Warmed By The Sun

Welcome news for Great Britain’s net-zero plans, and for buyers of new-build homes in the UK, with the environment and homeowners’ pockets expected to reap the rewards. This is because the UK is set to make housebuilders legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new homes by 2027, as The Guardian reports.

This news has elicited a warm response from most climate campaigners. These include Lily-Rose Ellis, Greenpeace UK’s climate campaigner: “For too long we’ve wasted the free energy that falls on the roofs of houses every single day. Now, people living in new-build homes will save hundreds of pounds every year on their energy bills, thanks to this commonsense decision from the government.”

Greener UK Homes from 2027
While this policy will add circa US$4000-5400 to the cost of constructing a new home, homeowners stand to save an estimated US$1350 on their annual energy bills, suggests the Times with more people now shielded from volatile energy prices.

And with the UK poised to launch into an ambitious building boom, currently the Government’s target stands at 1.5 million new homes by the end of the present parliamentary term, the benefits are likely to multiply proportionately. Builders are already working to “upskill” the construction workforce to ensure that there are enough trained workers to install the new solar panels. 

Here’s why UK Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, thinks solar power is a win-win proposition:

As a UK government spokesperson explains, as quoted by Daily Climate: “We have always been clear that we want solar panels on as many new homes as possible because they are a vital technology to help cut bills for families, boost our national energy security and help deliver net zero.” 

This pledge represents a growing acknowledgement that residential buildings need to be a key focus in the fight against climate change, accounting for a significant share of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Further, government-funded loans and grants are on the cards to make it easier for owners of existing homes to install solar panels on their roofs.

A roofing manufacturer, Stuart Nicholsan, tells Inside Housing that he welcomes the energy-saving technology of photovoltaic systems as easy and dependable, including in social housing.  He sees it as a bonus for tenants on low incomes or affected by fuel poverty This occurs  when a household is forced to spend a large portion of income on fuel to power the home, leaving its members unable to afford other essential needs. 

Nicholson also points out that the cost of repairing a roof is almost as much as replacing it with one with solar panels. In addition,he observes,  the “integrated panels” that are part of a replaced or new roof offer a cleaner, seamless aesthetic than bolt-on panels. For him, adding solar panels represents a “no-regrets future-proofing” for a property.

He also emphasizes that rooftop solar panels have been a success story in Scotland, where 70 percent of new builds featured them in 2020, up from just 10 percent in 2016.

Dissenting Voices Speak Up
As with other aspects of environmental policy, not everyone welcomes this solar power initiative in the drive to phase out the use of fossil fuels. 

Daily Climate shares that the UK ruling party’s renewable energy agenda exposes broader tensions in the transition to clean energy, particularly around pursuing environmental goals while juggling economic and employment priorities. For instance, it is criticised for its lack of sufficient investment in green jobs and technologies.

While UK leader,  Sir Keir Starmer, recently explained that tackling the climate crisis and bolstering energy security were in the DNA of his government, former prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, is critical of  what he sees as “irrational” net zero policies that compel  the public to make financial sacrifices and lifestyle changes that may only have a “minimal” effect on global emissions, as the Guardian details.  

Other campaigners are calling for more investments in harnessing wind power, and more research into sustainable air fuel.

The Financial Times, meanwhile, covers building industry warnings that the installation of solar panels on all new homes will likely slow housebuilding. This is because construction firms will need to apply for permits from local municipalities for buildings that may not meet ambitious plans to make them cover 40 percent of a building’s carbon footprint, resulting in time-consuming granular explanations on a plot-by-plot basis, when a 20 percent figure may be more realistic.

Industry experts also caution that uneven roofs and north-facing aspects will hack away at these green targets.

Nonetheless, the overall consensus is that the adoption of solar energy is a positive step. “New-build homes emit on average a third of the carbon of an older property, saving owners thousands of pounds in energy bills,” Steve Turner, executive director of the Home Builders Federation has said, Ecowatch reports. “To meet the ever more challenging carbon reductions set by the government we will see solar on the overwhelming majority of new homes, albeit it is not appropriate in every situation,” he added.

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