Building regulations will be amended to explicitly promote the installation of rooftop solar panels on new homes for the first time.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband confirmed on Friday (6 June) that solar panels will be included in the Future Homes Standard set to be published in the autumn.
The Future Homes Standard requires new homes to produce 75-80% fewer carbon emissions than homes built under current regulations. It will include building homes with low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and heat networks.
Under the proposed Future Homes Standard, building regulations will be amended to include solar panels, subject to practical limits and with flexibility in place for new homes surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead.
In 2023, the previous government proposed that new homes would either need solar panel coverage equivalent to 40% of the building’s floor area, or none at all.
Under the new proposals, if developers cannot meet 40% coverage, they would still be required to install a reasonable amount of solar coverage.
Much-needed clarity
Housebuilder Bellway’s head of technical and innovation, Jamie Bursnell, said: “After several years of uncertainty, the government’s update on the Future Homes Standard brings much-needed clarity to the path ahead for low-carbon homes.
“At Bellway, keeping consumer costs down while boosting energy efficiency is a top priority. With insights from our Energy House research and the rollout of solar PV and air source heat pumps already underway, we’re already making strong progress. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Future Homes Delivery Hub and government officials to help shape the homes of tomorrow.”
Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders, said: “The main barriers to mandating solar panels on all new buildings are grid costs and grid delays. Although not yet fully resolved, the government have made real progress in fixing those issues, particularly through changes to the connection process, and planning reforms that ensure grid infrastructure funding goes further and faster.
“If grid connections are timely and not cost-prohibitive, solar for new buildings is deliverable, and we support that ambition. We urge the government to ensure planning is reformed so that councils cannot oppose solar on the grounds of being out of character.”
