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‘Plug-in’ solar panels to be in shops within months, offering households chance to significantly cut energy bills.<\/p>\n
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Government drives to make ‘plug-in’ solar available in shops as part of clean power mission<\/p>\n
\n\t‘Plug-in’ solar panels\u00a0to be in shops\u00a0within months,\u00a0offering households\u00a0chance to significantly cut energy bills\u00a0
\n\tmove comes as government steps\u00a0up\u00a0drive for clean\u00a0homegrown\u00a0power\u00a0to get the UK off dependency\u00a0on fossil fuel markets in response to Iran war
\n\tnew\u00a0rules\u00a0introduced today\u00a0to\u00a0ensure\u00a0majority of\u00a0new homes in\u00a0England will come with solar panels\u00a0fitted\u00a0as standard
\n\tinnovative\u00a0new approach\u00a0of\u00a0discounted\u00a0power on windy days in\u00a0areas\u00a0where wind\u00a0farms are paid\u00a0to\u00a0switch off to\u00a0avoid \u201cwasted wind\u201d,\u00a0predominantly\u00a0benefiting\u00a0Scotland and\u00a0the\u00a0East of England
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More households\u00a0will be helped to\u00a0save money on bills through\u00a0plug-in solar panels as the\u00a0government\u00a0vows to\u00a0go further and faster on clean energy in response to\u00a0conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The current conflict is yet another reminder that the only route to energy security and sovereignty for the UK is to end dependence on fossil fuel markets and accelerate the\u00a0drive for\u00a0clean, homegrown power,\u00a0as\u00a0well\u00a0as\u00a0new\u00a0renewables and nuclear.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Already the government has\u00a0taken significant steps\u00a0in\u00a0speeding up the\u00a0move\u00a0to\u00a0clean energy\u00a0in\u00a0response to the conflict.\u00a0Last week, the government\u2019s annual renewables auction was brought\u00a0forward to July.\u00a0The most recent auction was\u00a0the biggest ever and alongside the\u00a0previous\u00a0auction,\u00a0enough\u00a0clean energy to power 23 million homes has been confirmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, the\u00a0government\u00a0is\u00a0driving forward with the rollout\u00a0of ‘plug-in’\u00a0solar panels\u00a0(low-cost\u00a0panels that families can put on their balconies or outdoor space)\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0available\u00a0in shops\u00a0within\u00a0months\u00a0and save people money on their bills.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Retailers like Lidl and\u00a0Amazon,\u00a0alongside\u00a0manufacturers\u00a0such as\u00a0EcoFlow,\u00a0are working with\u00a0government to\u00a0enable\u00a0them to\u00a0be\u00a0brought\u00a0to\u00a0the UK market.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Plug-in solar is already widely used\u00a0by households\u00a0across Europe, with Germany seeing around\u00a0half a million new devices plugged in per year.\u00a0 \u00a0
\nThe\u00a0free solar power can be used directly through a mains socket like any other device,\u00a0without\u00a0an\u00a0installation cost,\u00a0thereby reducing the amount of electricity taken from the grid and cutting energy bills.<\/p>\n
The easy-to-install technology could save many households\u00a0significant amounts on their energy bills and help make the UK less reliant on global fossil fuel markets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The government has taken decisive action in response to the conflict in the Middle East to fight for consumers and businesses on the cost of living, and is speeding up plans for more clean, homegrown energy that the UK controls\u00a0to\u00a0ensure energy sovereignty and security.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is\u00a0alongside\u00a0new rules coming\u00a0into force today\u00a0implementing\u00a0the\u00a0Future Homes Standard, which\u00a0includes common-sense measures to ensure\u00a0the majority of\u00a0new homes are built cheaper to run, with solar panels and clean heating as standard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These measures\u00a0on new homes\u00a0could save families up to \u00a3830 a year on their energy bills, compared to a standard home with an\u00a0EPC\u00a0rating of C. This will ensure\u00a0they are\u00a0more comfortable and affordable \u2013 and create at least 75% less carbon emissions than those built to the 2013 standards.<\/p>\n
