Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential role of (a) heat pumps, (b) EV charging points, (c) solar PV and (d) other low carbon technologies in offsetting the energy demand of new housing developments on the grid.

Analysis from the Government’s Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan (2021) suggests that use of flexibility from low carbon technologies such as smart charging of electric vehicles and flexible heating systems could play a significant role in reducing peak demand.

The Building Regulations will continue to set a performance-based standard rather than mandating or banning the use of any technologies. We expect heat pumps will become the primary heating technology for new homes under the Future Homes Standard. In the 2021 uplift we set the performance standards for new buildings at a level that means most new homes are likely to be built with solar panels.