Every generator connected to the public network has to be known about, because the people who work on those cables need to know where power can come from. For a system this small the process is deliberately light: connect first, tell them afterwards.
What G98 is
G98 is the Energy Networks Association engineering recommendation covering the connection of small generators to the distribution network. Its defining feature is that it is a notification rather than an application — the installation goes in, and the distribution network operator is told within a set window afterwards.
G98 covers generators up to 16 A per phase per installation. An 800 W inverter draws nowhere near that, which is why the balcony category worldwide has settled on 800 W: it sits comfortably inside the simple process with room to spare.
Above the threshold you are into G99, which is an application rather than a notification: you ask, you wait, and the network operator may impose conditions or charge for a study.
The notification window is 28 days from commissioning.
Who does it
We do, as part of the install. You do not need to know who your distribution network operator is — it is set by geography rather than by which supplier you buy electricity from, and people routinely confuse the two.
There is no fee for a G98 notification. If somebody quotes you one, ask what it is for.
Your energy supplier is a different question
Your supplier is who you buy electricity from. Your DNO owns the wires. The notification goes to the DNO.
There is no benefit to telling your supplier, because a balcony system is not eligible for the Smart Export Guarantee — that needs an MCS or Flexi-Orb certified installation, which a balcony array is not. There is no export tariff to join and no payment to claim. Your meter will simply record less import than it used to.
If a balcony solar seller shows you an export income line in their savings figure, they are either mistaken about SEG eligibility or hoping you are. We do not include one anywhere on this site, and our estimator has no field for it.
What about your meter?
A modern smart meter handles a small generator without complaint and simply records less import. The problem is the older kind. An analogue or rotary meter without a backstop can physically run backwards when you export, which credits you for electricity you did not buy — and that is not a happy accident, it is a billing error your supplier will eventually correct.
The fix is a meter exchange, arranged by your supplier, and the sensible time to raise it is before the install rather than after. If you have an old spinning-disc meter, tell us at the quote stage and tell your supplier too. There is no charge for the exchange and no benefit whatsoever in leaving it.
Frequently asked
- Do I have to wait for permission before it can be switched on?
- No. That is the point of G98 — the installation is connected and commissioned, and the notification goes in afterwards within the required window. G99, which does require permission first, applies to larger systems.
- Who is my DNO?
- It depends on where you live, not who supplies your electricity. We identify it as part of the install, so you do not need to work it out.
- Does it cost anything?
- No. There is no fee for a G98 notification, and it is included in our fitted price.