Changes to Building Regulations will require solar panels are installed on almost all new homes in England from next year.
The forthcoming Future Homes Standard, to be published in full this autumn, will introduce a “functional requirement” for renewable electricity generation in new dwellings. In most cases, this will mean the installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels.
Announcing the change on 6 June, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the regulation would allow flexibility for developments where solar is impractical due to shading or other constraints. But the vast majority of homes built from 2025 would be expected to generate renewable power onsite.
The change replaces proposals made in 2023 that would have allowed developers to omit solar panels altogether if 40 per cent of roof area coverage was not feasible.
Under the revised approach, a minimum level of solar installation will be required in all but exceptional cases.
The government said the update would help working families cut energy costs. According to its estimates, a typical household could save up to £530 annually on bills with a standard 3.5kW solar system, based on the current energy price cap.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the requirement would “unleash a rooftop revolution”, describing the mandate as “common sense”. Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said the Future Homes Standard would ensure “modern and efficient” housing stock powered by low-carbon energy.
Alongside solar generation, new homes will also need to incorporate low-carbon heating such as heat pumps and meet high standards of energy efficiency. Detailed technical guidance is being developed with industry stakeholders ahead of the final publication.
Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, said the measure would “cut energy bills, lower carbon emissions, help drive polluting natural gas off the grid and improve our nation’s energy security”.
But Rico Wojtulewicz, head of policy and market insight at the Home Builders Federation, warned that the policy could have unintended consequences for smaller developers.
“Solar panels on new build was always coming,” he said in a LinkedIn post.
“But it is a real shame that instead of fixing the barriers of grid costs and delays, campaigners and politicians ignored them to pursue something that may disproportionately impact SMEs.
“So while we do not have the full details of how the policy will work, hopefully a cost cap will be inserted. We do need to keep talking about the challenges so they get understood and tackled, particularly because the government has not completed an impact assessment on this proposal.”
Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero press release
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Colin Marrs