A cross-party group of MPs have joined environmental and fuel poverty advocacy groups to call on the Government to make solar panels mandatory on all new build homes.  

35 Parliamentarians from the Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Labour and Green parties have signed an open letter to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook alongside more than a dozen fuel poverty charities and environmental organisations. The letter relates to the Future Homes Standard, new building regulations that are due to come into effect next year. 

The MPs and charities state that it is essential that all new homes are built to standards that ensure low bills and minimal carbon emissions. They add that “We should not be building houses in the next five years that will have to be retrofitted, at much greater cost, five or ten years later.” 

A recent report by The MCS Foundation found that installing solar panels as well as heat pumps and batteries in new homes would result in thousands of pounds of savings for homeowners. For instance, the average cumulative energy savings from solar panels, heat pump and battery storage installations on a 3-bed semi-detached house would be £46,612 over the loan term of a 25-year mortgage. These savings far exceed the upfront investment required to install these technologies in new homes.  

David Cowdrey, Acting Chief Executive of The MCS Foundation, said: “Mandating developers to put solar panels and heat pumps in all new build homes will not only save households thousands of pounds, it will also massively boost the domestic renewables workforce, at no cost to the Treasury. 

“Years of delay and uncertainty have held back the shift to clean energy and heating. We should not be building homes next year and the year after that will have to be retrofitted in ten years’ time, and so the Government must now introduce the long-awaited Future Homes Standard, with a mandate for renewable technology, without delay.” 

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Further information from: 

Jamie Osborn, Communications and Media Manager  

[email protected] | 07975 881585 

Notes to editors 

The text of the open letter is as follows: 

RE: Future Homes Standard & mandating Solar PV for newbuild homes 

We write to you as charities, campaigners, parliamentarians, and other interested groups, to urge you to ensure the upcoming Future Homes Standard (FHS) mandates a meaningful array of solar PV for all new build homes. 

While it’s encouraging that heat pumps or low carbon heat networks will provide the heating element in new builds, we need to ensure they’re future proofed by mandating solar PV as standard.  

The future of buildings standards in England could have a huge impact on households’ energy bills, UK carbon emissions, and the domestic renewable energy sector.  

With the Government promising to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029, it is essential that these homes are built to standards that ensure low bills and minimal carbon emissions. 

We should not be building houses in the next five years that will have to be retrofitted, at much greater cost, five or ten years later. 

The UK’s existing housing stock already contributes 17% of total carbon emissions, and new homes should help to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Moving away from fossil fuels would also be a crucial step towards ensuring long-term energy security.  

The MCS Foundation recently published a report which shows that low carbon technology installed in a new home, whether solar PV alone or with battery storage, will deliver significant benefits over a mortgage’s lifespan, as well as annual energy bill savings, which will make running a heat pump cheaper. 

For instance, the average cumulative energy savings from solar PV, heat pump and battery storage installations on a 3-bed semi-detached house save up £46,612 over the loan term of a 25-year mortgage. These savings far exceed the initial investment in renewables. 

Developers and the construction industry need clarity, and the Government must resolve years of uncertainty by introducing the FHS without delay, and mandate solar PV for low bills and homes that are built fit for the future. 

We would welcome working with you to make this a reality. 

Yours sincerely, 

The MCS Foundation’s report on the savings delivered by installing renewable energy in new homes can be found at: https://mcsfoundation.org.uk/news/mandatory-renewables-on-new-builds-would-save-average-household-1300-a-year/