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We have to rewind to 2019 to find the first reference to the Future Homes Standard. 

It, along with the Future Buildings Standard for non-residential sites, is a six-year plan to greatly improve the energy performance of newly constructed buildings in England. 

There are four main aims of the Future Homes Standard which, although created under the previous government, has avoided being scrapped through various political reshuffles and general elections. 

The first objective is a big number but a simple concept – to improve the energy performance of our homes. A house built to the 2025 version of Part L (which is expected to be implemented in 2026), will be responsible for generating at least 75% less CO2 than a dwelling built to the previous version of Part L (used from 2014-2022). A 75% drop in emissions between 2022 to 2026. 

This sounds monumental, but the vast majority of that 75% will be dealt with by two factors. Firstly, the fact that our electricity grid is becoming greener and more sustainable by the month, so the energy we use in our homes is naturally more environmentally friendly than it was a few months ago. Secondly, we are transitioning away from fossil fuel heating systems – better known as gas boilers. Most new homes will be heated by heat pumps which are not only three times as efficient as gas boilers, but also don’t use fossil fuels. 

It's worth noting that the 75% figure is the minimum ambition. When the UK Government announces the detail of the new Part L, we may find they’ve exceeded this objective. 

The second aim of FHS is to ensure homes are comfortable to live in. While insulating homes and reducing air leakage is important, this can also lead to overheating. When FHS was first published, we didn’t have any mandatory overheating requirements in building regulations. This changed in 2021 with the publication of Approved Document Part O. 

All new homes now need to be assessed to ensure the design meets targets to ensure they don’t have excessive solar gains, and to always show they have suitable air flow to keep us cool during those rare but uncomfortable hot spells. 

Part F was also revised as part of these changes to make sure we have decent ventilation designed into both new homes, and when existing buildings are insulated. 

FHS's third objective wants better accuracy between the design stage assessment and real life. The ‘Performance Gap’ is a phrase that’s always haunted SAP calculations and EPC reports. The discrepancy between the predicted energy use of a house and the actual energy use isn’t close enough. 

A few factors are playing their part here. One issue is the accuracy of SAP. This will hopefully be resolved with the roll-out of HEM next year. Another issue is builders not following the design stage plans. In England and Wales, this is now being addressed through the photo evidence section of Part L and the requirement to sign Part L compliance reports before Energy Performance Certificates can be released to the builder. 

Collecting better real-life data is an area that needs improvement, but this could be added as a voluntary best practice in the next version of Part L. 

The Performance Gap will always need scrutiny, even after the next wave of changes. But it’s hoped the proposed updates in 2026 will bring the results of assessments closer to reality. 

And the fourth objective of FHS is to lower running costs. Now, as mentioned in line 1, FHS was published in 2019, and plenty of inter-political events have occurred in that time which means fuel bills have only been increasing. 

One key concept is still true – if we build homes with high energy heating systems, high fabric standards and build-in energy generating technology, that house will be cheaper to run. 

But we can’t avoid the discussion that fuel bills are much higher than they were in 2019. Other consultations and political plans are rumbling on the background to try to improve fuel poverty, but this target is still very much a work in progress. 

FHS will conclude with the roll-out of the Home Energy Model and the next version of Approved Document Part L. While it has faced challenges over the years, it has certainly helped the housebuilding industry to take steps towards a zero-carbon future.