Working people stand to save hundreds of pounds off their energy bills as the government confirms new build homes will have solar panels by default, unleashing a rooftop revolution. 

Ministers are publishing the Future Homes Standard this autumn and have confirmed today (Friday 6 June) that solar panels will be included, leading to installation on the vast majority of new build homes. 

Illustrating the benefits of solar panels, a typical existing UK home could save around £530 a year from installing rooftop solar, based on the current energy price cap. 

This means today’s new proposals could significantly cut energy bills for the recipients of new build homes, tackling the cost of living for aspirational young families and new house buyers. 

Under proposed changes, new homes will also have low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and high levels of energy efficiency, cutting people’s energy bills and boosting the nation’s energy security with clean, homegrown power, in line with the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change. 

To deliver these aims, the proposed Future Homes Standard would see building regulations amended to explicitly promote solar for the first time, subject to practical limits with flexibility in place for new homes surrounded by trees or with lots of shade overhead.   

From switching on the kettle to cooking dinner and doing the weekly wash, families will now be able to seize the benefits of powering their lives with clean, renewable energy from the very first day in their new home, with cheaper energy bills that put more money back in their pockets.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills, so it is just common sense for new homes to have them fitted as standard. 

So many people just don’t understand why this doesn’t already happen. With our plans, it will. 

Today marks a monumental step in unleashing this rooftop revolution as part of our Plan for Change, and means new homeowners will get lower bills with clean home-grown power.

Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said: 'As part of the government’s Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes, we are maximising the use of renewable energy to cut people’s bills and power their homes. 

The Future Homes Standard will ensure new homes are modern and efficient with low-carbon heating, while our common-sense planning changes will now make it easier and cheaper for people to use heat pumps and switch to EVs so they can play their part in bolstering our nation’s energy security.

After legislation came into force last week, more homeowners will now be able to install a heat pump within one metre of their property’s boundary without having to submit a planning application, unlocking even more savings and cutting unnecessary paperwork for working people.  

With figures from Octopus showing that 34% of those who order a heat pump are discouraged or drop out for reasons attributed to the need to submit a planning application, this change will help families who may have less space outside their home make the upgrade to clean power.  

The first quarter of 2025 saw a record number of applications to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, up 73% from the same quarter in 2024. 

The scheme provides households with up to £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump, which can save families around £100 a year by using a smart tariff effectively.'