Written question asked by Darren Jones (Labour) on Friday, 1 September 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 September 2023 (named day). It was answered by Lee Rowley (Conservative) on Monday, 11 September 2023 on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Housing: Solar Power

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing legislation to make solar panel installation on new build homes compulsory.

Answer: Renewable energy, such as that generated from rooftop solar panels, will make a significant contribution to achieving net zero. In June 2022 an uplift to the energy efficiency standards for new buildings came into force and we will consult this year on the Future Homes Standard. The standards are performance based, meaning we do not mandate any particular technologies, but we expect that in order to comply with the uplift most developers will choose to install solar panels on new homes.

Secondary information