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All new homes in Wales to be heated and powered through clean energy sources from 2025
All new homes in Wales will be heated and powered using only low-carbon technologies within five years, under new proposals launched today by the Welsh government.
The government has begun consulting on changes to the building regulations in order to address the climate emergency it declared in April last year.
Under the proposals, the use of fossil fuels in homes will be phased out in exchange for low carbon technologies including photovoltaic panels, heat pumps and district heat networks.
Measures will also be introduced to reduce the demand for heating, such as triple glazing and higher-standard materials for walls, roofs, floors and windows.
In addition, all new homes will need to be future-proofed, making it easier to retrofit low carbon heating systems.
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The government aims to ensure through the proposals, which are open for consultation until 12 March, that homes built after 2025 produce 75-80% less carbon dioxide emissions than ones built to current regulations.
In October last year, the UK government announced similar proposals to create a ‘Future Homes Standard’, which will ban fossil fuel heating systems from new homes by 2025.
Later this year, the Welsh government will introduce legislation to create a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050, with an ambition to reach net zero in the future.
Welsh housing minister Julie James said: “New and existing housing contributes about a fifth of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“The proposed consultation, for implementation over the next five years, makes a strong and meaningful contribution to reducing the carbon and energy impact of new homes, while recognising our ambition needs to be balanced against the desire for standards to be cost-effective, affordable and practical.
“These measures will not only help tackle climate change, but they will also help keep down household energy costs now and in the future – helping people, no matter what their background or circumstances, with the cost of living.”
