Part P Building Regs Explained: Certificates, Notifiable Work and Plug In Solar

Part P building regs are the rules on electrical safety in homes in England and Wales, deciding which jobs must be notified, who can sign them off and what paperwork you receive. According to gov.uk, jobs such as replacing a fuse box or changing electrics near a bath or shower need approval unless a registered competent person does them.

With plug in solar now legal in Great Britain and home batteries more common, the rules matter to more households. This guide covers the two certificates to keep, what a Part P qualification means, and why plug in solar is treated differently from a hardwired battery.

What are Part P building regs, and where do they apply?

Building regulations Part P is the section of the national rules covering electrical safety in dwellings. In England, the statutory guidance is Approved Document P, which gov.uk lists as published on 1 January 2013. It explains when work must be notified and what is expected for design, installation, inspection, testing and information for the householder.

Since April 2023, gov.uk notes, the Building Safety Regulator has reviewed building safety standards under the Building Safety Act 2022. The technical yardstick is BS 7671, which Electrical Safety First describes as the national standard used to confirm work meets Part P.

How do the rules differ across the UK nations?

Electrical Safety First sets out a clear split:

• England and Wales: Part P regulations apply, with notification through building control or a registered electrician.
• Scotland: electrical work sits within the Building Standards system, under a building warrant approved by an approved certifier or checked by the local authority.
• Northern Ireland: there is currently no equivalent statutory requirement.

Which jobs count as notifiable Part P electrical work?

Not every task has to be reported. Guidance on Regulation 12(6A) and Approved Document P generally describes three categories of notifiable work in England, so check the current edition for the exact wording:

• installing a new circuit, such as the dedicated circuit a hardwired battery needs;
• replacing a consumer unit, the modern version of a fuse box;
• altering a circuit in a special location, such as the zones around a bath or shower, a swimming pool or a sauna.

For these jobs, Electrical Safety First explains that you either notify building control before work starts or hire an electrician registered with a government-approved Part P scheme. gov.uk adds that building regulations approval is separate from planning permission, and some projects need both.

Plugging a certified appliance into an existing socket is not on that list, which is the starting point for seeing where plug in solar fits under Part P building regs.

What is a Part P certificate, and what does it prove?

If you are wondering what is a Part P certificate, homeowners usually receive two documents, and people use the phrase for either. Electrical Safety First says notifiable work should leave you with a certificate confirming the work meets BS 7671, plus a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate.

Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate?

The first document depends on the job. Broadly, an Electrical Installation Certificate records new circuits and larger work, while a Minor Works Certificate records smaller changes to an existing circuit.

The second, the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, is what most people mean by a Part P cert or Part P electrical certificate. Guidance generally describes a 30-day window after completion for the installer or scheme to give the occupier a copy and inform building control; check the current Approved Document P for detail.

A plug in solar kit using an existing socket produces neither document, because no fixed wiring has changed.

When will you be asked for a Part P cert?

Electrical Safety First notes that homeowners and landlords must be able to prove work meets Part P. That proof tends to be requested when:

• selling your home, as the buyer's conveyancer asks about electrical alterations;
• making an insurance claim that involves electrical work;
• letting a property and keeping records of work carried out;
• arranging further work, as the next electrician will want the history.

What can I do with Part P qualification as an electrician?

Electricians often ask what can I do with Part P qualification. Industry guidance generally describes it as a Level 3 knowledge award, such as City & Guilds 2393-10 on Building Regulations for electrical installations in dwellings.

On its own, that award is generally understood not to allow self-certification. To sign off notifiable jobs without building control, an electrician normally registers with a competent person scheme, which assesses competence, insurance and test equipment.

Customers now ask electricians about plug in solar too. A kit that plugs into a socket needs no sign-off, but a battery's new circuit does, and only a registered installer can self-certify it.

Which competent person schemes cover home electrics?

gov.uk lists these schemes for fixed low or extra-low voltage installations in dwellings:

For electrical work in dwellings, the government's competent person scheme list currently names five operators: BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure (which runs NICEIC), NAPIT and OFTEC. Asking which of these your electrician belongs to is the quickest way to confirm they can self-certify.

Electrical Safety First says a registered electrician means no building control charges, a formal complaints route and an optional insurance-backed guarantee. For batteries, Anker names NICEIC and NAPIT as examples of Part P-approved schemes.

Why is socket-connected plug in solar not Part P electrical work?

A DESNZ press release confirmed that plug in solar became legal to buy and use across Great Britain from 27 August 2026, for kits up to 800W. Because plug in solar connects through an ordinary plug into an existing socket, it does not normally involve notifiable work.

Plug in solar safety is instead handled at product level. The government amended the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 so compliant devices can use a BS 1363 plug, and introduced an Interim Product Specification (IPS) covering electrical design, plugs, mounting, fire protection and labelling.