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:\u00a0‘The government is determined to fight people\u2019s corner in this crisis, which is why we have acted to prevent unfair practices like price gouging and provided immediate help for the most vulnerable facing spiralling heating oil prices.\u00a0The Iran War has once again shown our drive for clean power is essential for our energy security so we can escape the grip of fossil fuel markets we\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0control.\u00a0Whether through solar panels fitted as standard on new homes or making it possible for people to purchase plug-in solar in shops, we are determined to roll out clean power so we can give our country\u00a0energy\u00a0sovereignty.’<\/p>\n
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:\u00a0‘Building 1.5 million new homes also means building high-quality homes that are cheaper to run and warmer to live\u00a0in.\u00a0As we make the switch to clean, homegrown energy, today\u2019s standard is what the future of housing can and should look like. Not only will these changes protect hardworking families from shocks abroad but will also slash hundreds of pounds off their energy bills every year.\u00a0The\u00a0government is\u00a0also\u00a0announcing and innovative new approach, predominantly benefiting\u00a0Scotland and East of England,\u00a0and\u00a0launching\u00a0in time for this winter, enabling\u00a0energy companies to offer\u00a0discounted energy bills\u00a0to\u00a0customers\u00a0on windy days, rather than\u00a0continuing the previous default practice of paying\u00a0wind turbines to turn\u00a0off.\u00a0Historic underinvestment in Britain\u2019s electricity grid means wind farms in these areas are being paid to switch off\u00a0on windy days\u00a0when the network cannot carry all the clean power they produce. Government\u00a0will look to bring forward\u00a0new legislation to ensure more homegrown,\u00a0clean energy can be passed on as\u00a0discounted electricity to consumers during these periods.’<\/p>\n
Future Homes\u00a0Standard<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Future Homes Standard turns the page on over a decade of failure by\u00a0previous\u00a0governments.\u00a0More than a million homes were built with higher bills following the cancellation of the Zero Carbon Homes standard\u00a0in\u00a02015\u00a0– leaving families exposed to the energy price spike after Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0
\n\ttoday we are\u00a0laying the regulations for the Standard and\u00a0publishing\u00a0its\u00a0details
\n\tit will put energy in the hands of the British people and help cut bills for good, protecting against fossil fuel price spikes like those triggered by the conflict in Iran
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‘Discounted\u00a0energy’<\/p>\n
\n\tAt the moment, wind farms are often paid to switch off\u00a0on windy days, because the system\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0use all the power being generated,\u00a0due to historic underinvestment in the grid\u00a0required\u00a0to match this\u00a0supply with demand across the country
\n\tto tackle these\u00a0so-called \u201cconstraint payments\u201d,\u00a0we are launching a new, innovative trial,\u00a0which would mean that\u00a0using the generated power would become a more cost-effective\u00a0option\u00a0compared to turning\u00a0turbines\u00a0off
\n\tthis will\u00a0enable\u00a0suppliers\u00a0and flexibility service providers\u00a0to\u00a0offer\u00a0households and businesses\u00a0in\u00a0areas with\u00a0constrained\u00a0renewable generation\u00a0discounted\u00a0power\u00a0during these periods,\u00a0so that\u00a0more of the\u00a0extra electricity can be\u00a0used rather than\u00a0wasted.\u00a0It will\u00a0predominantly\u00a0apply\u00a0to\u00a0areas in\u00a0Scotland and\u00a0the East of England
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And it comes ahead of households across the country seeing a significant cut to their energy bills next week, with\u00a0a\u00a0\u00a3117 reduction coming into effect on 1 April, which will be in place until the end of June, saving families money\u00a0for years to come,\u00a0whatever\u00a0the international situation.<\/p>\n