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Should Solar Panels Be A Standard Fit In New Built Homes?

For many years, when a brand new home is built, the builders will often incorporate white goods within the kitchen as well as also fitting floor coverings throughout the property. Could we see a situation arising whereby solar panels are included in the fittings as standard on all new housing stock?

Are we likely to see an increasing number of new UK homes being built with solar panels fitted during construction?

In the USA, a number of new built homes are having solar panels fitted at the same time that the property is constructed. According to SunPower, that are one of the world’s biggest solar panel businesses, an increasing number of new-built properties are incorporating solar panels in the build process.

Apparently, the company has provided solar photovoltaic panels to around 4,000 properties that were constructed in California in 2012. They believe that about one fifth of new properties constructed in California in 2013 will incorporate solar panels.

Furthermore, 6 of the top 10 house builders in the USA include solar panels in the build process on some of their properties. In fact, in Sebastopol and Lancaster, that are two Californian cities, they insist that any new residential property that is built must have solar panels fitted whilst the properties are being constructed.

Apart from the obvious benefits that solar panels can provide such as reduced electricity bills and lower carbon emissions there is also the fact that it is estimated that the cost of installing solar panels at the same time the property is built is around 20% lower than if the solar panels were fitted at some point in the future. Another benefit is that the cost may be incorporated into the mortgage making solar panels more affordable by an increasing number of people.

So, is this something that we could be seeing happening in increasing numbers here in the UK or do you feel that we are some way off this taking place in significant numbers?

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