Builders could be required to install solar panels on the “vast majority” of new homes in England, according to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
It comes a month after Downing Street confirmed the panels should be installed on as many new properties as possible amid speculation that ministers will make them a mandatory requirement on new builds by 2027.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Miliband described the proposed policy as “just common sense” and said the panels should be “almost universal” on English homes.
Changes to regulations will be laid out in the Future Homes Standard, due to be published later this year.
The previous Conservative Government considered a proposal that would have mandated rooftop solar panels to cover 40% of a building’s ground area or equivalent.
“The problem about the previous system was that it said you would had to have a certain percentage of coverage of solar panels, but if you couldn’t achieve that percentage, you didn’t have to do anything at all,” Mr Miliband said.
“Under our plans, we are not going to say that. We are going to say even if you can’t hit 40% you will still have to have some solar panels, except in rare, exceptional cases.”
He added that the number of homes fitted with solar panels needed to be “much higher”.
The policy is estimated to add between £3,000 and £4,000 to the cost of construction, but to then save owners more than £1,000 on their annual energy bills, according to the Times, which first reported the change.
Asked in May whether housebuilders would be legally required to fit the panels, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: “Of course we want to see solar panels on as many new homes as possible.
“The Future Homes Standard, which will be published in the coming months, will include measures to drive this, we’re working on the detail of that and will provide an update on that in due course.
“But it’s good news for householders who want lower energy bills.”
Under the Government’s new proposals, 80% of new builds would reportedly be required to have solar panels covering 40% of their ground area, while 19% would have slightly fewer because of exemptions, including roof pitch and overshading.
Ministers last year rejected a private members’ Bill aiming to force housebuilders to install solar panels on the roof of every new home, saying the proposals would potentially slow down construction and add to building costs.Labour’s manifesto included a pledge to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the Parliament.
