A survey of 1,722 UK adults carried out by YouGov found that 80% of respondents were in favour of regulations making solar panels the default on new-build houses, against 9% in opposition1. Two-thirds, 66%, believed battery storage should be included in new homes to increase the efficiency of solar panels, and 60% wanted heat pumps included in all new builds1. The survey also found that 59% of respondents believed new homes should have alternative heating sources, such as heat pumps, to replace the gas grid connection1.
The results were published on 11 January 2023, as the Government prepared to consult on the proposed Future Homes Standard for England, which the survey report said would set energy-efficiency requirements for homes built from April 20251. The MCS Charitable Foundation argued that carbon targets would be hard to meet unless solar panels, battery storage and heat pumps were included as standards in the Future Homes Standard1.
David Cowdrey, Director of External Affairs for MCS Charitable Foundation, said placing renewable energy in new-build housing should be a priority, and that including renewables in the Future Homes Standard would result in lower bills, carbon savings and improved energy security with no taxpayer cost1. Kara Davies, Residential Policy Analyst at Solar Energy UK, voiced approval of the survey results and of the necessity of including solar power and heat pumps in new build homes1. Bean Beanland, Director for Growth and External Affairs at the Heat Pump Federation, highlighted the need to inform consumers about the financial implications of Net Zero housing and the costs of retrofitting ill-equipped homes1.
The survey figures cover public opinion only. The report did not set out how the standards would be enforced, which measures would be mandatory, or how costs would fall between builders and buyers1.
Why it matters for households
New-build homes are typically connected to the gas grid and heated by a gas boiler, so the standards applied at construction decide what a household inherits for the life of the building. A home fitted with solar panels, battery storage and a heat pump at the point of construction generates its own electricity and is less exposed to gas prices than one that has to be retrofitted later. The survey report states that including renewables in the standard would bring lower bills, carbon savings and improved energy security at no taxpayer cost1. The same report notes the costs of retrofitting homes that were built without these measures1. The Future Homes Standard and new build heating is the mechanism through which those decisions are made.
What happens next
The survey report said the Government was preparing to consult on the proposed Future Homes Standard for England, with energy-efficiency requirements for homes built from April 20251. No outcome of that consultation, and no final decision on which measures new homes will be expected to include, is reported in these sources.
Sources1 cited
- Survey - New-builds Should Not Be Connected to the Gas Grid, imsheatpumps.co.uk