Certification body and training provider NAPIT has welcomed the Government’s Future Homes Standard, which could create significant opportunities for its members involved in installing solar panels, heat pumps, batteries, and electric vehicle chargers.
The Government says that, from March 2028, new homes will be built with solar panels and heat pumps.
The Future Homes Standard will mean that new homes, with some exceptions (including high-rise buildings), are built with on-site renewable electricity generation, which will mainly be solar panels.
Homes will also be built with low-carbon heating such as heat pumps and heat networks.
Additionally, the Government notes that plug-in solar panels, which can be run into the home network and which are common in places such as Germany (where people already hang them on balconies, in gardens, or on terraces), will be available in shops “within months” for existing homeowners.
Building on the Warm Homes Plan
Earlier this year, the Government published its Warm Homes Plan, which gave details of how existing homes could be retrofitted with low-carbon energy sources.
Stephen Melton, NAPIT Director of Commercial and Compliance, comments, “The new standards have been a long time coming, but it makes total sense for all new homes to be built with solar panels and alternatives to gas heating installed as standard.
“Coming on the back of the Warm Homes Plan, it should offer further clarity and opportunity to our members involved in the low-carbon energy sector and provide significant growth strands for their businesses.
“The ease of installation and adoption of these technologies at [the] new-build stage compared to retrofitting an existing home are much more cost effective, efficient, and attractive to homeowners.
“This will also act as a shop window for existing homeowners considering switching to low-carbon technologies, providing they are installed correctly by certified, competent installers.”
“Whilst we welcome any initiative that promotes the wider use of solar PV systems, the announcement around plug-in solar panels without the need for a qualified electrician does raise concerns over safety.
“We look forward to working with the relevant industry organisations to ensure the safe roll out of these products.”
Wider industry comments
In addition to NAPIT, other industry figures have also commented on the announcement, including Neal Herbert, Managing Director for GTC, who says, “GTC welcomes the publication of the UK Government’s Future Homes Standard, which sets a clear direction of travel towards low-carbon heating and signals the end of fossil fuel heating in new homes.
“We have been planning for this moment for many years. The decarbonisation of heat has long been on the political agenda, which is why we proactively designed and delivered not one but two scalable renewable heat network solutions for our house-builder partners.
“While the Future Homes Standard represents a major step forward, we recognise it will also present real challenges for house-builders as they adapt to new requirements, supply chains, and delivery models. The key now is moving from policy to delivery – quickly, confidently, and without disruption.”
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