The U.K. government on Tuesday introduced new rules requiring developers to install heat pumps and solar panels in all new homes across England, in policymakers’ latest response to the economic fallout of the Iran conflict.
U.K. ministers say the Iran war and the largest supply disruption in the history of the oil market reinforces the need to leverage clean power as an energy security tool.
The Future Homes Standard — a set of new-build regulations for England from 2028 — will establish requirements to ensure homes are built with on-site renewable electricity generation, the majority of which is expected to be provided by solar power.
The rules will also see homes built with low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and heat networks.
The government added that plug-in solar panels, which homeowners can install on balconies, would be available within shops over the coming months.
Real answer is that solar panels themselves are barely structural, commonly relying on a steel or aluminium frame for support, they don’t offer any insulation and are easily damaged.
Ceramic roof tiles are a far better material that’s already widely used, so they mount the solar panels to the wooden frames with holes through the tiles themselves, maintaining the insulation of the tiles and allowing for any damaged solar panels to be easily replaced.