No new builds should be connected to the gas network from 2028 under the terms of the Future Homes Standard, which was published today.
They will have to include heat pumps or be connected to a heat network, while they must also have solar panels on their roofs.
The change will mean that from 2028 homes will produce 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than those built according to existing 2013 standards.
Lucy Haynes, partner in the residential development team at law firm, Shakespeare Martineau, said: “This is a classic case of good policy, bad timing. No one is arguing that making renewable energy more widely available doesn’t cut energy bills and benefit the environment, but this unnecessarily piles the pressure on housebuilders at an already challenging time.
“The government’s push on housebuilding, combined with geopolitical conflict disrupting supply chains, means development is already complex and costly. Adding more requirements and red tape will only inflate those costs and, pretty soon, many developments will become unviable.
“Unfortunately, SME housebuilders will be hit the hardest, as they will have to invest in advice to wade through the regulation to ensure they comply. However, all housebuilders, regardless of size, should start reviewing their design codes and shoring up their supply chain as soon as possible to work out how they will be able to deliver these new regulations.”
As it stands housing produces around 30% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the government was “determined to roll out clean power so we can give our country energy sovereignty”.
