Or even zero – bills in newbuild homes as clean tech takes off

Buyers of newbuilds will see bills “slashed” as new rules make heat pumps and solar panels standard – but the regulations will not be fully in force for two years.

And they will need to have renewable electricity generation onsite, with some exceptions, with the majority of those installations expected to be solar photovoltaic panels.

It will also mean a major uplift in clean technologies, in particular heat pumps.

The new rules have also been welcomed by environmental and anti-fuel poverty campaigners, who warn the Iran War shows the need to shift away from reliance on expensive, volatile and imported fossil fuels.

Ed Matthew, UK director of climate think tank E3G, said: “It is a critical step in helping the British people to take back control of their energy from fossil fuel dictators.

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“But the Government should have introduced these reforms faster.”
Simon Francis , coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said that the measures should have happened “years ago”.

Roofs glint with integrated solar panels, heat pumps are placed discreetly around the side of houses or behind garages, and the inside elements of the heating system and batteries are tucked in landing and hallway cupboards with room spare to hang coats.

Alan Paske, sales executive for the Hill Group told the Press Association he tells prospective buyers: “You’re generating power, you use what you generate, what you don’t use charges the battery, when it’s full it goes into the grid, you get nothing for it.

“But in the winter months, you’re using more than you generate and you pull from the grid and you pay nothing for it.”
Andrew Day, sustainability director at the Hill Group, told the Press Association the company pivoted towards air source heat pumps in 2021, and last financial year to March 2025, had installed heat pumps in 53% of its newbuilds.

“Pivoting away from fossil fuel sources and using renewable sources, whether it be the sun, below ground heat pumps or wind at a macro scale, securing our energy future on these shores is incredibly important and we want to play a part in that,” he said.

She added that some people were nervous of new technology of heat pumps and batteries, but the “beauty” of zero bills was the company took care of the battery flexibility to ensure the zero cost to the customer.