For a plug in solar buyer, the checklist changes:

• look for IPS compliance on the label rather than a Part P certificate;
• check permissions with your landlord, freeholder or planning authority, as DESNZ advises;
• remember the IPS covers plug in solar without batteries, not plug-in batteries;
• note that plug in solar registration is being simplified through an amended G98, separate from Part P.

So Part P electrical safety rules and plug in solar rules run in parallel: one governs your fixed wiring, the other governs a product using an existing socket.

Why does a hardwired battery fall under building regulations Part P?

Anker is explicit about where its own battery sits in this framework. Its UK product page, read at the time of writing, cites Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 and asks for a Part P-registered electrician to wire the Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro to the consumer unit on its own dedicated circuit, alongside the Anker SOLIX Smart Meter Gen 2. That makes the installation notifiable electrical work, so you should expect both certificates at handover.

The unit is plug-in ready at hardware level, but Anker is clear that plug-in connection is not currently permitted, and guidance will follow only once UK regulations and BSI standards allow it. Unlike plug in solar, it is a battery. The electrician may also need to modify the consumer unit and add protective devices.

According to the Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro product page, the process runs like this:

1. A Part P-registered electrician wires a dedicated circuit using the supplied hardwiring terminals.
2. The installer commissions the system and submits G98 documentation to the network operator within 28 days.
3. You receive your electrical certificate and Building Regulations Compliance Certificate.
4. You email proof of installation to Anker support, which issues a password to raise AC output from the 800W default to up to 2,500W.

How does it compare with other storage and plug in solar options?

Treat this table as a snapshot: the rival prices and specifications were read from each manufacturer's UK shop, and the panel-only kit price from Energy Saving Trust guidance, on 30 October 2026. Promotions move these numbers often, so re-check them before you commit to any plug in solar or storage purchase.

Per the official Anker SOLIX datasheet, the hardwired Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro battery stores 5,024Wh in LiFePO4 cells, is rated IP66 and uses an isolated inverter topology with Protective Class I construction, details your electrician will need when designing the circuit.

What paperwork should you keep after a battery or plug in solar install?

A tidy paper trail is the practical payoff of Part P building regs. For a hardwired battery, file together:

• the Electrical Installation Certificate for the new circuit;
• the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate from the electrician's scheme;
• a copy of the G98 notification;
• an MCS certificate if your installer is MCS certified, which MCS says arrives within 10 working days;
• Anker's email confirming the higher output unlock.

For plug in solar, keep the receipt, the IPS compliance details and any written permission from your landlord. A plug in solar file is lighter, but it still shows what you fitted and when.

This is general guidance rather than legal advice, so confirm specifics with your electrician, DNO or energy supplier before work begins. Anker suggests finding a battery installer via the MCS, NAPIT or NICEIC search tools, filtered by Battery Storage, and cross-checking at least two.

Conclusion

Part P building regs are less about red tape and more about traceability: who did the work, to which standard, and whether building control knows. A plug in solar kit sits outside that process because it uses an existing socket and is regulated through product rules, while any new circuit, including one for a battery, brings Part P into play.

If you are moving beyond plug in solar to home storage, budget for a registered electrician and treat the two certificates as part of the purchase.

If you want storage designed for a compliant hardwired install, explore the Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro on the Anker SOLIX UK store and share the specification with your Part P-registered electrician.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I carry out notifiable electrical work myself and still comply?

Yes, in England and Wales you can, but Electrical Safety First explains that you must notify building control before the work starts so the job can be checked. That route can involve building control charges, which is one reason many homeowners prefer a registered electrician who can self-certify through a competent person scheme.

Is building regulations approval the same as planning permission?

No. gov.uk makes clear that building regulations approval and planning permission are separate processes, and some projects need both. Approval under the regulations concerns how work is designed, installed and tested, while planning permission concerns the use and appearance of a building. Ask your local authority if you are unsure which applies.

Which edition of BS 7671 should my electrician be working to?

The IET states that the transition period for Amendment 2 ended on 15 October 2026, making BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 the current edition for new work and certification. The IET co-publishes the standard with BSI, and because it is used to confirm Part P compliance, your certificate should reference the current amendment.

How do I check an installer is registered for battery work?

Anker suggests using the search tools run by MCS, NAPIT and NICEIC, filtering for Battery Storage, and cross-checking at least two of them. MCS also offers a Find an Installer tool. Ask the electrician which competent person scheme they belong to and confirm their registration before agreeing a start date.

Why is the Solarbank limited to 800W when it is first delivered?

According to the Anker SOLIX UK product page, the factory default AC output is 800W. Output of up to 2,500W becomes available only after a hardwired installation and grid notification, once you email proof of installation to Anker support. Anker then issues a password that unlocks the higher setting in the app.

Is VAT charged on a hardwired home battery installation?

HMRC's VAT Notice 708/6 sets a zero rate for installing energy-saving materials in residential accommodation until 31 March 2027, and since 1 February 2024 that list has included standalone batteries. The rate is due to revert to 5% from 1 April 2027, so confirm the VAT treatment with your installer when you get a quote.