Useful whether or not anybody is ever on this board. Take them with you.
| Question | A good answer | A poor one |
|---|---|---|
| What changed on 27 August 2026? | The product regulations came into force and the permitted development right was rewritten the same day | Not knowing the date matters |
| Can I put it on my balcony? | Depends what the balcony is made of, because timber is outside the conditions | Yes, that is what they are for |
| Is the device on the ENA register? | Yes, and here is which one | Asking what the register is |
| Do I need you at all? | Not for a sound existing socket indoors. Yes for an outdoor socket or a circuit change | Insisting every installation needs an electrician |
| Who do I have to tell? | Your distribution network operator, inside 28 days, on a short form | Saying you need permission before buying |
| Can I have two? | No, the connection rules allow one per household | Yes, one on each circuit |
Every good answer above is traceable to the interim product specification, the Planning Portal guidance or the G98 change, all read 13 September 2026.
The socket is where most of the genuine cost hides.
If the plug and socket will sit outside the building, the socket has to be rated IP55 or better, and fitting one is electrician work rather than something the specification lets a householder do.
Replacing the circuit's overcurrent protection device, should connection turn out to require it, is named in the specification as qualified electrician work. Whether yours does is not something anybody can tell you over the phone.
Extension cables, multi-way adaptors, RCD adaptors and travel adaptors are all excluded. The specification says so twice, once on the device marking and once in the instructions, which tells you how often somebody reaches for one.
Ask them to put a card up. A trade that can hold that conversation is exactly what the first column is for, and the board fills from people who were worth calling rather than from people who were easy to find.