# Heat pumps for new homes, and plug-in solar due in shops in months – ministers

By Amanda Williams — 2026-03-24

Amanda Williams, head of environmental sustainability at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), said: “We are glad to see the Future Homes Standard has finally been published and provides the much-needed clarity our industry has been waiting on for the last two years. Ensuring everyone has a safe, warm home must be a priority and having a standard which all new homes must meet is a vital part of making it happen.

“In our survey of 2,000 people in late 2023, over a third rated energy efficiency in the top three things they want in a new build home, along with a good price and good location, so we are pleased this has been included in the new standard by way of mandatory solar panels on new homes for example.

“This is a step change, so the key now is ensuring housebuilders are supported to adopt and implement the new standards and homeowners are supported to use and maintain their solar panels and heat pumps to get the most from them.”

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