Labour is considering making solar panels optional on new homes in England, after pressure from housebuilders, in a move that would weaken low-carbon regulations, the Guardian has learned.
Ministers are preparing to publish long-delayed regulations for new homes, known as the future homes standard, which would ensure that all newly built homes are low-carbon.
These rules should, according to experts and campaigners, include requirements that homes are not connected to the gas grid, are insulated to a high standard and can generate renewable energy.
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, promised a “rooftop revolution” in solar power soon after the election. Putting solar panels on new homes as standard is popular with about 80% of voters, according to polling.
But instead of requiring housebuilders to equip new homes with an adequate number of solar panels, which campaigners and clean energy experts were hoping for, current plans for the future homes standard are only to “encourage” builders to equip homes with some solar panels “where appropriate”.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government told the Guardian: “Solar panels are a vital technology to help achieve our mission to deliver net zero. However, they may not be the best option for all new homes, for example those surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead. It is also crucial we set standards for new homes in a way that allows for future innovation and flexibility in technology and design, which is why the building regulations do not mandate one particular option.”
Experts said this was far weaker than the expected clear mandate to equip newbuilds with solar, and left gaping loopholes that would be exploited by housebuilders to ensure fewer new homes were equipped with solar power.
David Cowdrey, acting chief executive of the MCS Foundation, a charity that certifies solar installations, said: “The government’s apparent failure to require solar panels on all newbuilds is extremely disappointing, and represents an enormous missed opportunity. Installing solar panels on all newbuilds would not only reduce energy bills for homeowners, it would also massively contribute to net zero, with the potential to add as much as 4GW of clean, cheap electricity to the grid. Allowing loopholes with vague ‘encouragements’ to developers simply is not enough to meet the demands of net zero and make the most of the opportunity to get solar on roofs.”
Housebuilders have raised concerns about solar panels in submissions to the consultation on the future homes standard, which was conducted under the previous Conservative government and closed in March. Labour has not reopened the consultation, but instead has promised ministers will respond to it “in due course”.
Steve Turner, an executive director of the Home Builders Federation, told the Guardian that housebuilders 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 panels.
“There are a range of options needed to meet the carbon efficiency requirements that builders will need to use depending on the location and construction arrangements on each development,” he said. “Solar is part of the solution but will not be appropriate in all situations.”
Experts pointed out that developers could avoid building houses to designs that were unsuitable for solar panels, that were shaded or that were not oriented to face the sun.
Jess Ralston, at the ECIU, an independent research organisation, said the real reason housebuilders objected to solar was the extra cost to them. “Putting solar panels on new homes is a no-brainer, but builders have the government over a barrel because of the target to build 1.5m new homes,” she said. “The issue is that the builders don’t want to pay for panels. But the public are fully behind putting solar on new homes.”
The extra cost of solar panels for new homes can be as little as £2,000 for an average house, but it costs much more to retrofit panels afterwards. Solar panels, along with other green technology, can substantially reduce the running costs for a house. A recent study from the MCS Foundation found that an average three-bedroom house with solar panels, battery storage, a heat pump and high-grade insulation would cost £1,340 a year less to run than one without.
Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, called on the government to reconsider. “The government mustn’t cave into housebuilding lobbying by allowing them to choose whether or not to fit solar panels on new homes. The industry has a long history of building substandard homes and campaigning against tougher rules,” he said.
He said that homeowners, and the UK’s efforts to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, would suffer. “Solar panels are cheap, cut energy bills and emissions, and contribute to meeting the UK’s climate targets – which are currently way off track,” he said. “Ministers should be standing up for the interests of households, not the profits of housebuilders.”
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