Most renters and flat owners will not be able to take advantage of new “plug-in” solar panels without changes to UK housing laws, green energy campaigners in Germany have warned.
The UK Government is promoting plug-in solar as a solution to lower household energy bills, promising that £400 panels will be available from shops such as Lidl “within months”.
But a green energy group in Germany, where plug-in solar is already widely used, told The i Paper that UK households will struggle to obtain permission from building owners to alter their homes.
Law changes in Germany mean renters now have a right to install solar, but the UK Government has yet to confirm whether it is planning such a move.
Questions also remain over how flat owners in England and Wales will be able to take advantage of the technology due to the challenges of leasehold ownership.
‘Landlords make plug-in solar impossible’
Plug-in solar is a type of DIY kit that can be plugged directly into a plug socket and offers a cheaper alternative to the renewable technology, with panels currently costing around £400.
They have been promoted as a particularly good solution for flat owners, as they can be mounted on balconies.
Safety regulations have prevented the technology from taking off in the UK, but ministers recently confirmed these rules would be changed within months.
The Government has pointed to Germany as an example of a country where plug-in solar has taken off, with an estimated four million households now using the technology, according to the German association for plug-in solar, Balkon Solar.
Of these four million, it is estimated that around 70 per cent are homeowners and 30 per cent are renters.
Around four million households in Germany use plug-in solar (Photo: Balkon Solar)The surge in popularity in Germany has largely been thanks to a series of legal changes introduced in 2024, including new laws granting tenants and flat owners the legal right to install plug-in solar.
This means landlords and building owners cannot refuse installations without specific reasons, such as safety risks or concerns over the structural integrity of the building.
Despite these rules, renters in Germany can still struggle to get permission for plug-in solar, according to Sebastian Müller, chair of Balkon Solar.
“Probably half the email volume from our association is people emailing us with letters they get from their landlord after they said they want to use plug-in PV, and either the landlord puts in some conditions that are difficult to meet, or that are very expensive to meet, or are clearly intended to make it nearly impossible to do it,” he said.
Flat owners in Germany can also face challenges as they need to obtain permission from the residents’ association that manages their block.
Some homeowners have been forced to take their residents’ association to court in order to get permission.
What are the rules in the UK?
As it stands, renters and flat owners in the UK need to obtain permission from their landlord or building owner in order to make alterations to their property.
Typically, plug-in solar must be securely mounted to a surface, such as a roof or balcony railing.
In England and Wales, the issue is complicated by the fact that most flat owners live in leasehold properties, meaning the building is owned by a freeholder rather than being jointly owned by the flat owners.
Freeholders can often be difficult to reach, as many are owned by investment funds or offshore entities.
Unlike in Germany, renters and flat owners in the UK do not have any specific rights to install solar and landlords are able to refuse without giving specific reasons.
While the UK Goernment has said it will change the safety regulations around solar, it has not said whether it plans to change the rules for renters and leaseholders.
“I don’t really understand what the UK Government wants to change in the law at this point,” Müller said.
“Do you say ‘we legalise it’ but you have to come to terms with your landlord? Because coming to terms with your landlord is quite a difficult thing. Or is it legal in the sense that you have a right to put it onto your balcony?”
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the Government was “making it possible for people to purchase plug-in solar in shops”.
They added: “We are seeking to offer access to renters, flat‑dwellers, households without suitable roofs, and anyone seeking a low‑cost, easy self‑install solar option.”
‘My apartment runs fully on solar’
Müller encouraged UK households who are able to get permission to use plug-in solar to take advantage of the technology.
He created his own DIY set-up during the pandemic and said his apartment now runs fully on solar, the majority of the time.
Müller is unable to provide a comparison of his energy bills as he also bought an electric car at the time, which he charges at home and thus pays for through his electricity bill.
Households in Germany are saving money on their energy bills thanks to plug-in solar (Photo: Sebastian Müller)“What I can say is if I didn’t have a car, I would probably save quite a lot on my energy bill,” he said.
His advice to homeowners was to research and buy a good-quality solar panel and to secure it properly to their property.
“It’s not that difficult. You have to make sure it doesn’t fall onto people’s heads, which most people are sensible enough to do that, and to attach it properly, and then plug it in, and then you can enjoy it all,” he said.
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