The Cut: Government gives plug-in solar the green light

• Plug-in solar to be available on 27th August after law changes
• What can the UK learn from Germany?
• From October there will no longer be VAT on electricity

It’s a green light for plug-in solar panels! The 27th August is the date for your diary, that’s when the changes to the plug and socket regulations will come into effect, meaning that people will be able to connect their solar panel straight into their wall. 

If you’re a regular reader of The Cut, you’ll know that at The Eco Experts we’re incredibly excited about plug-in solar’s ability to cut household energy bills. In fact we are so excited by it that we’ve teamed up with Anker SOLIX to look into what the UK can learn from Germany, Europe’s most mature plug-in solar market. 

Germany is seen by many as the example to follow, but there are key differences between there and the UK, namely that far fewer over here live in flats. That potentially makes the opportunity in the UK greater because plug-in solar panels can be used in gardens, sheds and garages – in fact, anywhere which catches sunlight. 

#Other than that, it’s been quite a week. To recap: Andy Burnham is now prime minister; heating oil users can now get £9,000 towards a heat pump; reports indicate that the government will give low-income households free batteries; and VAT is being cut from electricity bills. 

Andy Burnham has got a lot to deal with as prime minister. Getting energy under control and cutting household bills has got to be a priority and he must use any tools he can to do so. The signs are that he’s going big on using clean energy to get bills down, which is great. The big thing to watch out for is that he doesn’t do anything silly like drill in the North Sea. We’ll be keeping an eye out. 

What can the UK learn from Germany?

We’ve teamed up with Anker SOLIX to look at what Germany has done right and how the UK can use plug-in solar to cut energy bills. 

Government to cut VAT from electricity

It’s not a huge amount of money (£40 a year) but it’s a good start and shows that the new Prime Minister is serious about making energy cheaper for us all. Let’s hope he continues. 

It’s a green light for plug-in solar panels!

Make a note in your diary, phone, calendar or just a post-it note. The 27th August is when we can use plug-in solar panels legally and completely. Will you be queuing up outside your supermarket to pick yours up? 

Government to give out free batteries

If you believe reports from The i Paper, ministers have come up with plans to help out the households hit hardest by Donald Trump’s continuing war with Iran. How? By giving out free plug-in batteries to store and use energy. 

Written By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Deputy editor

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

He has represented The Eco Experts on national television several times, including the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and ITV Tonight .

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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Will Georgiadis

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