Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to require the mandatory installation of solar panels on new housing developments.

Renewable energy, such as that generated from solar panels, is a key part of our strategy to get to net zero via a decarbonised electricity grid. We must therefore take the opportunity, where appropriate, to fit solar panels.

However, some homes may not be suitable for solar panels. For instance, due to shading, building orientation, roof shape/size, or visual amenity.

In December 2021 the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards, which came into force in June 2022. The uplift delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions, with new homes now expected to produce around 30% less CO2 emissions compared to those built to the previous standards.

Our approach to achieving higher standards remains technology-neutral, to provide developers with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions for their site. We expect, however, that in order to comply with the uplift, most developers will choose to install solar panels on new homes or use other low-carbon technology such as a heat pump.

As well as improving the energy efficiency of new buildings in the short term, the uplift will act as a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard, which will be implemented in 2025.  The Future Homes Standard will ensure all new homes are net zero ready, meaning they will become zero carbon when the electricity grid decarbonises without the need for any retrofit work.