New build
You moved into a house with solar panels
More than a third of UK solar installations are now on new build homes, and the Future Homes Standard makes them near-universal from 2027. If the builder chose your system, here is what you own and what to do with it.
Most recently reviewed 2026-08-23 0 of 3 pages written
Why your house has them
The regulation behind it, and what it does and does not require.
Getting paid, and getting more
A builder-fitted system almost never comes with an export tariff set up. That is money sitting on the roof.
Common questions
My new build has solar panels. Am I being paid for what they export?
Probably not, and this is the single most common gap. A builder-fitted system almost never arrives with an export tariff already set up — you have to apply for one yourself, with your MCS certificate and a smart meter. Until you do, everything you export goes to the grid for nothing.
Who owns the panels on a new build?
You do, in almost every case — they are part of the building, and their cost is in the purchase price. That is different from the older rent-a-roof arrangements, where a third party owned the panels and kept the income.
Can I add a battery to a builder-fitted system?
Yes. An AC-coupled battery fits alongside the existing inverter without replacing it. New-build arrays are often sized to the building regulation rather than to your usage, which is exactly the situation where storage earns its keep.
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