ENA register vs "800W-class" marketing

This is the most expensive misunderstanding available in this market right now, and it is entirely avoidable. A product can be on sale in the UK, shipped from a UK warehouse, described as 800W, and still not be lawful to plug into a socket. Being on sale is not certification.

What the register actually is

The Energy Networks Association maintains a type-test database, published at Connect Direct. When a manufacturer has a device tested against the relevant standard, the result is recorded there with a manufacturer reference and a status.

Two things make it the authority rather than one opinion among several:

• It is what your DNO checks. The manufacturer reference from the register is the field you put on your G98 form. It is not a badge; it is a lookup key into a database the network operator already uses.
• It is what the law points at. SI 2026 No. 848 requires a plug-in microgenerator to comply with the Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification. The register entry is how compliance with that specification is evidenced in practice.

A register entry can also change. Devices have been withdrawn — two Perlight products published above the 800W ceiling, rated at 0.93 kW and 1.0 kW, were removed. That is the system working: the ceiling is 800W AC, and entries that sat above it did not survive contact with it.

Who is certified, and who is not

Note carefully what "pending" means and does not mean. It does not mean failed, unsafe or badly made. Several of these are excellent products with long track records in European markets where the rules and the test regime are different. It means testing against the UK interim specification is not finished, and until it is, plugging one into a British socket is not something the law permits.

We keep the certified list, with prices and payback, on the ledger, and the ranked buying view in best plug-in solar kits UK 2026.

Why the battery brands have a harder road

Anker's SOLIX Solarbank 2 AC and Zendure's SolarFlow 800 are not simply waiting in the same queue as everyone else. The interim product specification governs generation. A device that stores energy and re-exports it later is doing something the specification does not describe.

That is a scope question rather than a testing backlog, and scope questions are resolved by changing the specification, not by finishing a test. It is the reason we would not advise anyone to buy a battery-integrated unit today on the assumption that certification is weeks away. It may not be a matter of weeks, and it is not in the manufacturer's gift.

The phrases to distrust

None of the following means certified. All of them appear in current UK listings.

• "800W-class" — describes the output rating. Says nothing about type testing.
• "UK-ready" or "UK plug" — describes the connector moulded onto the lead.
• "Compliant with the new 2026 regulations" — an unverifiable assertion unless the register entry backs it. If the entry exists, the seller will happily give you the reference. If they will not, that is your answer.
• "CE" or "UKCA marked" — general product conformity marks. Necessary, but they are not the plug-in solar type test.
• "G98 compatible" — G98 is a notification process, not a product certification. A device cannot be "G98 compatible" in any meaningful sense; it either has a type-test entry your DNO can look up or it does not.
• "Certified in Germany" or "sold across Europe" — true and irrelevant. The government's own position is that the UK specification is more stringent than Germany's, where around half a million new devices were installed in the preceding year.

How to check a device yourself, in two minutes

1. Open the ENA type-test register at Connect Direct.
2. Search for the manufacturer name, then the model number. Use the model number from the specification sheet, not the marketing name on the listing — they often differ.
3. Confirm the status shows as compliant, and that the AC rating is 800W or below.
4. Copy the manufacturer reference. You will need it for your G98 notification.
5. If there is no entry, do not buy it for plug-in use. It is that simple, and no amount of seller reassurance changes it.

If a seller cannot produce a register reference on request, treat that as the answer to your question.

Why we file it this way

Our editorial rule is that we do not publish "just plug it in, fully legal now" copy for kit that is not on the register — regardless of how well it would sell. The pending brands are the ones with the recognition, the review coverage and the search volume. Listing them as certified would be the commercially obvious move and it would be wrong.

The register is also the reason this site exists in the format it does. Anyone can restate a press release. The useful thing is a list that changes the same day a status changes, with the prices attached. If EcoFlow's £549 kit gains a compliant entry tomorrow, it immediately becomes the cheapest lawful kit in Britain and the ranking changes. We would rather be the site that noticed than the site that had already told you it was fine.

Sources and further reading

• ENA Connect Direct — the type-test register itself. Check it before buying.
• Energy Networks Association — publisher of Engineering Recommendation G98.
• SI 2026 No. 848 — requires compliance with the Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification.
• GOV.UK — plug-in solar consultation — the policy work behind the specification.
• GOV.UK — Households can save as plug-in solar panels come to market — including the comparison with the German market.
• Which? — independent consumer testing and buying advice.

Frequently asked questions