UK Targets Solar Panels, Batteries & Heat Pumps
The UK government has set out further details of its £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, placing solar panels, home battery storage, and heat pumps at the centre of its strategy to cut household energy bills and tackle fuel poverty.
A core pillar of the plan is a government-backed programme of zero and low-interest loans designed to accelerate the rollout of rooftop solar across the UK. Alongside this, new building rules will require solar panels to be installed as standard on all new homes, a move ministers say will help lower running costs from the outset and reduce long-term pressure on household energy bills.
The government estimates that these measures will triple the number of homes with solar panels by 2030, significantly expanding domestic electricity generation and increasing the role of home battery systems that allow households to store and use more of their own power. Battery storage will be supported through the same loans programme, making it easier for households to pair solar installations with batteries that can reduce reliance on the grid and provide greater protection from price volatility.
The Warm Homes Plan also expands support for low-carbon heating, retaining the £7,500 universal grant for heat pumps to lower upfront costs for households choosing to switch. For the first time, the scheme will also include support for air-to-air heat pumps, which can provide both heating in winter and cooling during hotter summer months.
Low-income households and those in fuel poverty will be prioritised for fully funded packages of upgrades, which may include solar panels, battery storage, insulation, and heating systems, depending on what is most suitable for each home. In social housing, upgrades may be delivered at scale across entire streets or estates.
Ministers say the combination of loans, grants, and new building standards is designed to expand consumer choice while embedding solar power, batteries, and heat pumps as mainstream household technologies over the rest of the decade.