UK Mandates Solar Panels, Heat Pumps in New Homes from 2028

The UK government announced on Tuesday a series of measures to accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies, including making plug-in solar panels available for households and mandating solar panels and heat pumps in all new homes in England starting in 2028. These steps aim to enhance energy security amid rising fossil fuel prices triggered by the Iran war.

Under the updated Future Homes Standard, developers must install solar panels covering an area equivalent to 40 percent of a home's ground floor space, along with heat pumps or connections to heating networks, eliminating gas boilers. Officials estimate these requirements will add about 10,000 pounds to construction costs per home but could save homeowners up to 830 pounds annually on energy bills compared to properties built to 2013 standards. The changes are also projected to reduce carbon emissions by at least 75 percent relative to older builds. Exemptions apply for designs lacking sufficient roof space, though each case will require individual assessment.

The standard revives efforts dating back a decade to design homes for net-zero carbon, which were previously abandoned. Housing Secretary Steve Reed stated...