A surface and planning check
We look at the surface you have in mind and tell you whether the permitted development right reaches it.
What we checkChecked againstThe 2026 rules
You getA yes or a no
We supply and fit plug-in solar panels for homes anywhere in England.
England has nine regions and nine electricity licence areas, and its planning guidance is the only one in the UK that names plug-in solar. Pick your region, tell us your postcode and the spot you have in mind, and we'll come back with your operator, the rules, and a realistic figure.
- Rules checked before a quote, every time
- We're not on any manufacturer's payroll
- Where it won't work, we say so and stop there
In the photographNottingham
Wall typeBrick and timber
RegionEast Midlands
Your postcode and your region
Name, email, postcode, the region you're in, and where the panel would go. We email back with your operator, the rules for that spot, and what it should make in a year.
What happens nextWe answer by email and nobody else sees your details. No commission, ever.
England's planning rules name plug-in solar, and leave out timber balconies and cladding
The permitted development right for solar on a house or a block of flats was rewritten on 27 August 2026.
A device fixed to a wooden wall, to timber cladding or to a balcony falls outside the new rules. If that is what you have, the right does not reach it and you would need planning permission.
The rest of the rules are about size and position. We check them for you before anyone quotes, because a device on the wrong surface is a planning application, not a purchase.
- A pitched roof keeps the panel under the ridge, no more than 200 mm off the slope.
- A flat roof holds everything within 600 mm clear of the roof.
- A wall facing a highway allows 200 mm of projection, and every other wall allows 400 mm.
- Conservation areas and World Heritage Sites rule out any wall that fronts a highway.
- If the building is listed you need planning permission and listed building consent, so ask the council early.
The old rules stay available until 27 August 2027. Either version is allowed in the meantime, the one in force before that date or the new one.
Three things we arrange
Three jobs, the same in every region. You can ask for one of them or all three.
Fitting, and an outdoor socket
You can plug the device in yourself. If the socket has to be outside, an electrician near you fits one that is rated for it.
How fitting worksOutdoor socketIP55 or better
Per householdOne device
Which operator to tell
We name the network operator for your postcode and fill in the notification with you once the panel is in.
Find your operatorNotify within28 days
Free call105
Pick your region
Each region has its own network operator and its own figure for what a panel makes in a year. The bars compare an ideal south facing roof pitch across England.
North East
Northern Powergrid (Northeast) plc
South facing wall558 kWh
Garden frame727 kWh
North West
Electricity North West Limited, and SP Manweb plc in Merseyside and Cheshire
South facing wall505 kWh
Garden frame684 kWh
Yorkshire
Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc
South facing wall550 kWh
Garden frame729 kWh
East Midlands
National Grid Electricity Distribution (East Midlands) plc
South facing wall564 kWh
Garden frame754 kWh
West Midlands
National Grid Electricity Distribution (West Midlands) plc
South facing wall555 kWh
Garden frame746 kWh
East of England
Eastern Power Networks plc, part of UK Power Networks
South facing wall594 kWh
Garden frame795 kWh
London
London Power Networks plc, part of UK Power Networks
South facing wall582 kWh
Garden frame789 kWh
South East
South Eastern Power Networks plc and Southern Electric Power Distribution plc
South facing wall645 kWh
Garden frame890 kWh
South West
National Grid Electricity Distribution (South West) plc
South facing wall594 kWh
Garden frame816 kWh
The licence areas here are a working map. Confirm yours on your operator’s own postcode checker, or call 105 free from anywhere in England and you will be put through to the right one.
How much a panel makes in each English region, and why position matters more
These are modelled figures for an 800 W device with 14 per cent system losses and nothing shading it. The range covers all nine English regions.
A roof pitch facing south
The best of the three, at about 35 degrees. It is also the one most likely to need a scaffold and an electrician.
Across England689 to 897 kWh a year
A frame on open ground
A frame in the garden at about 30 degrees comes within roughly 1 per cent of the roof figure, and you can reach it without a ladder.
Across England684 to 890 kWh a year
Flat against a wall
A vertical south facing wall gives roughly 70 to 75 per cent of the roof figure. An east or west wall drops to roughly half.
South wall, across England505 to 645 kWh a year
A region is not a point, so treat these as a ceiling rather than an expectation. Shade from a tree or a neighbour’s roof takes more off than the difference between two regions.
What happens after you send the form
Four steps, in this order.
You send your details
Postcode, region, and what the surface is made of.
We check the rules
We tell you whether the permitted development right covers that surface at your house.
You get a price for the work
An electrician near you quotes for the socket and the fitting if you need either.
We notify your operator
Within 28 days of it going in, a short form goes to the operator with your name, email and address.
Your postcode and region are enough for us to begin
You get the answer for that surface, the operator for your postcode, and the yearly figure for your region. That includes hearing no when the answer is no.
Check my postcode