What the government's focus on low-carbon homes means for the installers who will deliver them

Two major initiatives are driving this shift:

• the Warm Homes Plan, which is focused on improving and upgrading England’s existing housing stock
• the Future Homes Standard, which sets new requirements for homes built in England from 2028.

Together, they mark a decisive move away from the country’s historic reliance on fossil fuel heating and inefficient buildings – and a clear signal to the industry that demand for renewable technologies is only going in one direction.

For installers, these changes bring huge opportunities. But they also reinforce a crucial message: certification, competence, and strong technical foundations will be essential to accessing funded work and delivering safe, high-quality installations.

One goal, two plans

According to the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), around 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions are generated through the construction, operation, or maintenance of buildings.

The route to reducing this figure is twofold:

• Retrofitting the UK’s approximately 30 million existing buildings to increase their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
• Introducing tighter regulations to minimise the emissions produced by buildings constructed going forwards.

That’s where the Warm Homes Plan and the Future Homes Standard come in. Focusing particularly on residential properties, they form two sides of the same coin; two plans designed to achieve the same goal.

The Warm Homes Plan (WHP)

Published on 21 January 2026, the WHP announced £15 billion of public funding to retrofit up to 5 million homes by 2030 with low carbon technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps, and energy-efficient insulation.

The funding will be delivered through a variety of mechanisms, including through local councils, existing grants (such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme), and government-backed, low- and zero-interest loans.

You can read more about the WHP and the funding announced in this article.

The Future Homes Standard (FHS)

Published on 24 March, the FHS introduces updates to the Building Regulations in England (specifically, Approved Document F and Approved Document L, which govern ventilation and energy efficiency, respectively) that will require all new build homes to be “zero-carbon ready”.

In practice, this means developers must ensure all new homes are:

• fitted with low-carbon heating systems
• fitted with solar panels covering at least 40% of the ground floor surface area (where appropriate)
• built in line with new building fabric requirements relating to insulation, ventilation, and airtightness.

The legislation will take effect from 24 March 2027 and there will be a 12-month transition period where new dwellings with foundations laid can continue in line with the old standards. From 24 March 2028, all developers will need to comply with the updated standards.

There are some exceptions to the above, particularly relating to higher risk buildings (defined as buildings over 18 metres in height or having at least seven storeys). These buildings are exempt from the solar panel requirement due to space limitations and prohibitive installation costs (although other requirements still apply). A later implementation date of 24 September 2027 also applies to higher-risk buildings.

You can read more about the FHS in this article.

What does this mean for electricians and installers?

1. Increased demand for low carbon technologies

With these two announcements, the government has made its position exceedingly clear: it’s low carbon all the way from here on in.

Not only is it doubling down on its mission to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but it’s responding to more recent geopolitical instability, which has made it clearer than ever that the country’s reliance on fossil fuel markets is increasingly untenable.

And so, it’s highly likely electricians and installers of low carbon technologies are going to see a rapid uptick in demand for work in these areas. This demand is going to come both from homeowners and landlords looking to upgrade their properties using funding delivered by the WHP, and from developers, who will be seeking competent electricians and installers with the skills they need to deliver millions of energy efficient homes from 2028.

2. The certainty to invest in skills

The publication of both the WHP and the FHS in quick succession marks a pronounced shift in the government’s approach to decarbonisation. It is a clear demonstration of a renewed commitment to a long-term, systemic approach to decarbonisation that addresses both new build quality and the country’s existing housing stock.

Even though the UK’s target of achieving net-zero carbon by 2050 has been set in legal stone since 2019, the WHP and FHS are among the most significant and concrete steps the UK has taken on homes and buildings since this target was set.

This clear signal of intent should, we hope, give businesses confidence any money they invest in upskilling and training in renewable technologies will not go to waste. And the latest government figures on energy trends back up this assertion.

Recent energy statistics show energy generated from renewable sources was up 6% in 2025, a year that broke multiple records for low-carbon technologies. A record 52.5% of all energy generated was electric, with both wind generation (up by 4%) and solar generation (up by a massive 37%) also breaking previous records.

3. A focus on quality and compliance

With significant demand set to come from homeowners through WHP funding mechanisms, electrical businesses and installers should be aware government funding often comes with strings attached.

For example:

• Heat pump installations funded by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Home Energy Scotland Grant need to be carried out by an MCS-certified installer.
• Retrofit work funded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant must be carried out by an installer that is:
  • registered with TrustMark
  • certified on the latest version of PAS 2030 for insulation or
  • certified on the MCS Installer Scheme for low carbon technology installations like heat pumps, solar panels, and battery storage.

