All you need to know about the Sunshine Bill

In January, a crucial bill calling for mandatory solar on new homes has its first debate in parliament, and you can help us give it every chance of being passed.

What is the Sunshine Bill?

The Sunshine Bill, formally known as the ‘New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill’ is a private members bill raised by Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham. The bill would ensure all new homes have solar panels installed as standard.

The Sunshine Bill is approaching its ‘Second Reading’ on Friday 17 January 2025, meaning it has already been presented to parliament. Crucially, now is the first opportunity for debate.

If successful, the bill would enter a ‘Committee Stage’ where it is examined in more detail. During every stage of the bill’s journey, it becomes more likely to be adopted as a law, bringing us closer to unleashing the full potential of rooftop solar in England.

Either way, there will still be other opportunities to advocate for rooftop solar via the government’s plans to improve home standards. You can find out more about the bill and its journey through parliament here.

What is a private members bill?

A private members bill in the House of Commons is a bill that is tabled by a member of parliament (MP) who is not part of the government. The Sunshine Bill came to light through the ‘ballot’, where MP Max Wilkinson’s name was luckily drawn, allowing him to introduce his own bill and have a full day’s debate.

However, to give the bill every chance of success, we urgently need your help. The ‘Second Reading’ debate on 17 January is scheduled to run until 2:30pm – if the debate is not concluded by this time, any MP can shout ‘object’, making it unlikely that the bill would make further progress.

MPs can speak for as long as they like in this debate, meaning they can keep talking to ensure that time for the debate runs out. This is because private members bills do not have a set timetable for debate. The bill can only be voted on if MPs vote to end the debate and move to a vote – which requires not just a majority, but also at least 100 MPs to be present.

What you can do

You can help the Sunshine Bill pass through Parliament by calling on your MP to attend the debate on Friday 17 January 2025. We need at least 100 MPs who are in favour of the bill to show up and ensure that it can pass its ‘Second Reading’ and move onto the next stage. You can email your MP through our action page here – and we will also be urging MPs across all parties to be present.

You can also learn more about the vast potential of rooftop solar and share the importance of this bill with friends and family. According to our research, 60% of the UK’s current solar energy targets could be delivered on rooftops. The Sunshine Bill can play a major part in cutting sky-high bills and carbon emissions.