Getting ready for the Future Homes Standard
The Future Homes Standard is set to be the most dramatic change to the Building Regulations for energy use in a generation. It could be with us as soon as this year, impacting construction in 2026. If you are involved in a domestic planning application, or the first stages of designing a new home, your build may be impacted. It won’t be long until you find yourself looking at a very different set of rules for your building design.
This makes it more important than ever for design teams to stay ahead of the changes. They’ll need to know in advance what they might have to do to comply and thrive under the new rules. Specifying the wrong type of heating system now, or leaving no room for renewables, may prove more costly later on.
Get peace of mind with our free plan checking service
To help, Build Energy is offering a free plan checking service to help you understand if your design is going in the right direction. We’ll look at your plans for heating, ventilation, solar panels and building fabric.
We’ll let you know if these are in line with what we know about the Future Homes Standard so far. We’ll also email you from time to time if the requirements change before the official launch.
We’re motivated by helping people design and build greener homes. If you chose to stick with Build Energy for your energy assessments and testing throughout the rest of the process, we’ll of course be delighted. However, there is no obligation.
To start the conversation, simply show us any drawings and specifications you have so far. You can email these to be@buildenergy.co.uk with subject line “Future Homes Standard”, or use the form to the right.
What we know so far about the Future Homes Standard
The government has published a consultation document which gives some details about what we can expect. There have also been several key announcements this year. We think the changes most likely to impact you are:
- Solar PV is going to be mandatory for new homes. The amount will depends on the size and type of property.
- Electric heat pumps are the new normal. There will be either a ban on fossil fuel heating, or targets so stringent that only modern electric systems are able to pass.
- Building fabric will be very similar to the 2022 Part L interim uplift.
Keeping up to date
Keep an eye on our tips and insights articles, our newsletter and our CPD for updates ahead of the official launch.