Solar panels mandatory on most new homes by 2027

Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair's criticism of net zero policies.

- Eleni Courea

Under the plan, housebuilders will be legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027. It is estimated that the policy will add between £3,000 and £4,000 to building a home, but homeowners will save more than £1,000 on their annual energy bills, according to the Times.

Labour has set a target of building 1.5m homes by the end of the parliament. The party has promised to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030 and reduce household energy bills by £300 a year.

Ministers are also preparing to offer government-funded loans and grants for the installation of solar panels on existing homes.

The move is a sign that the government will press ahead with its net zero agenda after Starmer rejected criticisms of climate policy from Blair. In a high-profile intervention days before the local elections, Blair said there needed to be a radical reset of "irrational" net zero policies that were "doomed to fail".