Solar Panels to be a Must for New Builds

The vast majority of new U.K. homes will have rooftop solar panels installed by default, the government has announced.

The new policy will mean residents of new-build homes will save up to £530 per year compared to the energy price cap, the government estimates.

The announcement comes in advance of the Future Homes Standard, to be published in autumn, which will set the regulations and guidelines for newly built homes.

The government confirmed today that solar panels will be included in that plan, leading to installations across the vast majority of new homes.

Requirements stop short of a mandate, with regulations instead amended to explicitly promote solar for the first time. Exceptions will include practical issues like the proximity of trees or overhead shade — but these are expected to be rare cases.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

“Solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills, so it is just common sense for new homes to have them fitted as standard. So many people just don’t understand why this doesn’t already happen. With our plans, it will.”

Miliband told the BBC this morning he expected the rollout to be “almost universal” and that the move was “just common sense.”

The government is now working with the solar industry to establish technical details ahead of publication.

The Future Homes Standard will also see homes built with low carbon heating such as heat pumps and heat networks.

The government has already ditched requirements for heat pumps to be installed at least one meter away from a property boundary, and doubled the number of heat pumps permitted per detached house from one to two.

Last year, the EU introduced a similar law mandating that all new buildings be solar-ready.