Asda, Amazon and B&Q among retailers in talks to sell devices that feed into household sockets and can cut electricity bills by 30% Spanish homes save €10 a month via renewables expansion
Executives from several major UK retailers have held talks with the government about introducing plug-in solar panels in stores to boost domestic electricity generation across the country.
Representatives from Currys, B&Q and Amazon met energy consumers minister Martin McCluskey on Tuesday. Asda, Screwfix and Wickes also joined the discussion on making the devices available to people in flats or rental properties that lack rooftop space.
The plug-in panels are designed for placement on balconies, terraces, shed roofs or other outdoor areas. They connect directly to a standard three-pin socket, feeding electricity into the home circuit so that appliances draw solar power first before using grid supplies.
These systems typically have an 800-watt capacity, roughly one-fifth the size of a standard rooftop solar array. While not sufficient to power an entire house, they can help lower electricity bills. Government research indicates annual savings of £70 to £110 for a typical household.
The devices are expected to retail from around £400, with a payback period of four to seven years. The government first outlined support for such plug-in technology last summer and anticipates the panels reaching shops in the coming months.
Similar small-scale solar systems are already widespread in parts of Europe, particularly Spain and Germany, where they require no professional fitting. Germany alone has about 1.5 million balcony installations, locally known as Balkonkraftwerk.
McCluskey described the panels as potentially transformative for renters and lower-income households. He welcomed the retailers’ backing for wider availability of the easy-to-install technology to reduce bills and decrease dependence on international fossil fuel markets.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to expand home energy options amid rising interest in such upgrades. The UK recorded 269,000 solar installations last year, more than a third higher than the previous year and equivalent to a new rooftop system every two minutes.
British households have increasingly adopted solar panels, electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps during the war in Iran to manage costs as global oil and gas prices climbed. B&Q chief executive Graham Bell said the company is collaborating with officials and suppliers on safety and compliance standards, with plug-in panels to be offered to customers as soon as possible.
The push aligns with the government’s target of achieving a virtually carbon-free electricity system by the end of the decade. Energy secretary Ed Miliband aims to expand solar farm capacity from the current 18 gigawatts to 45-47 gigawatts, sufficient to supply around 12 million typical UK homes.
Ministers are also promoting solar on large car park canopies as well as warehouse and factory roofs. Deploying panels on just 20 percent of the country’s largest warehouses could yield up to 15 gigawatts, accounting for half the planned solar growth by decade’s end under the clean power strategy.
Originally reported by The Guardian on Jun 16, 2026.
