By Sarah Macklin 
In a desperate bid to make UK homes much more energy efficient than they are currently, the government set out to see what changes could be made. The Future Homes and the Future Buildings Standards are documents that outline such changes.
Read on to find out more about what each of these documents entails and what it could mean for homeowners and developers.
What is the Future Homes Standard?
From October 2019 to 2020, the government hosted a public consultation on proposed changes to Building Regulations. The Future Homes Standard is their response to the consultation and is a document that outlines the changes the government is planning to make with regards to new homes and their efficiency. With their changes, they’re hoping to reduce the carbon emissions of new homes by around 75 to 80% and will come into effect from 2025.
The UK has set a target to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The purpose of the Future Homes Standard document was to make sure the country was on track for such a target and to specifically outline how it would be reached. However, so far, the government “has not yet determined the performance metrics for the Future Buildings Standard” and is continuing to evaluate how such a reduction in carbon emissions is possible.
While they’re deciding this, they brought in some initial changes to the Building Regulations, which came into effect in June 2022.
What does the Future Homes Standard document outline?
As heating and powering buildings accounts for 40% of the UK’s total energy usage, this is the area the government focused on the most, notably Parts F and L of the Building Regulations. These changes have already come into effect, from June 2022.
Part F focuses on building ventilation, offering guidance on the types of ventilation to be used and also looking at air quality and condensation. Part L looks at the conservation of fuel and power to reduce CO2.
To uplift Part L, the consultation provided two options. The first involved adjusting the fabrics used in new homes to reduce CO2 by 20%. The second looked at “fabric plus technology” to create a 31% reduction. This means the fabric would be looked at, but also the technology in the homes, including low carbon heating.
The second option was decided upon.
The Future Homes Standard will address further amendments to Part L and F of Building Regulations for new homes, and from 2025, all new homes have to adhere to the Standard.
One thing that has been decided on however, is homes built from 2025 need to be fitted with a low-carbon heating system, such as a heat pump, instead of a gas boiler. Developers can choose to install an air-to-water heat pump (which uses heat from the air to warm up your hot water and deliver it to your radiators) or air-to-air heat pumps (that deliver heating via air that is blown through vents in the home).
The government wants to be installing 600k heat pumps per year by 2028, ending the connection of new build homes to the gas grid, phasing out high-carbon, fossil fuel heating in buildings not connected to the gas grid. Doing so could help to reduce homeowners’ bills and their energy usage.
Other technologies that could be used include electric boilers and heat networks.
Further changes to Building Regulations from 2025 might include:
- Mandatory space for hot water storage
- No more combi boilers
- Significant improvements to insulation and airtightness.
Do I have to stick to the guidelines if I’m self-building?
Self-builders have to stick to Building Regulations no matter what, and so you will need to listen to the guidelines that came in from June 2022, as well as any new guidelines that are announced in 2025.
To adhere to the 30% reduction in CO2 usage, you could install solar panels and make use of a heat pump system instead of a boiler. You may also want to make small efficiency changes, like installing triple glazing or ensuring the insulation is sufficient.
When does the Future Homes Standard come into effect?
Part of the Future Homes Standard has already come into effect from June 2022. The other changes will likely be announced and implemented from 2025.
You can find the summary and the government’s response to the Future Home Standards here.
What is the Future Buildings Standard?
The Future Buildings Standard document is very similar to the Future Homes Standard, but instead focuses on the changes to non-domestic buildings (offices, gyms, etc.) and existing (not new) homes. From June 2022, it was required that non-residential buildings must produce 27% fewer CO2 emissions.
This can be achieved in much the same way as the Future Homes Standard outlines, through insulation, heat pumps and solar panels, focusing again on Parts L and F of the Building Regulations.
The second important part of the Future Buildings Standard is the review of overheating. This information can be found in Part O of the document and looks at what systems can be put in place to limit a building overheating in the summer and provide a means of cooling the building. Solutions may include installing shutters/external blinds/awnings to prevent the sun from heating the room via the windows and evaluating the glazing design (size, orientation, g-value).
You can find a summary of the Future Buildings Standard on the Gov.uk website.
