Today the government have finally confirmed that the new Future Homes Standard will ensure that virtually all new houses will feature rooftop solar arrays.
Under the FHS, scheduled to be published this Autumn, new-build houses will also have low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and high levels of energy efficiency.
While 40% of homes being built today do feature a solar installation, that still leaves 60% of new homes without.
It is thought that mandatory solar would add between £3,000 and £4,000 to the price of a new house, delivering energy savings of close to £500 a year.
A very small number of exceptions would be allowed for practical reasons such as homes in extremely shaded locations.
This confirmation comes on the back of an announcement last week that many homeowners won’t need to submit a planning application to install a heat pump within one metre of their property’s boundary.
Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said: ‘As part of the government’s Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes, we are maximising the use of renewable energy to cut people’s bills and power their homes.
The Future Homes Standard will ensure new homes are modern and efficient with low-carbon heating, while our common-sense planning changes will now make it easier and cheaper for people to use heat pumps and switch to EVs so they can play their part in bolstering our nation’s energy security.
Mark Wakeford, National Chairman, National Federation of Builders, said: ‘Solar panels on new homes make sense because they lower bills and progress the clean energy revolution we so desperately need. Credit must also be given for recent announcements on grid investment and connection reforms, as these were important challenges to recognise and solve for a rooftop revolution to happen in practice.’
While welcoming the announcement, Tamsin Lishman, CEO of Kensa expressed some impatience with the progess being made: ‘The Future Homes Standard, when published, will provide the confidence for British heat pumps manufacturers, like Kensa, to invest to expand manufacturing capacity and grow supply chains, creating thousands of creating thousands of skilled green jobs here in the UK.
‘But let’s be clear, the clock is ticking, and today’s announcement still the lacks clarity and certainty to immediately unlock those major investments. We urgently need the final standards and have them legislated for. Equally, each additional month of delay results in an extra 11,000 homes fitted with fossil fuel heating, creating an estimated £110 million in avoidable retrofit costs.’
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