Y Gwasanaeth Ymchwil | Research Service Y Gwasanaeth Ymchwil | Research Service #

All New Builds In Wales To Have Solar Panels

Y Pwyllgor Deisebau | 15 Mai 2018 Petitions Committee | 15 May 2018

Research Briefing:

Petition number: 814 Petition title: All New Builds In Wales To Have Solar Panels Text of petition: Ensure all new build houses in Wales are fitted with Solar Panels to improve our carbon footprint and help the environment.

Background

New build homes must meet certain standards as required by Building Regulations. The Welsh Government publishes a range of Approved Documents that provide guidance about compliance with specific aspects of the Building Regulations in some of the more common building situations.

The Building Regulations require that new buildings meet certain minimum energy performance requirements. Neither Building Regulations, nor the guidance in Approved Document L, require solar panels to be installed in new residential buildings.

The introduction of feed-in-tariffs (FIT) by the UK Government allowed owners of electricity-generating renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, to be paid for the electricity they generate. This encouraged the uptake of renewable energy. However, the rates of FITs have been reduced and this may have affected the viability of some renewable energy installations. Tariffs have been published for the period up to March 2019. It is not clear what will happen after that point.

Welsh Government action

The Welsh Government has announced that a review of Part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) is underway. A consultation on proposals is expected to take place later in 2018. Whatever the outcome of the review, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs notes that it will not mandate a particular technology to be used as the Building Regulations are “fuel neutral”.

The Cabinet Secretary has provided a detailed letter to the Chair commenting on this petition.

National Assembly for Wales action

In March 2016, the Assembly’s Environment and Sustainability Committee published its report, A Smarter Energy Future for Wales.

The Committee made a number of recommendations that are relevant to this petition, including:

Urgently revise Building Regulations to ensure that all new houses are built to 'near zero' energy standards; and

Develop local supply chains to support renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures.

The Assembly’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into low carbon housing. The Committee’s report and recommendations have not yet been published, but it has received some evidence relating to solar power. In its written evidence to the Committee, Community Housing Cymru highlighted the Active Homes development in Neath Port Talbot where homes are being built with integrated solar photovoltaic roofs and solar collecting wall cladding. Power generated can then be stored on-site using batteries; the approach is also known as buildings as power stations. This project is also noted in the Cabinet Secretary’s letter which comments that if the project is successful, there is the possibility of extending the construction system to a further 1,200 homes as part of the Swansea Bay City Deal.

Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this briefing is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware that these briefings are not necessarily updated or otherwise amended to reflect subsequent changes.