The Future Homes Standard and what it means for UK housebuilders and their buyers

In November 2021, Housebuilder and Developer magazine¹ conducted a survey across the UK housebuilding sector on the Future Homes Standard (FHS). Its findings revealed only 13% of housebuilders fully-understood the new standard, whilst 51% stated their buyers were unaware it even existed. The survey also showed the vast majority of builders claim the government had not done enough to prepare the industry and members of the public for the standard’s potential impact. So, what can be done to bridge the knowledge gap about the coming measures?

Designed to help the UK government fulfil its net-zero greenhouse gas emissions pledge by 2050, the Future Homes Standard sets the parameters for new housing to produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than 1990 levels. It means from 2025, gas boilers will not be permitted to heat new homes, which will be required to be future-proofed in order to use the electricity grid as a means of decarbonisation. This will encourage housebuilders to install electricity-only heat pumps or other adoptive technology. The new measures will also tighten standards for already-built homes in relation to extensions, replacements and repairs. This is intended to save energy, make homes warmer, and reduce fuel bills.

Do new standards come at a cost?

So, what do these new measures mean for builders? The FHS highlights a need for improving energy standards of a building’s fabric through correctly specified and installed insulation, but the construction industry as a whole must come to a general consensus as to how to achieve the future standard with the materials and renewables available to them. As outlined in the Housebuilder and Developer survey, one issue most respondents were agreed upon was the inevitability of the new measures incurring additional build costs, which it was assumed would be priced in as part of a house sale.

Measures to improve living standards

Tighter building regulations are set to be introduced via the FHS. Measures include contractors being required to take photographs as part of a more stringent on-site monitoring process. The pictures will be passed to homeowners, with the aim of giving them a better understanding of how the as-built energy calculation of their property was carried out. Such procedures could help improve living standards – an issue Recticel is seeking to address through its membership of the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC). The non-profit organisation was set up nearly 50 years ago to promote the benefits of safe and sustainable homes as a means of creating comfortable, affordable interiors. This is particularly aimed at occupants facing fuel poverty, a threat that’s been exacerbated for many households nationwide due to the current worldwide rise in energy prices.

The NHIC endorses taking a fabric-first approach to improving a property’s thermal performance, as does another high-profile industry body which counts Recticel as a member: the Sustainable Energy Association (SEA). With a membership comprising retailers, manufacturers, regulators and housing providers, all of which are committed to energy-saving measures, the SEA aims to combine building-level technologies and the wider energy system to achieve a secure, low-carbon future for the UK.