New solar specifying and delivery framework launched for UK housebuilders ahead of Future Homes Standard
Solfit has launched a new solar PV system and delivery framework designed specifically for UK housebuilders, which it says will provide a structured approach to specifying, integrating and delivering solar across residential developments in preparation of the Future Homes Standard in 2028.
With the Standard set to require new homes to generate electricity on site and meet significantly higher performance expectations, solar PV is rapidly becoming a core component of residential design rather than an optional addition, the firm noted. This shift is increasing the need for consistent, compliant and scalable approaches to system design and delivery.
Solfit says the new housebuilder offering has been developed in response to these challenges, ‘positioning solar not as a standalone product or installation activity, but as a fully-specified system integrated within the wider building fabric.’ The approach brings together system design, product configuration and delivery oversight into a single structure intended to support consistency across multi-plot developments.
The design approach incorporates specification-led design aligned with Part L and the direction of the Future Homes Standard, alongside an integrated electrical architecture designed to reduce DC risk at roof level, the company said. Product configuration is structured to support compliance expectations, including alignment with warranty provider requirements, while the overall model is intended to improve coordination across design, procurement and on-site delivery.
As housebuilders move towards adopting solar at scale, many are encountering challenges around fragmentation between design intent and on-site outcomes, as well as increasing scrutiny around fire safety, electrical risk and overall system performance. Inconsistencies across sites and supply chains can introduce risk, cost and delays if not addressed through a more coordinated approach.
The company said:
“Solfit’s model is intended to provide that coordination, enabling housebuilders to move away from project-by-project decision making towards a repeatable and standardised solar strategy that can be applied across portfolios. By aligning specification, system design and compliance from the outset, the framework supports more predictable delivery, improved quality and reduced long-term risk.”
The company added that its compliance-led design philosophy includes AC-based architecture to reduce high-voltage DC at roof level, B Roof (t4) fire certification to support roof system compliance, and MCS-aligned design principles to enable certification pathways to be followed. It said:
The system is designed as part of the building fabric, fully integrated within the roof system rather than relying on add-on mounting approaches, supporting a more cohesive and controlled approach to integration…With increasing focus on fire and system-level risk through emerging HSE guidance, the role of solar within residential development is evolving from a compliance consideration to a core building system requiring structured delivery.”
Newly-installed managing director Lee Chadwick said:
The Future Homes Standard is driving a fundamental shift in how energy is designed into new homes. The challenge is no longer whether solar is required, but how it is specified, integrated and delivered consistently at scale. Solfit has been developed to address that challenge directly, aligning specification, system design and delivery into a single framework that housebuilders can adopt with confidence.”
