From 2025, all new homes in England will be built to new standards that lessen their impact on the environment. Despite this welcome introduction, unless you work in construction it is quite likely that you will never have heard of the Future Homes Standard. So, what are these new standards, and how will they impact anyone wanting to buy a new home?
The Future Homes Standard (or FHS) is a series of measures written into legislation that will require the CO2 emissions produced by new homes to be 75-80% lower than those built using current standards.
All new homes will need to be ‘zero carbon ready’, which means:
- Heating that requires fossil fuels (such as gas boilers) will no longer be allowed
- Homes will need to be future-proofed to benefit from the decarbonisation of the electricity grid
The shift from fossil fuel heating will mean many new homes will be heated using a combination of heat pumps and solar PV panels. Increasing the efficiency of new homes through the materials used in construction will also be vital, reducing a home’s energy needs and potentially offering homeowners significant savings in the process.
The FHS will become a building regulations requirement from 2025, but Grace Homes has already been embracing the changes. Take The Orchard for example, a small development of traditionally styled, yet highly efficient new homes located in the Leicestershire village of Swinford.
These homes, constructed back in 2020, were already zero-carbon ready, far exceeding the regulations in place at that time. A combination of the fabric of the buildings, the energy-efficient air source heat pumps installed, and the exclusive use of low energy lighting all contributed towards creating homes that generate significantly lower CO2 emissions.
This focus on energy efficiency coupled with outstanding build quality won Grace Homes recognition at the prestigious LABC Building Excellence Awards where The Orchard was awarded the coveted title of “Best Medium Volume New Housing Development in the East Midlands”.
Ahead of the 2025 introduction of the FHS, we will continue to push forward energy saving initiatives across other developments, such as the inclusion of solar thermal panels on the roof to help heat the hot water, electric car charging points, and the installation of air source heat pumps in all future new homes.
Want to know more? Read about the Future Homes Standard here