storage system
• that extension cables, multi-way adaptors, RCD adaptors and travel adaptors are not permitted
• that it must not be connected to damaged, degraded or non-compliant socket outlets, with advice to have a qualified electrician inspect if in any doubt

The electrical installation

• advice to check the installation has modern residual current protection (RCBO) and is in good condition, and to have it checked and if necessary upgraded where older fuse protection is in use
• that only one device of up to 800 VA per household circuit may be installed
• how to identify which sockets are on the same circuit, with advice to consult an electrician if unsure
• that any modification to the final circuit — for example replacing the overcurrent protective device under BS 7671 section 551.7.2 — is work for a qualified electrician only

Siting, mounting and environment

• permissible ambient temperature range
• guidance on choosing the location, including wind and snow load zones
• maximum permissible installation height above ground, with permissible heights derived from BS EN 1991-1-4 for the product and each specified mounting type
• any limitations in corrosive environments — marine, livestock farming — stated clearly where the device is unsuitable
• whether the inverter may be installed outside, inside, or either
• see mounting for what the specification says about the mounting system itself

Your responsibilities, stated by the manufacturer

• that you are responsible for obtaining permission from the property owner, landlord, freeholder, managing agent or relevant authority, including agreeing how costs are apportioned — see renting and leasehold
• that you are responsible for any planning permission and listed building consent — see conservation areas
• that you should check whether the product affects your insurance and, where relevant, the building’s — see insurance
• how to notify the network operator on installation and decommissioning
• decommissioning and disposal information compliant with the WEEE Regulations

Data sheets must be provided for the PV module to BS EN IEC 61730-1 and for the inverter to BS EN 50524, with the applicable unit certificates under G98.

The check almost nobody makes

The specification’s network requirements section is short and consequential:

Manufacturers shall ensure that the device has been type tested in accordance with G98 requirements. Manufacturers shall register devices on the ENA Type Test Register (ENA Direct Connect platform) and obtain confirmation that the device has been assessed and identified as compliant prior to placing them on the market. A device being submitted for registration shall not, in itself, be regarded as demonstrating compliance.

That last sentence is unusually direct, and it exists because someone anticipated the marketing. “Submitted for registration”, “registration pending” and “G98 compliant by design” are not the thing required. The requirement is registration and confirmation, before sale.

So the question to a retailer is: is this specific model on the ENA Type Test Register, and has confirmation been obtained? Ask for the model designation as registered — not the marketing name.

Behind the scenes: what the manufacturer must hold

You will not see these, but they are what a compliance claim should rest on. The manufacturer must:

• carry out type testing on a representative device, demonstrating compliance with all applicable clauses, documented in a test report
• carry out routine testing
• produce and retain a technical file: test reports, calculations such as structural loading, and conformity with the referenced standards
• retain those records for at least ten years after the last manufacture of the device type

A manufacturer who cannot describe their technical file when asked is worth a second thought.

A note on European kits

The UK specification is based on DIN VDE 0126-95, the German standard, with amendments for the UK context. The government proposed that baseline explicitly and 87% of respondents to that question agreed.

But the amendments are not cosmetic. The UK-specific changes respondents pressed for were BS 1363 plugs and fuses, ring final circuits, G98 requirements, RCD compatibility, earthing arrangements, and differences in housing stock. A device built for the German market will typically have the wrong plug, no G98 type test, and no ENA registration.

Cheaper is not the same as compliant, and a device that does not comply is one that, under SI 2026/848, must not be installed or operated.

Before you buy: the short list

1. Is the declared maximum apparent power ≤ 800 VA, and the current ≤ 3.5 A?
2. Does the rating label carry the statement of compliance with the specification?
3. Does the plug carry its required markings?
4. Is the model on the ENA Type Test Register, with confirmation obtained?
5. Do the instructions contain the cladding and timber balcony warning?
6. Is there a consumer unit label in the box?
7. Are the mounting configurations and permissible heights specified for the surface you intend to use — see mounting?
8. Does the paperwork name version 2 of the specification?
9. Have you established that you may install it at all — permission from a landlord, freeholder or managing agent, and no cladding or remediation restriction?
10. Do you have a roof? If you do, rooftop is usually the better answer.