Ministers may cut green tech mandate from new homes regulations in England | Environment

Ministers are preparing to allow homes in England to be built without carbon-reducing technology; This has declined, experts say, after pressure from builders.

The future home standard (FHS), due to be published in January, will regulate how all homes are built and is expected to impose tough new regulations such as making solar panels mandatory on almost all homes and, in many cases, higher standards for insulation and heat pumps.

But the Guardian has learned that despite the strong advantages of combining renewable energy generation with energy storage, regulations are unlikely to require homes to be fitted with batteries.

Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank, said: “Batteries are really useful for ensuring homes can use as much of their own power as possible, which reduces bills, something the government says is a top priority. New builds built without the latest cost-saving net zero technology from 2027 could mean we’re not making the most of our own power, increasing our bills and needing more gas from abroad.”

Not requiring the installation of batteries, whose price has dropped significantly, will reduce homeowners’ efficiency savings. Battery storage will cost an estimated £2,000 to £5,000 for each new home, but will lead to long-term savings on energy bills. According to research by the charity MCS Foundation last year, savings from a heat pump, solar panels and batteries on the average three-bedroom semi-detached house would amount to around £1,350 a year.

Labour’s promised 1.5 million new homes being built without batteries would also negate potential benefits to the UK’s electricity grid. A large battery storage reserve combined with smart meters can help make the grid more efficient, balancing supply and demand; This is especially important where much more power is expected to come from intermittent solar and wind.

Home builders have been lobbying against the inclusion of batteries, which would save money for homeowners but would require upfront costs for the developer. Home Builders Federation technical director Rhodri Williams said at this stage builders were opting for alternatives such as “switch valves” or using excess solar energy to heat water, neither of which stored electrical energy and did not help the grid.

He said: “Home builders have embraced every step of the zero-carbon housing journey from the start, including FHS. As a result, new-build homes emit an average of a third as much carbon as older properties of equivalent size, saving new home occupants thousands of pounds on energy bills.”

Jan Rosenow, professor of energy at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, said not including batteries was “a missed opportunity … it is cheaper and less destructive to install the battery during construction than to replace it later.”

He added: “Housing developers in this country have a history of pushing back against requirements that improve the energy performance of homes. We’ve seen this with insulation, heat pumps and other technologies. Ultimately, this will be to the detriment of the home buyer.”

Garry Felgate, CEO of the MCS Foundation, said the future home standard could be a “game changer” as it would save more than £1,000 a year on energy bills even without batteries and could produce as much electricity for the UK as two nuclear power plants.

Ministers are expected to announce the “warm homes plan”, which sets out how England’s drafty homes will be insulated, at the same time as future housing standards.

Felgate said the government should publish clearer advice on how to move Britain away from dependence on gas for heating. “It is clear that the future of powering our homes is renewable energy,” he said. “The government now needs to make plans to phase out fossil fuel boilers in existing homes and phase out the gas grid to provide greater confidence in the renewable energy sector and the public.”

A Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “Our future homes standards are under development and will be published early next year.” [2026]. “This will ensure our new homes are warmer and more affordable and help us reach our net zero target by 2050.”