Plug-in solar FAQ

Also called balcony solar. One or two panels connect to a small inverter, and the inverter plugs into an outdoor outlet. No wiring, no electrical panel work. Whatever your home is using while the sun is up comes from the panels first and the grid second, so your bill goes down.

No. The panels go on a railing, a deck, a patio, a fence, or leaned against a sunny wall. If you rent, they move with you.

Hang the panels, connect them to the inverter, and plug the cord into an outdoor outlet. Everything you need is in the box.

A standard outdoor outlet, the weatherproof kind with test and reset buttons. Plug straight in: no extension cord, no power strip.

The inverter is UL 1741 certified, the safety standard for anything that feeds the grid, and it puts out at most 391 W. It shuts off within seconds if the grid goes down or you pull the plug. Three habits keep it that way: plug it straight into the outlet, never an extension cord or power strip; use an outdoor outlet; and keep heavy all-day loads like a space heater off that same circuit.

10 states have a plug-in law, and our laws by state page shows each one: when it starts, how big a system it allows, and what it asks of you. California's law takes effect January 1, 2027, but only for kits certified as a complete plug-in system, which none are yet. New York's bill is waiting on the governor. Everywhere else there's no plug-in law yet, so your utility's rules decide: check with them before you plug in.

Yes. Maryland's plug-in solar law took effect July 1, 2026. You can buy and install a system up to 1,200 W, one per meter, and your electric company can't block it, require approval, or charge a fee. You do tell them before you install. Details on the Maryland page.

In Maryland you let your utility know before you install, with the system's wattage and safety certification. It's a notice, not a request: they can't say no or charge you. Virginia will ask the same once its law starts; Utah and New Jersey ask for nothing. Where there's no plug-in law yet, ask your utility first. Every kit comes with the notice text ready to send.

Building permits are a local matter, and the plug-in laws don't settle them either way. Colorado's law does require a local permit. Everywhere else, your county or city permit office has the answer.

Not for our kits. Nothing gets wired; the cord goes into an outdoor outlet you already have. If you need a new outlet, that's electrician work. Maine is the one state that requires an electrician, and only above 420 W, which our kits are under. The EZ1-LV inverter we sell on its own is different: it needs its own circuit, so plan on an electrician for that one.

Maryland's law gives systems of 391 W or less a little extra leeway on wiring rules. Our kits use a 391 W inverter, so they're right at that line, and well under every state's overall limit. Every system still needs a safety certification at any size, and ours has one.

In most states, yes: Maryland's law, like most, doesn't override your HOA or your lease. Colorado stops HOAs from banning it starting January 1, 2027, and New Jersey stops HOAs and many landlords from March 1, 2027. Virginia will stop landlords with more than four units. Most boards don't say no; they just have no process for it. Our $29 approval pack gives them the letters and a ready-made policy so they can say yes.

Yes. The pack works everywhere. It includes a paragraph on each of the 10 states with a plug-in law, plus one for everywhere else that leans on the inverter's safety certification and how gently the panels mount.

No plug-in law we know of pays you for extra power, and Maryland's rules it out. That's fine: size the kit to what your home uses during the day and very little goes back.

Yes. The Hoymiles inverter in both kits is UL 1741 certified by CSA Group, a nationally recognized testing lab. You can look it up in CSA's public directory, record 261002-5311-89. Maryland's law asks for certification by a recognized testing lab, and Connecticut's law names UL 1741. Inverter certification is not whole-kit certification, so check your state's rules too.

UL 3700 is a newer safety standard written for plug-in solar. Hoymiles describes the HiFlow Pro (HMS-391-1WM-LV) in our kits as UL 3700 compliant. That certificate isn't in CSA's public directory, so the certification we cite is UL 1741. Our kit (panels, cables and mounts together) has no whole-kit UL 3700 certificate. Vermont, Maine and New Jersey's laws look for whole-kit certification or a comparable route; Maryland and most other states don't.

It depends on your sun, your rate, and which way the panels face. Hanging on a south-facing railing, the 200 W kit makes 140 to 230 kWh a year depending on your state, and the 400 W kit 290 to 460. At average power prices that's about $20 to $65 a year for the 200 and $38 to $130 for the 400, more in sunny, pricey states like California. East or west facing makes about a quarter less. The savings calculator works it out for your state and your own rate.

It shuts off, as it's required to, to protect line workers fixing the grid. So plug-in solar doesn't give you backup power.

Backfeeding is power flowing from a home into the utility's lines during an outage, which can endanger the crews repairing them. The inverter in our kits is UL 1741 certified, so it shuts off within seconds when the grid goes down or the plug is pulled. Plug it straight into an outdoor outlet, never an extension cord or a power strip.

The inverter connects to Wi-Fi and reports to Hoymiles' free S-Miles Home app. Pair it from your phone in about a minute and watch what it's making, live and over time.

Same inverter, same afternoon setup. The 400 W kit adds a second panel, so it makes about twice as much over a year, especially on cloudy days and in winter. Pick the 200 if your spot only fits one panel or your daytime use is small. Compare the two kits.

Two habits. Give the panels the most sun you can: south beats east or west by about a quarter. Then run what you can while the sun is up: the dishwasher, laundry, charging.

No. The kit feeds your home while the grid is up and shuts off when it's down, and there's no battery or battery port. If backup power is what you're after, this isn't the product for that.

Your rooftop system's agreement with your utility names its size, and adding more may mean updating it. Check with your utility before you plug in.

No. Hoymiles confirmed to us in writing that installing it yourself doesn't affect the warranty. Warranty terms for the panels and inverter are in the box.

Most plug-in laws allow one system per meter, so a second kit on a second outlet usually isn't allowed. If you have the 200 W kit, the Additional Panel takes it to 400 W on the same inverter. Bigger than that is a rooftop project.

Yes. The EZ1-LV takes up to two panels and puts out up to 900 W, cord included. It's not a plug-into-any-outlet kit: it needs its own circuit, so plan on an electrician. Its page has a checker that tells you whether your panels will work with it.

APsystems recommends 315–660 W of panel on each of its two inputs. Smaller panels can often be paired up. The easiest way to know is the panel checker: type in the numbers from the label on the back of your panel and it tells you what works. Our own 200 W kit panel isn't a match for the EZ1-LV; it's made for the Hoymiles inverter in our kits.

Yes, it's the inverter in both our kits. It puts out up to 391 W, takes one panel input, and works with panels of about 300–510 W. To check whether your own panels suit it, try the panel checker.

Kits ship free to every state and DC except New York, Maine and Vermont, whose laws look for a whole-kit certification no kit has yet. The EZ1-LV inverter ships free anywhere in the US. Before you order, check your state, and if you're unsure, ask your utility.

Kits marked "In stock" ship on order, and your shipping email has the tracking number. If a kit is ever on preorder, its ship date is on the kit page and in your order confirmation; if we miss it, you can cancel for a full refund.

Kits: 30 days from delivery, complete and undamaged in the original packaging; you pay return shipping. The approval pack: 30 days, any reason. Start a return from your account or email us with your order number, and wait for the return address before sending anything. Full terms: Returns.

US Plugin Solar is a brand of Miga Technologies, LLC, the company behind EZ Plugin Solar. The approval pack is prepared by LAN Holdings LLC.