Solar panels on all new homes as part of Labour’s net-zero push
Almost every new home in England will be fitted with solar panels as standard within two years, ministers are set to announce, as Sir Keir Starmer rejected Sir Tony Blair’s criticism of Labour’s net-zero policies.
Housebuilders would be mandated by law to install solar roof panels on new properties by 2027 under new rules, seen by The Times, which ministers have claimed would slash energy bills and reduce emissions.
The change was estimated to add about £3,300 to the cost of building a semi-detached or terraced house and just under £4,000 for a detached property.
However, it was expected that new homeowners would recoup the extra costs within four years, with an average three-bedroom semi-detached saving more than £1,000 a year on energy bills.
Ministers — who set a target of building 1.5 million homes by the end of the parliament — said the change was vital if they were to meet their target of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030 and reducing average energy bills by up to £300.
An announcement of government loans and grants to install panels on existing homes — as part of a wider aim to install up to 47GW of solar generating capacity by 2030 — was expected to follow.
Almost every new home in England will have to have solar panels
ALAMY
On Wednesday, Downing Street rejected Blair’s calls to reset “irrational” net-zero policies and abandon attempts to phase out fossil fuels in the short-term because they were “doomed to fail”.
The prime minister’s spokesman said that Starmer disagreed with his predecessor, and insisted that the UK was taking a “very practical and pragmatic approach” to reducing emissions.
No 10 said that the cabinet was united behind the government’s net-zero policy, being overseen by the energy secretary Ed Miliband, but stopped short of guaranteeing he would remain in post for the rest of the parliament.
Downing Street has previously said that Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and David Lammy, the foreign secretary, would keep their cabinet positions for the whole of Labour’s five-year term in power.
Blair’s comments received backing from one of the country’s most left-wing unions who warned workers would not support Labour’s plans without investment. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said her union was “not against net zero but it will not be achieved without serious investment in new jobs”.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change later said it supported the government’s pledge to meet net zero by 2050 after Downing Street officials raised concerns over how the original comments were interpreted.
• Blair calls for reset of ‘irrational’ net-zero policies in Labour clash
Since it came to power, the government has flip-flopped on mandating solar panels in a policy known as the Future Homes Standard. Last year ministers considered making them optional, after lobbying from developers who said they were not suitable for all homes.
However, in April officials put forward a more ambitious option in a rapid private survey of the building industry. It would require new homes to have solar panels that cover 40 per cent of a building’s ground area.
Under the new plans, experts said that 80 per cent of new-builds would have to meet the requirement. Another 19 per cent would have slightly fewer solar panels, due to exemptions including the pitch of the roof, the orientation of the home and overshading. Just 1 per cent of new homes were expected to have no panels.
“We believe this proposal has the benefits of ensuring that the majority of new homes will be built with solar panels but that there is flexibility for legitimate cases when reduced or no solar panel coverage is appropriate,” officials said.
Housebuilders will be bound by law to put in solar panels on almost all new homes
ARTISTGNDPHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES
Fitting solar power during construction is much cheaper than adding it to older buildings, which requires costly scaffolding and often new wiring. The payoff will be lower bills for consumers and lower emissions from buildings, which have become the second-biggest carbon polluter after transport.
The MCS Foundation calculated that an average three-bedroom semi-detached property would save more than £1,000 on its annual energy bills under the government’s proposals. “The proposal to maximise solar panels on the vast majority of new-build homes is fantastic news,” Garry Felgate, chief executive at the green energy charity, said.
The government has not explicitly said when the rules would come into effect. However, based on officials’ comments in earlier consultations, they could come into force from 2027 if legislation is passed this year.
Housebuilders tasked with meeting Labour’s goal of 1.5 million new homes this parliament said that in the future they expected the “overwhelming majority” to have solar panels. “New-build homes emit on average a third of the carbon of an older property, saving owners thousands of pounds in energy bills,” Steve Turner, of the Home Builders Federation, said.
“To meet the ever more challenging carbon reductions set by the government we will see solar on the overwhelming majority of new homes, albeit it is not appropriate in every situation.”
A government spokesperson said: “We have always been clear that we want solar panels on as many new homes as possible, because they are a vital technology to help cut bills for families, boost our national energy security, and help deliver net zero.
“Through the Future Homes Standard we plan to maximise the installation of solar panels on new homes, as part of our ambition to ensure all new homes are energy efficient, and will set out final plans in due course.”
Greenpeace welcomed what it called a “common-sense” decision. “For too long we’ve wasted the free energy that falls on the roofs of houses every single day,” Lily Rose Ellis, a climate campaigner at the group, said.
The Local Government Association this week called on the government to ensure all new homes have solar panels, saying it would save householders money and help to meet green energy targets.