Suitability
Is plug-in solar right for your home?
Plug-in solar suits a specific set of circumstances. This check tells you honestly when it does not — including when a rooftop system or nothing at all is the better answer.
Quick suitability check
Five questions, no email required.
This is preliminary guidance only, based on the answers you gave. It is not a survey, a safety assessment or advice. Always confirm suitability, permissions and compliance before buying or installing anything.
Who plug-in solar tends to suit
- Flat owners and long-leaseholders with a south-facing balcony and written permission to fix something to it.
- Households with a constant daytime baseload — home workers, retirees, anyone with a fridge, freezer, router and a heat pump running through the middle of the day.
- Renters with a garden, a fence or a flat roof area, an understanding landlord, and a desire to take the system with them when they move.
- People who want to learn how solar behaves before committing to a full installation.
Who it does not suit
- Homes with no unshaded south, south-east or south-west aspect. Shade is the single biggest destroyer of output.
- Households that are empty on weekdays and cannot shift any load to the middle of the day.
- Anyone who cannot obtain written permission from a freeholder, landlord, managing agent or conservation authority.
- People wanting to cover a meaningful share of household demand — that is a rooftop job, not an 800W one.
This checker is a guide, not a survey. It cannot see your roofline, your shading through the day, your consumer unit or your lease. Speak to a qualified electrician before installing, and read the UK regulations page for the compliance side.