Six Proposed NEC Amendments Would Define Plug-In Solar: What They Say

Short answer: the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has posted six proposed amendments to the National Electrical Code that would define plug-in solar and say how it can connect to a home’s wiring. The code has no definition for it today, the proposals say. They are open for public comment until November 20, 2026 (TIA 1951). They are only proposals, from one company, and nothing changes for you today: your state’s law and your utility still decide whether you can plug in a system.

What’s been proposed

The six are proposed Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs), numbered 1951 to 1956, to the 2020, 2023 and 2026 editions of the code. All six were submitted by Achim Ginsberg-Klemmt of GismoPower, LLC. The proposals’ own background says the company makes a 240 V plug-in solar canopy, so it has a commercial interest in the outcome. In the proposed text:

• A definition (TIA 1951). A “Plug-in Photovoltaic (PIPV) System” would be a solar system connected to your wiring by a cord and plug to a receptacle outlet, able to power your loads, export power to the grid, or both. A new Part IV of Article 705 would cover these cord- and plug-connected sources.
• Where it can plug in (TIA 1952). At a receptacle outlet that is field-marked as the connection point for a power source, with output up to 20 A at 120 V or 60 A at 240 V, a breaker on that circuit rated at least the next standard size above the system’s output current, and all the power sources on the panel kept within 120% of its busbar rating. The system would have to be listed to an applicable standard.
• The plug as the off switch (TIA 1953). Unplugging could count as the required disconnecting means, if the plug is reachable without tools and within sight of the inverter, and the outlet is marked.
• Labels (TIA 1954). A permanent label on the dedicated outlet with its circuit number, amps and volts, and one on the breaker panel saying a plug-in power source circuit is present.
• Several sources on one panel (TIA 1955). A combined calculation, with the plug-in source’s breaker at the end of the busbar opposite the main supply and a “do not relocate” warning label.
• Telling your utility (TIA 1956). A system that can export power would notify the utility within 30 days of first connecting, but not as a condition of connecting. A system with a listed inverter or power control system that prevents export wouldn’t need an interconnection agreement under the code.

What happens next

A TIA isn’t part of the code just because it was posted. An NEC amendment the NFPA issued in 2014 shows the path: it was processed by a code-making panel and the NEC Correlating Committee, then issued by the Standards Council. The NFPA calls a TIA “tentative” because it hasn’t gone through the full standards process, and “interim” because it only applies until the next edition, when it becomes a proposal for that edition (TIA 14-5). Anyone can comment by November 20 by writing to the Secretary of the Standards Council, saying whether they support or oppose each TIA.

Even an issued amendment only matters where your state or city adopts that code. New Jersey’s new law, for example, ties plug-in devices to the plug-in provisions of the 2029 National Electrical Code once the state incorporates them into its construction code (S2368).

What it means for you today

• Nothing changes yet, in apartments or houses. These are proposals open for comment. Your state’s plug-in solar law, if it has one, and your utility set the rules: see our plug-in solar laws by state.
• A marked outlet is a bigger idea than “any outlet”. As written, this path would use a field-marked, labeled outlet and a labeled panel. Leave that kind of work to a licensed electrician, and renters would need the landlord’s OK. The state laws passed so far describe devices that plug into a wall outlet, so watch how the two fit together if these move forward.
• Certification still comes first. The proposals would require a listed system, the same idea as the state laws that require certified devices. Our UL 3700 guide shows how to check a kit’s listing yourself, and our guide to plug-in solar for houses covers the outlet safety questions UL has raised.

We’ll follow these proposals and update this page when the NFPA acts on them.