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INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER Future Homes Standard Future Buildings Standard
“What U-values (in relation to the Notional Building target) are you seeking for Future Homes Standard & Future Buildings Standard compliance?” Windows Walls Roofs Floors
on their ongoing schemes in order to meet the FHS/FBS, with the majority saying they hadn’t in both cases (55%). However, in an earlier set of answers, the minority who had needed to redesign schemes said they had needed to due to overheating, therefore we could perhaps deduce that rather than redesign windows, the numbers of windows on facades could be reduced.
Product solutions
In both studies we asked which technologies and approaches respondent architects would prioritise in order to meet the new requirements within both residential and non-residential projects, although in the 2024 study this was focused on Part L compliance. The distribution of technology types was somewhat similar in Future Homes Standard compliance, with breathable membranes on top as a ‘defi nite,’ although this had dropped from 74% to 55% in 2025 for housebuilding. Thermal breaks came in second both times, and airtightness tapes was in third both times. However, our results saw trickle vents and background ventilation had dropped from fourth in 2024 (chosen by 49%) to a fairly mediocre 31%, with heat pumps having risen from former sixth place to fourth at 38%. Battery storage, arguably the ideal scenario for many housing projects despite the challenges, was picked as ‘unlikely to use’ by 10% and as a defi nite ‘no’ for 8% surprisingly, but possibly indicating fi nancial and space constraints. No-one said a defi nite ‘no’ in 2024 but there was a signifi cant 17% saying it was unlikely. In non-resi projects, the distribution was more even, with thermal breaks in top, just in front of breathable membranes, these roles switching in 2025. Battery storage fared slightly better, with only 6% saying they defi nitely wouldn’t use it, but also only 22% saying they defi nitely would.
Cost uplift
While still speculative, many architects and contractors are currently trying to establish what their likely cost parameters are for the extra
performance spec required for homes and non-resi schemes, and the wide-ranging views of our respondents provide considerable food for thought.
The most popular choice in our 2025 survey was that the cost uplift per unit for the FHS would be between £1,000 and £5,000. This was chosen by 37% of our survey cohort, but the substantially greater parameter of between £10,000 and £20,000 was picked by a signifi cant 20% chunk of respondents as the likely increase. And slightly worryingly, 7% believed that it would be over £30,000 uplift. Only 3% thought there would be no increase in cost. And for the Future Buildings Standard, there was a similar distribution, with 40% believing that a £5,000 to £10,000 uplift was most likely. Again, 7% believed it would be over £30,000, and 3% saw no increase as likely.
Conclusion
Our survey gave a broad indication of the issues and key priorities in 2025 for architects as the industry awaits these potentially transformative standards. The answers raise further questions and issues which remain to be addressed.
There is growing consensus that the Home Energy Model, as well as the Future Homes and Future Buildings Standards themselves, will now emerge in 2026. The delay itself speaks to how complex and diffi cult it is to satisfy the industry’s aspirations alongside those of the Government and wider stakeholders, including end customers. Most of our survey cohort thought the Future Homes Standard would even not be in force until after 2028, putting the Government’s ambitions of 1.5 million new homes under even greater doubt.
We would once again like to thank our sponsors Kingspan Insulation and Fakro for supporting this Industry Viewfi nder research project.
For the full white paper report please visit
www.insights.
netmagmedia.co.uk
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF OCTOBER 2025
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