Low-income households will get taxpayer-subsidised plug-in solar panels to cut their energy bills, the Government has announced.
Up to £25m to pay for the panels for those “most in need” has been earmarked by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will unveil the initiative among a raft of policies in a speech on Tuesday to “double down, not back down on our mission for clean energy” following the price shock caused by the Iran war.
Plug-in solar panels are solar panels which can be put on balconies or outdoor spaces and then plugged directly into a mains socket to provide a home with free solar energy.
The appliances can reduce the amount of electricity a household draws from the grid, cutting a family’s energy bills.
Unlike traditional solar panels, which can be costly and complex to install on roofs, plug-in solar is designed to be a simpler, more affordable way to benefit from solar energy.
UK regulations do not currently allow plug-in solar, but the Government is in the process of reforming the rules and hopes retailers like Lidl and Amazon can sell them as soon as this summer.
While plug-in solar is much cheaper than traditional rooftop solar – with panels expected to sell for about £400 when they arrive on supermarket shelves – there are concerns that low-income families will still struggle to afford the technology.
For that reason, the DESNZ has said it has allocated up to £25m from its Warm Homes Plan with the aim of piloting “support” for plug-in solar in “partnership” with local authorities and mayors.
The Government is looking at a “street by street” approach, where tens of thousands of low-cost panels are delivered to families most in need.
It is not clear how the Government will determine who is eligible for the scheme, but previous Warm Homes support has defined low-income households as either earning less than £36,000, living in a deprived postcode or receiving a means-tested benefit such as universal credit.
The DESNZ is also pledging to “massively expand” the deployment of solar panels and wind turbines on public land, including using brownfield, industrial and railway sites in a push to unlock up to 10GW of energy capacity – enough to power about five million homes.
A package of deregulatory measures to make it simpler and quicker to install heat pumps and electric vehicle charging is also promised.
Ministers will legislate for cross-pavement charging solutions and associated EV charging points to be allowed without planning permission.
The Government is also looking to increase EV charging provision in new buildings and those undergoing major renovations, and to improve access for renters and leaseholders.
Speaking at the National Growth Debate organised by the Good Growth Foundation, the Energy Secretary is expected to say: “Even before the Iran war, we were seeing record demand for technologies like rooftop solar, batteries, heat pumps and electric vehicles. And in the teeth of this crisis, demand for them is surging: Octopus report that heat pump sales doubled and solar panel sales rose by more than 75 per cent between February and March. And March was the best month ever for EV sales in the UK.
“Opponents of clean energy want to stand in the way of what the British public want, we want to support them. And we are also determined to ensure everyone, not just the richest in society, can see the benefits.”
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