Planning Reforms: Energy and Housing Costs

Lord Geddes Excerpts

Thursday 15th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Geddes (Con)]

My Lords, is it not mandatory for all new houses to have on their roofs solar panels or photovoltaics?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, we are developing the future homes strategy, which will point to all the net-zero measures that we want to see. We do not want new houses being built that have to be retrofitted, or that are technology-specific, because the technology is developing at pace and we want to make sure there is enough flexibility in the system for new technologies to be adopted. Things such as solar panels and air source heat pumps are great innovations that are really changing our homes, keeping them warmer and making them more carbon neutral.

Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

Lord Geddes Excerpts

Committee stage
Monday 24th February 2025 Grand Committee

[Lord Thurlow (CB)]

My Lords, I stand to introduce the second group, in which, conveniently, there are three amendments, all in my name—

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Lord Geddes) (Con)]

We are still on group 1. We will come to group 2 in the fullness of time.

[Lord Thurlow (CB)]

My apologies.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Lord Geddes) (Con)]

Amendment 3 leads a substantive group. I suggest that the Opposition might want to move it.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

It is not me.

Future Homes Standard

Lord Geddes Excerpts

Wednesday 29th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I agree that we need to move on as quickly as possible with all of this, for three key reasons. We need to make sure that bills are kept as low as possible, particularly for those in fuel poverty who we are very conscious of, and the move to clean energy will help us with that. We also need to think about our energy security and we need to continue the drive towards net zero. I appreciate the frustration in delivering this, and when I say “later this year”, I want to reassure the noble Baroness that we are working with our colleagues in DESNZ as quickly as possible to deliver this, to set homes and buildings on a path away from the use of fossil fuels and to future-proof homes with low-carbon heating and high levels of building fabric standards, ensuring that they do not require any retrofitting to become zero carbon. We are working very hard on that and it is my mission to deliver that as quickly as possible.

[Lord Geddes (Con)]

My Lords, this is not the first time that I have asked this question: could the Minister advise why it is not mandatory for new-build homes to have at least solar or photovoltaic panels on their roofs?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I just want to say that we do understand the effectiveness of solar panels in providing a direct and sustainable way to harness renewable energy and to allow homes to generate their own electricity, as well as offering the significant savings that will help with fuel bills. It is my absolute intention that the new building regulation standards that will be introduced this year will encourage the use of rooftop solar panels. I am working very fast with my honourable friend Minister Fahnbulleh to drive this forward as quickly as possible. We need to confirm the technical detail of the standards and we will share more details of them as soon as we are able.