When is the Future Homes Standard coming – and what are the steps to get there?

The Future Homes Standard 2025 is expected to come into force in June 2025 which, through building regulations, is intended to reduce carbon emissions from new homes by 75-80% on introduction. It ‘will also be a ‘zero carbon ready’ standard, switching off fossil fuels and becoming zero carbon as the grid decarbonises. Formal consultation on the standard is due in the Spring of 2023. The Hub, under terms of reference from Government, has been exploring how the standard can be delivered at scale to inform the consultation. Once complete, the Government will respond back to the consultation and develop the policy and detailed requirements. 

What is the Future Homes Hub role in all this? How will this improve the outcomes for homebuilders and the industry?

With a short timescale (October to December 2022), the Future Homes Hub is currently running a ‘refining the 2025 Future Home Standard’ task group. We’ve gathered a range of 140 stakeholders with different viewpoints and experiences – and we’re running approximately 20 working groups that are considering different aspects of the Future Homes Standard. Some are technical, such as heat pumps and ventilation; others are design, planning, valuation, consumer perspectives and grid load implications. We have smaller businesses alongside those who have a high-level of delivery – to gather their ideas and evidence to help inform DLUHC as they consider what questions to ask in the formal consultation. 

What are the key questions the government is looking for the FHS Task Group to answer? And what is being excluded and why?

The Government want to build a picture of what the benefits and challenges of different technologies and approaches are. The purpose of the Task Group is not to provide a recommendation or which potential technology or approach is best, we’re tasked with helping Government understand what the practical opportunities and barriers would be if these approaches were delivered at scale. We’re also being asked to consider the implications of different ways of expressing the targets that legislation asks for. 

In terms of exclusions – we won’t be looking at the embodied carbon and whole life carbon implications, instead focusing on operational carbon only. Both embodied and whole life carbon will be reviewed by another group. We’re also limiting conversation about the implications of the power grid – keeping this to considering only at a development site level, simply to be pragmatic with the time and scope we have. 

What’s the process the Future Homes Hub has put in place to provide this?

We have asked two questions - first, how might a home meet the proposed reduction in carbon emissions? From the many responses, we identified five “contender specifications”, being five different combinations of fabric performance and use of technologies that may meet the standard. Importantly, these reflect the views of a broad range of stakeholders on what the Future Homes Standard 2025 could be.

Then our second question is, considering each of these five specifications, what would the industry have to do to deliver at scale, and what are the implications and attributes of homes built to those standards?

We need to be able to answer what the benefits and challenges are of different technologies and approaches - such as heat pumps, ventilation systems, different heating systems, and different fabric performance levels – as well as the solutions. We’re also being asked to consider the implications of different ways of expressing the targets in legislation.

The working groups are also exploring specific lenses. For example, what might consumer and home buyers think of living in these homes? What are the energy and running costs? What are upfront costs? Planning applications?

It’s a great opportunity for everyone to learn from different experiences. This is the first time some of these conversations are happening with such a broad range of stakeholders – it's brilliant. 

We’re not proposing that one solution is better than another, but using the knowledge and experience of the sector, we are setting out the implications of different choices to be able to generate that evidence that DLUHC is seeking to understand in their targeted approach to 2025.

One of the key takeaways we have seen so far is the importance of consumer understanding and commissioning of installing of services. We need to understand the needs and wants of consumers and buyers of new build housing. 

Where are you now in the process and what comes next?

All the working groups are now in full flow and they’re focusing in on answering the key questions they have identified and pulling together the appropriate info and sourcing evidence. This is in advance of two-day meeting and workshop on 30 November and 1 December where we review the evidence, and test it, as a group. The plan is to have the report written as a draft for DLUHC by mid-December and published in the new year.

Looking to next year, we’ll continue to work with stakeholders during and after the Government consultation period and as Government prepares approved documents. We are also proposing to work with Government departments in a more structured way, with agreed timelines from now to application of the standard, on the so-called ‘critical enablers’, including SAP, skills, supply chain, infrastructure and helping to prepare customers for the change.

It is truly inspiring to have so many people give so much of their time to this work. The homebuilding sector is clearly engaged with the move to zero-carbon-ready homes and is showing leadership in accelerating change in a practical and achievable way. 

Find out more about our Future Homes Standard project.