Ministers have confirmed the Future Homes Standard (FHS), to be published in Autumn, will include provision that all new build properties have solar PV installed.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the “common sense” change to the standard marks a “monumental step” in the government’s pledge to unleash a “rooftop revolution”.
The proposed FHS will see building regulations explicitly promote solar for the first time, subject to practical limits, with flexibility in place for new homes surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead.
The FHS will state that if developers cannot meet requirements to install rooftop solar PV coverage equivalent to 40% of a building’s floor area, a “reasonable amount” of coverage is still required.
As such, it would be a functional requirement of the Building Regulations that new homes, with rare exceptions, are built with renewable electricity generation. The government states that “in the vast majority of cases” this would be solar generation.
Miliband cited the government’s Home Energy Assessment tool estimate that households could see £530 annual savings on energy bills with a rooftop solar installation.
Read more: Solar Power Portal