From March 2027 (though there are some exemptions for projects already in progress), new properties will need to adhere to the Future Homes Standard (Part L 2026). While the actual adjustments to regulations are complex and detail-heavy, some key elements and implications are worth pulling out.
A move away from an obsession with insulation
There had been some expectation that even tighter restrictions on U-values and insulation would be included, but any changes here are only incremental. This reflects the thinking in the Warm Homes Plan, which focuses on existing housing stock and is much more technology-oriented than earlier programmes like the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme.
It also makes sense given that current building regulations already mean that buildings need to be pretty well insulated, and the financial and carbon gains of going further are arguably marginal.
Airtightness gets tighter
As insulation has improved, the impact of ventilation losses has proportionately increased. As such, the increased requirements here (moving to 3 m³/(h·m²) at 50 Pa) are not unexpected. What this will mean, however, is a combination of better construction standards and, since these ventilation rates are not compatible with interior air quality, mechanical ventilation in most cases.
Solar regulations have teeth
While there are some exemptions, the expectation is that solar PV will need to cover 40% of properties’ ground-floor-area and be optimised as regards orientation/shading – a far cry from some of the solar installations on new builds where houses have seen two panels on a four-bedroom house, which provide limited generation and actually increase the cost of a ‘proper’ solar installation, which then require taking out and making good the typically in-roof array.
Getting to 40% coverage and avoiding shading will require a wholesale rethink of how projects are designed, with solar accommodation and optimisation an inherent part of the design process.
Heat pumps or district heating
Fossil fuel boilers will no longer be permitted in practice (through emissions restrictions rather than an outright ban). While this removes the cost of gas connections or oil tanks, the lack of available Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding for professional developers and housebuilders and the inherent cost of both heat pump and district heating schemes means an inevitable cost increase.
However, as with solar, this also impacts design. Noise regulations, manufacturer and safety compliance for outdoor unit placement, aesthetics and the heating distribution implications (whether radiators, underfloor heating or warm air) all need to be considered in project design.
District heating is still a relatively immature market in the UK, but for larger developments may be a cost-effective option.
The impact of electrification
While not a direct feature of the Future Homes Standard, more solar and more heat pumps (and the likely uptake, whether designed in or retrofitted, of EV charging) mean greater electric loads, bi-directional requirements, and that has an impact on the electrical infrastructure of the development. Thinking about a development as a whole and the electrical flows, and how to optimise these, could be a real driver of value
The importance of operational expertise in helping optimise
M&E consultants don’t always understand the real-world requirements of heat pumps or the differentiation of different models and types, or of how optimised whole-home electrification strategies impact loads and requirements.
Companies like Genous, which both design and optimise consumer systems and, through subsidiary Cotswold Energy Group, install scale renewables for large commercial clients, can advise on how to optimise the technology as part of both the masterplan and the detailed design.
Getting this right will be critical not just for adherence to the regulations but for improving profitability and creating homes that customers want to live in and buy.
