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Future Homes Standard industry reactions
Jon Bootland – CEO – Passivhaus Trust “The proposed Future Homes Standard is a missed opportunity. By not addressing the fabric efficiency, peak heat load, occupant comfort and indoor air quality of newbuild homes, new homes built to the Future Homes Standard will not deliver the healthy and comfortable homes that are so urgently needed. “The Scottish Government has recently unveiled proposals that buildings
to the Passivhaus standard should be deemed to satisfy its building standards. Following Scotland’s lead, we believe that all-electric homes to the Passivhaus standard should be deemed to satisfy the Future Homes Standard.”
Neil Fitzsimons – Managing Director – Power On “The publication of the Future Homes Standard recognises that high rise developments require a different approach to low-carbon heat and hot water delivery. “At Power On, we recognised years ago that individual, unit-by-unit solutions like air source heat pumps simply do not stack up for tall buildings – technically, spatially, or economically. Instead, the answer sits with heat networks. “If the UK is serious about net zero, we must move beyond fragmented, building-by-building thinking. High-rise developments demand infrastructure-led solutions. Heat networks are not just an option, they are the answer.”
Neil Hargreaves – Managing Director– Knauf Insulation “Housebuilders will be pleased. A standard to deliver more efficient and comfortable homes for their customers, but without requiring wholesale reinvention. In most cases, fabric compliance will be readily achievable using non-combustible insulation in 150mm wall cavities and more efficient lofts. “That should buy space to address an inherent mid-term risk. With fine-tuned heat pumps replacing brute force gas boilers, any fabric performance gap will be much more keenly felt by homeowners (and seen on their electricity bills). Couple that with EPC Reform soon giving them the right to have their new home assessed, and the SMETER programme giving them the means to do so, and ‘as- built’ performance quickly becomes an acute concern. “For all housebuilders, the right Future Homes adoption strategy will include design and process choices that mitigate this risk to prevent future headaches.”
Ben Standing – Partner in planning and environment – Browne Jacobson “After much delay to implementing the Future Homes Standard since the policy was first launched in 2019, this feels like a sensible approach from the government to ensure its housebuilding drive is in step with its homegrown clean energy ambitions. “With a desire to build 300,000 homes every year, it wouldn’t make sense if these required retrofitting soon after construction. Ensuring solar panels and heat pumps are fitted as standard is therefore an important intervention that also brings a focus on high-quality, comfortable new housing that is cheap to run. “However, this push must be complemented by a dedicated drive to upskill people who will be needed to install solar panels, as well as other features of a modern, energy-efficient home such as heat pumps. “It’s important to remember that these twin solar policies are just part of the
broader future energy mix for British households. Ramping up nuclear power via small modular reactors and new nuclear power stations, investing in offshore wind and hydropower, and developing the associated infrastructure to carry this energy to homes and businesses remains critical to economic growth.”
LSFA unveils White Paper for low carbon, industrialised and digitally enabled future
The Light Steel Frame Association (LSFA) has launched a major new White Paper setting out how light steel frame (LSF) technology is uniquely positioned to support the UK construction sector’s transition to a more industrialised, low- carbon and digitally enabled future. The White Paper ‘Driving Circular,
Low-Carbon and Industrialised Delivery Across the Built Environment’ provides a defining strategy of how advanced manufacturing, automation, digital integration and circular economy principles are reshaping construction. Taking architects, engineers, specifiers and public sector clients on an informative journey, the document makes a case for why light steel frame systems are at the forefront of this transformation. The publication comes at a critical time for the UK built environment, as the sector faces mounting pressure to deliver more homes, schools and infrastructure while responding to tightening regulatory requirements, Net Zero commitments and persistent labour shortages. As outlined in the White Paper, the industry is entering a decisive decade where traditional construction approaches will struggle to meet demands for productivity, sustainability and compliance. In response, the report argues that the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) – underpinned by industrialised manufacturing and digital design – is no longer optional but essential. The White Paper also highlights
the central role that light steel frame can play in supporting the industry’s transition to Net Zero and circular economy principles.
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