A surface and planning check
We check where the panel would go against the planning rules.
Plugging the panel in
The interim product specification assumes an ordinary person will install and operate the device, not an electrician. The panel, its plug and its connectors all arrive ready, and plugging in is all there is left to do.
The inverter, plug and socket can sit inside or outside the house. Where DC cables run from outdoors into the building, the manufacturer has to supply the connectors along with clear instructions on routing them.
Outdoor sockets and IP55
If the plug and socket will be mounted outside, the socket needs an IP55 rating or better, and most homes here do not already have one. A local electrician prices that work, and it is usually the only part you pay for.
If your home already has an outdoor socket, we need to know what it is rated to and what circuit it sits on.
Things you must not plug it into
The specification names these twice, once as a warning printed on the device and once as information in the instructions.
- No extension cables.
- No multi-way adaptors.
- No RCD adaptors.
- No travel adaptors.
When a panel sits on a balcony or out in the garden, that is usually when someone reaches for an extension lead. If the only socket is in the wrong place, get one fitted in the right place.
When you need an electrician
You need a qualified electrician in three situations.
- Testing or modifying your electrical installation is work for a professional electrician, and the instructions supplied with a compliant panel have to say so.
- Any change to the final circuit, such as replacing the overcurrent protection device under BS 7671. Only a qualified electrician can do that.
- Any socket you are not sure about. Users are told to have a qualified electrician inspect a socket they doubt.
Insurance and older wiring
A compliant panel's instructions tell you to check whether it affects your home insurance, so ring your insurer before it is delivered.
Older wiring came up most in the consultation
People responding to the government consultation kept raising the fire risk in older homes, especially where the wiring or its insulation has seen better days. A lot of housing here is old, so if your consumer unit has been in place a long time, get the circuit checked before you plug anything into it.
Plugs, connectors and switching off
The plug is a BS 1363 type with a BS 1362 fuse link and extra contact protection, marked and labelled near the plug. The DC connectors meet BS EN 62852 and come from the manufacturer with the cables. You can only use matching pairs from the same product family, and where an adaptor forms part of a connection the manufacturer has to pre-assemble it.
Never disconnect the DC connectors under load. Switch the AC supply off before you unplug anything.
On this page
- Plugging the panel in
- Outdoor sockets and IP55
- Things you must not plug it into
- When you need an electrician
- Insurance and older wiring
- Plugs, connectors and switching off
Send us your postcode
Tell us where the panel would go and what the surface is made of. We reply by email, and we say so if it will not work.
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