The sunny patio
A single panel on a low stand, right by the back door and close to the socket. Concrete blocks hold it down: no digging, no drilling.
- Kit
- Patio Ballast Kit
- Space
- 1.9m × 1.2m
Could save around £180 a year*
Birmingham, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield
Plug-in Solar for Brum Gardens
Solar panels on a low frame in the back garden, plugged into an outdoor socket. No roof work, no scaffolding, no installer. Your house uses the sunshine first, from breakfast to teatime.
*Our estimate for the Big Garden Kit Max (1260W) in a busy four-person home with someone in all day, using 70% of the power as it's made, south-facing and unshaded, at the price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh. That works out at around £1,760 over 10 years and £3,430 over 20. See how we work it out.
Gardens first, tech second
Why put solar in the garden, not on the roof?
Because the garden's easy to get to. There's nobody up a ladder and no scaffolding on the front. The panels sit on a low frame on your lawn or patio, you can reach them to give them a wipe, and they pack down and come with you if you move.
- Set it up yourself with a helper, in an afternoon
- Plugs straight into a weatherproof outdoor socket within 4m
- Register free at myplugin.solar before you switch on
Lawn, patio or a bigger plot: where will yours go?
Pick the garden that looks most like yours, bab. Each sketch is from above, with the house at the bottom and the sun at the top.
The long semi lawn
Two panels side by side, a few metres up the lawn where the sun hangs around. Just the job for a 1930s semi in Hall Green or Kings Heath.
- Kit
- Garden Ground Mount Kit
- Space
- 3.7m × 1.2m
The bigger plot
More garden, more panel. The Plus suits a deep lawn, and the Max wants a long sunny strip along the side.
- Kit
- Big Garden Kit
- Space
- Up to 5.0m × 1.2m
Six kits in all, every one used on the ground. Compare them side by side.
1 frame · 2 blocks · 3 lead · 4 outdoor socket
What arrives on your doorstep?
One big, flat box, brought to your front door. Here's what happens next.
- 1The boxPanels, a microinverter, the frame and a 4m lead with a fused UK plug. The ballast blocks come from a builders' merchant.
- 2Down the sideTwo of you carry it round to the back garden. Boxes weigh from 41kg to 96kg, depending on the kit.
- 3Frame and blocksBuild the frame on a level, sunny spot and add the concrete blocks for your gust speed.
- 4Register and plug inRegister free at myplugin.solar, then plug into your outdoor socket. The fridge, the router and the washing machine use the sunshine first.
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Got a question? Here are the big ones
Do I need an electrician?
Not to set the kit up. It does need a weatherproof outdoor socket within its 4m lead, and modern RCD protection in your fuse box. If you haven't got those, a local electrician can fit and check them.
Can I use an extension lead to reach the end of the garden?
No. Plug-in kits go straight into a wall socket, never an extension lead, cable reel or adaptor. If your sunny spot is further than 4m from a socket, ask an electrician to fit a weatherproof outdoor socket near the panels.
Who do I tell about it?
Register the kit free at myplugin.solar before you first switch on. That tells National Grid Electricity Distribution, the network operator for Birmingham and the West Midlands. Let your home insurer know too.
We rent our house. Can we have one?
Ask your landlord first. You need their written permission before you buy, and they can say no. If you're leasehold, the same goes for the freeholder or managing agent.
Can I have two kits, or add a battery?
No to both. The rules allow one plug-in kit per household, and plug-in kits mustn't be used with a home battery.