Future Homes Standard – a guide to the new targets

The Future Homes Standard is a set of rules that will come into full effect in 2028 and has been designed to ensure new homes produce less carbon emissions.

Once the rules are fully mandatory, all new homes in England will, amongst other changes, need to built with heat pumps – or other low-carbon heating solutions and solar panels.

As part of an overall push towards Net Zero, cleaner air and less reliance on fossil fuels, the measures will apply to anyone building a new home, not just an eco home.

What is the Future Homes Standard?

The Future Homes Standard will complement the Building Regulations to ensure new homes produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes delivered under the old regulations.

Existing homes and certain home improvements will also be subject to higher standards, although homeowners will only be affected if they are planning on making thermal upgrades or building an extension.

The Future Homes Standard was first announced in the government’s spring statement in 2019 meaning it will have taken around nine years to come into force.

Why was the Future Homes Standard announced?

The built environment accounts for roughly 25% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, with around 14% of this coming from the 28 million homes in the UK, according to the Climate Change Committee. The Future Homes Standard is designed to bring these levels down.

The government hopes the standard will go some way towards tackling climate change, and act as a roadmap for the industry and homeowners to reach its net zero target.

The government has previously introduced the Zero Carbon Homes Standard (scrapped in 2015) and the Code for Sustainable Homes (which also wound down in 2015), to help assess and certify the sustainable design and construction of new homes.

What has happened so far

There have a number of previous consultations into the Future Homes Standard, which proposed a raft of measures for new and existing homes.

In December 2023, the government issued the Homes and Buildings Standards consultation and confirmed that all new homes would be required to be equipped with low-carbon heating, such as air source heat pumps.

This was one of two options put forward, with the first requiring a heat pump, dMEV (decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation), a waste water heat recovery system and solar PV panels. The second option only required a heat pump and natural ventilation.

Additionally, there were proposals to mitigate against overheating in new homes, which was addressed via a new requirement in the building regulations.

David Hilton, director of Heat and Energy Ltd and contributor to Homebuilding & Renovating, said of the new Part O: “Looking at overheating in homes is very important as it is probably the most overlooked aspect of modern buildings in the UK and rapidly becoming a major problem with many new build homes."

How self-builders and renovators will be affected

Self builders will have to adhere to the complete Future Homes Standards, and although this may drive mean build costs may be higher, the payback in terms of energy bill costs savings is expected to reap rewards.

If you are renovating a house and installing new thermal elements or replacing and renovating existing thermal elements, such as windows you will also need to meet the revised building regulations that are designed to support the Future Homes Standard.

There is also be a requirement to significantly improve the performance of house extensions following on from a new efficiency metric that came into force from June 2022.

Home improvers will also be encouraged to use energy-efficient replacements and repairs during home improvement work. These include the installation of heat pumps – which there is financial assistance in place for via the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

How will energy standards be assessed?

A new Home Energy Model will be used in the Future Homes Standard assessment to demonstrate that new dwellings comply with the Future Homes Standard.

It will replace the SAP calculations currently used to assess the EPC (energy performance certificate) ratings.

Primary energy consumption is to be the key metric for measuring building performance. This is the energy potential of the fuel that goes into the power station to generate the electricity used in a home. Carbon dioxide emissions is to be the secondary metric.

In the Future Buildings Standard consultation response, the government said: "The introduction of a primary energy metric will enable us to make good use of our nation's energy resources and prioritise the energy efficiency of each building, regardless of the heat source."

The Home Energy Model will be introduced under a transitionary period with SAP calculations once the Future Homes Standard is in play.

U-Value requirements to change

U-Values measure how effective a home's fabric is at preventing heat from transmitting between the inside and outside of the home. The lower the U-value the better, as this means heat is less able to quickly transmit through your home.

U-Values will be required as a minimum in the Future Homes Standard, and at a slightly more stringent level under the proposed 'Zero Carbon Standard'. This also applies to airtightness.

The proposed new levels published in the government's response to the Future Homes Standard consultation are:

Will gas boilers be banned?

No new homes will be able to connect the gas network as part of the Future Homes Standard. Instead, they will be equipped with energy-efficient insulation and heated by a low-carbon heating source.

This would mean a gas boiler ban in new build homes although a complete ban on them in existing home is no longer being actioned.