Energy Minister Ed Miliband said the builders will be asked to install solar panels into the "bigest majority" new building homes in England, saying under changes released this year.

The regulations will require developers to add panels unless the building falls under certain exemptions, such as being covered by shadows.

Miliband said in a speech from the BBC that the move was "just common sense" and added that solar panels would save a typical household £500 a year on energy costs.

The Home Builders Federation said it supports more panels but warned of the reluctance to introduce “heavy” paperwork that could hurt the government’s efforts to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.

The rule will be included in future housing standards, which will detail broader plans to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

The government said it will be released in the fall, but developers will have a transitional period to adapt to regulatory changes.

Current building regulations will not force developers to add solar panels to new homes.

The last conservative government consulted on the new regulations, including a proposal that new building houses should have rooftop solar panels covering 40% of the building's ground area.

But they were voted out of control before the proposed changes were implemented.

The Labor government has now promised to introduce the rules that will require developers to add solar panels to all new buildings.

Asked if the government would stick to the 40% figure proposed by the previous Conservative government, Miliband said the details will be raised in the fall.

“The problem with the previous system is that it says you have to have a certain percentage of solar panels, but if you can’t achieve that percentage, you don’t have to do anything at all.

“We won’t say that according to our plan. Even if you can’t reach 40%, we still have to say that you still have to have some solar panels with the exception of the rare exceptions.”

Miliband said the number of homes with solar panels had to be "much higher", adding: "It's almost universal."

Asked if he was concerned about whether developers would add solar panels to buyers’ costs, Miliband said he didn’t think it would have an impact on house prices.

Neil Jefferson, head of the House Builders Federation, said that an estimated one in five new homes have solar panels and the industry is “increasingly accustomed to bringing solar panels into buildings in new homes.”

“The government just needs to be careful to make sure it doesn’t regulate and authorize on the roof.”

“If it is necessary to apply for each home on an exempted basis, which will slow down the delivery of urgently needed new homes, then the government will be burdensome.”

Chris Hewitt, from the UK trade agency Solar, said local authorities must "stay alert" to ensure developers meet their obligations, but added that it would be "very easy to implement".

He also said he does not want many homes to be exempted, and an estimated 90% of new homes must comply with the new rules.

Asked if the industry has the skills to keep up with demand, Mr Hewitt said: “We certainly know that we need to train more people … This is something we are working on as an industry.”

The announcement comes a week after the government abandons the planning rules to make it easier for people to install heat pumps at home.

Increased solar energy is a way the government hopes to reduce the country's carbon emissions.

The UK is legally committed to reaching its net zero target by 2050, which means the UK must cut carbon emissions until it is consistent with the 2015 Paris climate agreement to eliminate as much as it produces.

In 2022, residential buildings will account for 20% of UK greenhouse gas emissions.

The government's advisory body, the Climate Change Commission, said the UK would not be able to achieve its goal, "there is no almost completely decarbonized housing stock."

According to Carbon Shief's analysis, the power generated by solar sites in the UK hits high this year, partly driven by sunny weather.

Between January and May, this level is 42% higher than the same period in 2024 and has increased by 160% over the past decade.

However, solar remains the sixth largest source of electricity in the UK, followed by natural gas, wind, imports, nuclear and biomass.

The goal of net zero was set by the former Conservative government and retained by the Labor Party.

But recently, conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that if our living standards drop severely or go bankrupt, the goal is “impossible” to achieve.

Britain's reforms call for a complete scrapping of the target, believing that this leads to higher energy costs, while the Greens and Liberal Democrats want the government to achieve the target faster.