Plug-in solar panels can be sold from today: I live in a flat but won’t be buying them says HELEN CRANE

Plug-in solar panels could land on British shelves today – just in time for a grey, wet and overcast bank holiday weekend.

The panels, a smaller, cheaper and more portable version of traditional solar panels, have not been allowed in Britain to date because of safety regulations.

New rules allowing their sale come into force today, following much fanfare from the government. 

It says the rule change will allow more people to save money by using solar energy, including those living in flats and renting their homes.

I’m exactly the person who this scheme is aimed at. I live in a ground-floor flat, which presents an obvious problem when it comes to getting traditional solar panels in that someone else lives between me and the roof.

And while I’m hardly an eco zealot, I try to be sustainable where I can – especially if doing so can save me money.

I keep tabs on energy use, harvest rainwater to use on the garden and buy things like furniture, clothes and books second hand where possible. My partner cajoles me into taking plastic film to the special recycling bin at the supermarket, even though I find it a pain.

But I won’t be rushing out to get the new plug-in solar panels – and here’s why.

1. You may not even find any 

First of all, it might not even be possible to buy them today (although do let us know if you spot any on sale – editor@thisismoney.co.uk). 

While retailers including B&Q, Currys, Amazon and Lidl said they’d be keen to stock the panels once the regulations changed, none have confirmed that they will be doing so straight away.

As any panels sold will have to meet strict regulations, it may still be a while before we see them on shelves (or more likely online, as they weigh about 25kg). 

And that’s before you consider whether retailers will consider it wise to stock up on the sun-sucking devices in the summer’s final throes.

If you are considering buying them, you can read our guide to the nine pitfalls to avoid with plug-in solar panels here.

2. I’m not sure they’ll save much money 

My second qualm is that I’m not sure the sums will add up. Estimates suggest a standard plug-in solar panel set-up for an average-sized flat will cost between £400 to £600. 

According to government estimates, they could save households between £70 and £110 per year on energy bills.

It means it will take four to six years for users to break even – but that is based on optimum conditions. 

This means the panel being placed in a spot that gets sun for most of the day, which is easy if you have a roof you can put them on, but much harder if you have to attach them to a wall, balcony or fence.

Take my flat, where the front of the house is the part which is south-facing and sunny. Would I really want to leave a £500 piece of kit sitting in view of the street all day? 

Location, location, location: Solar panels won’t perform well if they’re kept in a shady place – which becomes trickier if you don’t have a roof to mount them on

3. They might annoy the neighbours 

I can easily see other flat-dwellers running into issues with freeholders or landlords objecting to them putting up the panels, or neighbours griping about them being attached to a shared fence.

Apparently these solar panels are common in Europe, including Spain and Germany where they are called ‘Balconkraftwerk’ or balcony power plants, but perhaps neighbours there are more easy-going (it’s obviously also sunnier).

4. Safety checks will be crucial – and eat into cost savings

The cost saving calculations also omit the price of safety checks, which are going to be absolutely crucial for anyone considering plug-in solar. 

Speaking to Insurance Post magazine, Megan Durnford of insurer Zurich this week warned that the new panels shouldn’t be treated as a ‘plug and play gadget’.

The systems generate electricity and feed it back into the wiring system, which isn’t something our homes were designed to support. 

‘Fundamentally, you’re adding a mini power station to your home,’ Durnford said.

If your wiring is old, badly maintained or unsuitable you risk electrical faults, overheating and even fire. 

In my flat, which dates from 1880, I wouldn’t want to plug in without enlisting an electrician to make sure everything was safe.

But an electrical safety check costs between £100 and £250 according to Checkatrade, wiping out at least another year and a half of those £70 to £110 of energy bill savings.

It’s essential to buy from a retailer you trust and check that devices meet the regulations. If the panels aren’t readily available straight away, I worry that less reputable outfits will try to cash in. 

Do also tell your home insurer, as installing the panels without doing so could make your cover void.

5. They have a huge flaw compared to roof panels

The biggest problem I have with plug-in solar panels, though, is that they will be far less effective for saving money than roof-mounted ones. 

Not because of their size, or even the sub-optimal places they might be positioned, but because they’re missing an essential component.

Most households with traditional solar panels install a battery, which means they can store the electricity they generate when it’s sunny and use it later. They can even make extra cash by selling it back to the National Grid.

But batteries can’t be used with plug-in systems, meaning households must use the power from the panels at the same time it is being generated. I’m not often at home during the day, so for me this would reduce the benefits dramatically.

Even if I was, I’m not sure I’d remember to put the washing machine on or run the dishwasher every time the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

What do you think – will you be buying plug-in solar panels? If not, what would be a better way to encourage households to go green? Let me know in the comments.