Majority of MPs support mandatory solar on new builds from 2025

A new poll has revealed overwhelming cross-party support among MPs for making solar panels mandatory in all new-build homes.
The survey, commissioned by the MCS Foundation and conducted by YouGov, found that 79% of all MPs and 83% of Labour MPs agree that solar panels should be incorporated as standard in new housing developments from 2025 onwards.

This comes as the government is currently consulting on new regulations for energy efficiency and renewable technology under the upcoming Future Homes Standard. The proposals include making solar panels either mandatory or optional for new homes.

The poll also found that three in five (61%) MPs believe that battery storage, which can maximise the gains from solar panels, should be mandatory in new homes as well. That figure rises to 77% for Labour MPs.

Campaigners say the new regulations present a key opportunity to boost renewable energy in the UK and lock in low energy bills for homeowners. The MCS Foundation says that MPs’ clear support for solar power and battery storage shows a recognition that the future lies in homes that can generate their own clean energy.

David Cowdrey, director of external affairs at the MCS Foundation, says:

“When it comes to constructing modern homes that are climate-friendly and cheap to run, building-in solar panels, batteries for energy storage, and heat pumps from the start is very clearly the way to go.

“It is very encouraging that such a clear majority of MPs back the principle of renewable energy for all new homes. The Government now has a mandate to require a meaningful deployment of solar panels as well as battery storage on new-builds under the Future Homes Standard, and it must enact that as soon as possible.”

Chris Hewett, chief executive of the Solar Energy UK trade association, adds:

“Everyone wins from making solar power effectively mandatory for new housing. It means lower bills for newbuild homeowners and greater energy security for us all, plus progress towards net zero, through cutting reliance on pricey natural gas. The policy would save newbuild homeowners between £910 to £2,120 per year, according to the Government consultation, while pushing purchase prices up only marginally.”

The MCS Foundation is advocating that all new homes should have a meaningful deployment of solar panels, with a suggested consultation response that can be filled in easily here.

The government’s current plans for the Future Homes Standard would effectively ban fossil fuel and so-called hydrogen ready boilers, making heat pumps or low-carbon heat networks the default instead.