The government announced in July 2024 a "rooftop revolution" to encourage builders and homeowners to install solar energy on properties1. The measure sits within a clean energy mission that includes a target for the installation of 45 to 47 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by 2030, up from a current installed level of 16.6 GW1. The government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, published in December 2024, noted the potential for an additional 9 to 10 GW if rooftop solar could be deployed by 20301.
The relaunched Solar Taskforce held its first meeting in October 2024 and will publish a solar roadmap intended to accelerate deployment and secure investment in the sector1. Support schemes cited for solar installation include the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Funding, with further assistance proposed through the Warm Homes Plan1. Owners of solar panels can be paid for surplus electricity through the Smart Export Guarantee, and a zero rate of VAT applies to residential solar panels1.
Solar panels are not currently mandated on new homes in England, and a final decision on the amount that new homes will typically be expected to include is yet to be made1. Building regulations are devolved and the briefing primarily covers England1. The 2023/24 consultation on the detailed specification for the Future Homes Standard sought views on whether to require solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for new homes; Option 1 would have required panels covering the equivalent of 40% of a new home's ground floor area, with the dwelling floor area divided by the number of storeys for flats1. The government suggested panels would not be required for blocks of flats over 15 storeys because of limited roof space and potentially disproportionate maintenance costs1.
The Private Members' Bill on New Homes (Solar Generation), sponsored by Max Wilkinson (Lib Dem), would require the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring all new homes built from 1 October 2026 to have solar PV generation installed, generally covering an area equivalent to at least 40% of the ground floor area1. Exemptions would include buildings exceeding 15 storeys, buildings with other forms of renewable energy generation, and buildings where solar PV equipment is not cost effective to install1. The bill had its first reading on 16 October 2024 and its second reading is scheduled for 17 January 20251.
The government published a blog on the Future Homes Standard and solar panels on 24 October 2024, stating:
"We are clear we want solar panels on as many new homes as possible and the suggestion that there are plans to water down the rules on low-carbon standards is completely untrue."
The Home Builders Federation expressed concerns about Option 1 in the FHS consultation, including that mandating solar panels would restrict housebuilding innovation, that estimates of running costs were unrealistic, and that no account had been taken of maintenance costs borne by homeowners; it considered the proposed 40% area coverage requirement to be very high1. The Guardian reported in October 2024 that the government was considering making solar panels on new homes optional following concerns raised by housebuilders, and that the HBF had lobbied for "flexibility" to dispense with solar in favour of other low-carbon options, as not all house types or roof designs were suitable for solar panels1. The house builder Vistry Group was generally supportive of Option 1, which it felt would lower consumer bills compared to Option 21. The National House Building Council has said that "providing the maintenance costs and pay-back periods are accurately predicted, this reliable technology [solar panels] has a role"1.
According to a YouGov poll cited in the briefing, 79% of all MPs, and 83% of Labour MPs, agree that solar panels should be incorporated into all new-builds from 20251. A group of cross-party MPs and other stakeholders wrote an open letter in October 2024 to housing minister Matthew Pennycook calling for a mandate that all newly built homes in the UK be fitted with a "meaningful array" of solar panels, alongside the current promise of a mandate for heat pumps or low-carbon heat networks1. The MCS Foundation has supported the bill, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England published an article in support of it on 12 December 20241.
Why it matters for households
For a household, the proposals concern the fabric of a new home rather than an existing one. If a solar mandate were applied to new builds, a buyer would acquire a property with generation capacity already installed, rather than deciding separately whether to add solar panels later. The briefing notes that solar panels are not currently mandated, so no such requirement applies today1.
The running-cost question is contested. The HBF argued that estimates of running costs were unrealistic and that maintenance costs borne by homeowners had not been accounted for, while Vistry Group considered that Option 1 would lower consumer bills compared to Option 21. The NHBC's position links any benefit to maintenance costs and pay-back periods being accurately predicted1. The briefing does not report a settled figure for either.
For existing homes, the support schemes and the zero VAT rate on residential solar panels apply independently of the new-build question1. The briefing does not report changes to those arrangements.
What happens next
The New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill has its second reading scheduled for 17 January 20251. The government has said it will publish a response to the 2023/24 Future Homes Standard consultation in due course1. The Solar Taskforce, relaunched with its first meeting in October 2024, is to publish a solar roadmap1.
Sources1 cited
- [](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10170/CBP-10170.pdf), researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk