Why it should be illegal not to have this on your roof?

In the great, ongoing debate about renewable energy, one of the most obvious, efficient, and accessible solutions has been almost entirely ignored: solar thermal panels. Unlike photovoltaic (PV) panels—which convert sunlight into electricity—solar thermal panels capture the sun’s energy to heat water directly. They are technologically simpler, vastly more energy-efficient, and cost-effective in the long term. Yet governments and industries in the West continue to sideline them. This neglect is not just a policy failure—it is, arguably, a moral one.

Let’s be absolutely clear: there is no rational reason why every home in Britain—and beyond—should not already have solar thermal panels installed. The only thing standing in the way is bureaucracy, economic protectionism, and the absence of political courage.

The Efficiency Everyone Pretends Doesn’t Exist

The efficiency of solar thermal panels borders on the miraculous when compared to PV systems. While PV panels struggle with 15–22% efficiency under typical conditions, solar thermal systems routinely exceed 70% efficiency in capturing and using solar radiation. They don’t just promise lower carbon emissions—they deliver instant, measurable cuts in household energy use by removing one of the most significant burdens from the grid: heating water.

In fact, for most homes, especially in temperate climates like the UK, hot water usage accounts for up to 30% of energy consumption. Replacing gas or electric water heating with solar thermal could reduce household emissions overnight—no costly electric car needed, no retrofitted insulation, no lifestyle change. It’s the low-hanging fruit of the energy revolution.

So why aren’t we doing it?

The Real Reason Solar Thermal Isn’t Popular

Ask most policymakers or green economy pundits, and they’ll vaguely gesture toward “costs,” “logistics,” or “uptake.” But let’s be blunt: the only reason solar thermal hasn’t taken off in the UK and other Western countries is because of price distortion and institutional apathy.

In China, a basic solar thermal system can cost the equivalent of £200–£500, and it’s often installed within hours. In the UK, that same system might cost ten times as much—between £2,000 and £5,000. And no, that’s not because of quality. It’s because of middlemen, regulation, taxes, and the lack of mass-scale adoption that would reduce prices through economies of scale.

In other words, the technology is not expensive—the system is.

Worse still, many governments—while claiming to champion a “green future”—have designed policies that actively disincentivize solar thermal. They tax imports from countries like China under the guise of “protecting local markets,” over-regulate domestic installers, and channel subsidies almost exclusively to flashy technologies like PV or heat pumps, which offer worse return on investment and higher ongoing costs.

This is not a green strategy. It’s protectionist, corporate-friendly greenwashing.

This Is a Matter of National Survival

At a time when we are facing energy insecurity, geopolitical instability, climate unpredictability, and skyrocketing household bills, the notion that we would continue to depend on centralised, grid-heavy solutions is not just shortsighted—it’s self-destructive.

Solar thermal offers not just energy savings, but resilience. It decentralises heat production. It reduces pressure on national infrastructure. And it empowers homeowners with energy independence at minimal cost—provided the cost barriers are removed.

This is why it should be illegal not to have solar thermal panels on your roof, just as it is illegal to let water pipes leak or discharge pollutants into a river. A home that wastes energy when a proven, efficient, decentralized solution exists is no longer just a private matter—it is a societal liability.

Much like public smoking bans or seatbelt laws, mandating solar thermal installation would be a regulation born not from authoritarianism but from common sense and collective survival.

What Must Be Done—Now

Governments have an urgent duty to interfere—not in a market-destroying way, but in the same way they interfere to build roads, fund hospitals, and prevent epidemics. They must:

• Remove all taxes and tariffs on solar thermal panels.
• Create fast-track, certified programs for low-cost installation.
• Bulk-order panels at scale from global manufacturers, including China, to drive down prices.
• Offer interest-free loans or direct grants to homeowners, housing associations, and councils.
• Mandate installation in all new builds, and offer full subsidies for retrofitting homes on low incomes.

This is not radical. It is what a functioning government should do in the face of an existential threat. If we can pour billions into offshore wind projects and carbon trading schemes, surely we can make it affordable for a pensioner in Glasgow or a family in Croydon to get hot water from the sun.

A Rare Opportunity

Unlike most climate “solutions,” this one doesn’t require 10 years of R&D, behavioral change, or trillion-pound investments. It’s off-the-shelf, well-tested, and already saving millions of families in the Global South money every day.

The only barrier is Western arrogance and inertia. We like to think we lead the world in innovation, yet in this area we are years behind. In northern China, entire neighbourhoods have rooftop solar water heating. In the UK, we still heat water with fossil fuels—then pat ourselves on the back for driving a hybrid.

We are sitting on a solution, refusing to touch it because it isn’t fashionable or profitable enough.

That must end now.

The Final Word

This is no longer about “options” or “incentives.” It is about necessity. Solar thermal is the obvious, efficient, affordable path to reducing emissions, cutting bills, and empowering people. Every roof without a panel is a wasted opportunity. Every unnecessary delay is a moral failure.

It is time to legislate for the planet.

Let it be the law that every home heats its water with the sun. Not for ideology. Not for idealism. But because anything less is a betrayal of reason.