‘Momentum is building': Green industries praise clean energy rules for new homes
Green industries have praised proposals to require solar panels and heat pumps in new build homes but housebuilders warned that too much bureaucracy to install them could harm efforts to hit housing targets.
The Energy Department (Desnz) said on Friday that the future homes standard (FHS), which will be published in autumn, is expected to require new residential properties to have solar panels and low-carbon heating by default.
With a significant amount of the UK's carbon footprint coming from gas heating of homes, the FHS will require new housing in England to produce fewer carbon emissions than those built under current regulations.
The renewable energy sector, alongside green campaigners, have welcomed the 'common sense' proposals.
Trevor Hutchings, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) said: 'The growth of solar power has been one of the UK's biggest renewable energy success stories, demonstrating without a doubt that we don't have to choose between lowering our emissions and lowering household energy bills.
'Today's announcement – which the REA has long campaigned for – takes this one step further – not only enabling thousands of future homeowners to experience the benefits of affordable and clean power, but supercharging growth in the British renewable energy industry and driving forward our energy transition.'
Chris O'Shea, chief executive of Centrica, said: 'The age of solar is well and truly upon us, with millions of households up and down the country already benefiting from generating their own free electricity from the sun.
'With the Future Home Standard expected in the autumn, momentum is building behind Great Britain's rooftop revolution.'
Mike Childs, head of policy, science and research at Friends of the Earth, called the move 'plain common sense' but warned that ministers must act to help decarbonise homes that are already built.
'The Spending Review next week must ensure that the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan is sufficiently funded so that that everyone can enjoy these benefits, and no one is left behind because they can't afford the changes,' he said.
Greenpeace UK's head of politics Ami McCarthy said: 'It's extraordinary that such a common-sense solution has taken so long to be rolled out, and this Government deserves full credit for this breakthrough.
'Now ministers need to urgently reform the UK's energy system as a whole and stop gas from setting the price of electricity so that everyone, whether living in a new build or not, gets to enjoy the lower bills that cheap, clean renewable power can bring.'
Under the proposed changes, developers must meet solar panel coverage equivalent to 40% of the building's flood area – and those that cannot must install a 'reasonable amount of solar coverage'.
The changes will be subject to practical limits with flexibility in place for new homes surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead, the Government said.
Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson praised the move after ministers previously rejected his 'Sunshine Bill' – a similar law which would have seen new builds come with solar panels equivalent to at least 40% of their ground floor area as standard.
The Cheltenham MP told the PA news agency: 'This news will help us fight the cost-of-living crisis by lowering people's energy bills while reducing carbon emissions too.
'I've been campaigning on this since long before I was an MP and was determined to build on its success after I was elected.
'I welcome today's news from the Government and I'm pleased we can all look forward to a brighter future – but there will be more work to do to ensure solar for new builds begins without delay.'
Housebuilders largely welcomed the announcement but warned against introducing burdensome paperwork which may harm the Government's efforts to reach its target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
Neil Jefferson, chief executive at the Home Builders Federations, said: 'Moving forward, as we look to meet the more challenging carbon reductions set by Government, we will see solar PV panels on the overwhelming majority of new homes.
'We welcome recognition from Government that there needs to be flexibility around the number of panels on roofs in some locations, to reflect orientation and house design.
'We need to ensure the process to agree the number of panels in such locations is workable and not overly bureaucratic such that it does not delay attempts to increase housing supply.'
Mark Wakeford, national chairman of the 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.'
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