Government blog responds to reports solar may be optional under Future Homes Standard

The government published a blog on the Future Homes Standard and solar panels on 24 October 2024, stating that it wanted solar panels on as many new homes as possible but that a fundamental principle of building regulations was not to constrain innovation¹. The blog followed a Guardian article in October 2024 reporting that the government was considering making solar panels on new homes optional after concerns raised by housebuilders¹.

The House of Commons Library briefing on the New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill 2024-25 sets out the background. Building regulations do not currently mandate solar panels on new homes². The previous government consulted on the Future Homes Standard in 2019 and 2020, and consulted again on a detailed specification from November 2023 to March 2024¹. That consultation sought views on whether to require solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for new homes. Option 1 would have required solar PV panels covering the equivalent of 40% of a new home's ground floor area; for flats, the dwelling floor area would be divided by the number of storeys in the block¹. The government suggested solar PV panels would not be required for blocks of flats over 15 storeys, because of limited roof space and potentially disproportionate maintenance costs¹. The previous government did not publish a response or consultation outcome before the 2024 General Election, and the current government has said it will publish a response in due course¹. A final decision on the amount of solar panels that new homes will typically be expected to include is yet to be made².

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 new home's ground floor area¹. It would provide exemptions, including for buildings exceeding 15 storeys, buildings with other forms of renewable energy generation, and buildings where solar PV equipment is not cost effective to install¹. First reading took place on 16 October 2024 and second reading is scheduled for 17 January 2025¹. The bill is also being referred to as the "Sunshine Bill"¹.

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 house builder Vistry Group was generally supportive of option 1, which it felt would lower consumer bills compared to option 2¹. The MCS Foundation has supported the bill, and some charities, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England, have urged constituents to ask their MP to support it at second reading¹. 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 2025².

"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."

Why it matters for households

The Future Homes Standard will set the energy performance rules for new homes in England, and whether solar panels are required, optional or absent changes what a new home can generate on its own roof. A home with solar PV can produce some of its own electricity, reducing the amount drawn from the grid and, where a Smart Export Guarantee arrangement is in place, earning payment for surplus electricity exported². A home without it depends entirely on imported electricity for its running costs, whatever the standard says about fabric efficiency and heating.

Rooftop solar on new homes is one route to that capacity; the standard determines how much of it is built in by default rather than added later at the householder's expense.

For anyone buying or specifying a new home, the practical question is what the roof will carry when the keys are handed over. That has not been settled. The briefing states that a final decision on the amount of solar panels new homes will typically be expected to include is yet to be made².

What happens next

The New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill has its second reading in the Commons on 17 January 2025¹. The government has said it will publish its response to the 2023/24 Future Homes Standard consultation in due course¹. The relaunched Solar Taskforce held its first meeting in October 2024 and will publish a solar roadmap².

Sources2 cited

1. New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill 2024-25 - House of Commons Library, commonslibrary.parliament.uk
2. [](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10170/CBP-10170.pdf), researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk