TRACKING HOUSEBUILDERS’ STRATEGIES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE FUTURE HOMES STANDARD INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER 47


Which of the above options, if any, do you consider to be the biggest risks to delivering Future Homes Standard-compliant homes?


infl ation, installer skills shortages, grid constraints, supply chain readiness, and customer demand. The research provided an updated picture of industry readiness, delivery confi dence and specifi cation trends as the sector prepares for the transition towards S-compliant developments.


The key change under the new art , brought in under the S umbrella, is the airtightness target used in the ‘notional building’ used as a model to test a home design’s performance against. This increases from  mhm at  a art   to  mhm under the interim S . compliance route used for the initial phase of the S. There is a ‘legal backstop’ minimum air tightness of  mhm, but that’s seen as “a worst-case ceiling, not a working target.” ost new build homes achieve air-tightness in the - m hm range, but achieving the new notional target of  m can’t be achieved by design only. It demands a better level of site discipline, better detailing at junctions and penetrations, and independent verifi cation of the fi nished building’s performance by a ualifi ed professional. s stated earlier, the transitional arrangements for fi rms building S-compliant homes mean that home designs with an initial building notice or full plans application submitted before  arch  can be built under previous art   rules, provided construction commences by  arch . ealistically, all new home schemes which are being initiated currently should be designed and built to the new reuirements.


KEY CHANGES


side from limited fabric upgrades, the main changes in the S are the reuirement to transition to low-carbon heating, alongside the introduction of renewables in the form of V to the tune of  of a home’s ground fl oor area in the notional building. hasing out gas boilers means shifting entirely to electric-powered alternatives like air-source heat pumps or heat networks, which means changes in utility coordination and grid capacity reuirements.


igher insulation and tighter airtightness demand complex mechanical ventilation and wastewater heat recovery systems to prevent indoor air uality and overheating issues. On-site renewable integration and V charger installations complicate roof design, procurement, and site logistics. Beyond these practical challenges, the issues of the work pipeline for schemes with multiple homes boil down to the need to manage mixed timelines across different phases and sites. If done badly, this creates inconsistent specifi cations, supply chain confusion, and potential costly reworking of projects. nd as ever, the perennial skills shortages in the industry compound all of these challenges, with a lack of specialised labour, and technical expertise in planning and S assessment makes signing off projects and verifying good uality execution at scale diffi cult for traditional builders.


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