Meanwhile, the tightened regulatory framework for new builds under the Future Homes Standard mean developers who don’t comply could face costly legal consequences. To manage that risk, they will increasingly look for installers who can demonstrate competence, with greater emphasis on:

• recognised certification schemes (such as the MCS Installer Scheme and the NICEIC Competent Person Scheme)
• strong electrical foundations (recognised Level 3 qualifications from industry-approved routes, such as apprenticeships)
• recognised low carbon qualifications
• and other proofs of competence such as the ECS gold card.

NICEIC is now approved to offer the latest version of the MCS Installer Scheme, which places less emphasis on paperwork and back-office compliance, and more on quality installations and value for consumers.

Training to succeed

Whether you already work with low carbon technologies, or you’re interested in moving your business into this space, having the right qualifications is set to become more important than ever.

Here are some factors to consider when selecting the training courses and qualifications that work best for you and your team.

1. EAS updates will require you and your teams to hold relevant low carbon qualifications

Recent updates to the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification mean from 1 October 2026, businesses certified on an electrotechnical scheme with any certification body (not just NICEIC) will be required to hold certain qualifications to carry out low carbon installation work.

All qualified supervisors responsible for, and employed persons carrying out, the following low carbon installations will need a recognised qualification for the work they’re carrying out.

• Electrical vehicle charging equipment (EVCE)
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
• Electrical energy storage systems (EESS).

Check out niceic.com/eas-changes for all the information you need on accepted training courses and qualifications, so your business can move forwards with confidence.

2. Strong electrical foundations are essential

To access most low carbon training courses and qualifications, having a strong electrical foundation is non-negotiable.

For example, all renewables qualifications offered by NICEIC carry the Electrician Plus kitemark. Electrician Plus is a scheme launched by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP), which highlights how crucial it is to have a solid grounding in electrical scientific theory and principles first before moving into the installation of low carbon technologies such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and electric vehicle charging equipment (EVCE).

That’s why the following NICEIC qualifications all require attendees to hold an industry-recognised Level 3 electrotechnical qualification before they can train with us:

• Level 3 Award in the Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Points
• Level 3 Award in the Installation of Small-Scale Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
• Level 3 Award in the Design, Installation, and Commissioning of Electrical Energy Storage Systems (EESS).

View our Electrician Plus qualifications list to see all the core Level 3 qualifications that meet Electrician Plus entry criteria.

If you are working in the industry and don’t have a Level 3 qualification, you may be eligible for the Experienced Worker Assessment (EWA). The EWA is pathway to qualification for experienced electricians who have been working in the industry for several years but haven’t completed an apprenticeship or achieved an equivalent recognised Level 3 vocational qualification.

3. The importance of choosing industry-recognised qualifications

Before investing in any training course or qualification, it’s vital to check it’s recognised by the industry and will genuinely help you achieve your intended goal.

For example, if your business is looking to join the MCS Installer Scheme, ensure your nominated Technical Supervisor is enrolled on a course that’s explicitly aligned with MCS standards. You can find a list of accepted qualifications using the MCS Find a Training Course Tool, which lists qualifications mapped to MCS requirements and recognised by scheme operators.

Similarly, if you’d like to tender for new build work once the Future Homes Standard comes into force, developers and principal contractors will increasingly expect installers to evidence competence through recognised qualifications and certification schemes, rather than informal or short-course training alone. Where compliance with Building Regulations is non-negotiable, developers are likely to favour installers who can demonstrate their training aligns with established industry frameworks, supports competent person scheme requirements, and reduces the risk of non-compliance on site.

In practice, choosing industry-recognised courses helps businesses:

• avoid duplicated or unnecessary training
• meet the eligibility criteria for certification schemes and funded work
• demonstrate competence to developers, clients and delivery partners
• future‑proof their skills as standards and regulations continue to evolve.

The key takeaway is training should never be chosen in isolation. Before committing, businesses should always consider how a qualification is recognised across the wider industry – and whether it supports where they want their business to be in the next few years, not just for the next job.

The bottom line

For electricians and installers, the Warm Homes Plan and Future Homes Standard bring genuine opportunities for those willing to put in the work. Demand for low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, solar PV, battery storage, and EV charging is set to grow, driven not just by customer interest but by regulation, funding, and long-term policy direction.

But these opportunities come with higher expectations. Where public money, compliance, and developer risk are involved, competence, certification, and recognised training are no longer optional extras – they are essential business enablers.

As the sector continues to evolve, the installers best placed to succeed will be those who take a strategic approach to skills and qualifications. In an increasingly regulated and performance-driven environment, quality and compliance will be as important as speed and price.

The direction of travel is clear. Low-carbon homes are becoming the rule, not the exception. For installers willing to invest in the right skills and standards now, the changes ahead offer not just more work, but the chance to play a central role in delivering safer, better-performing homes for the long term.

Visit the NICEIC online shop for our full range of industry-recognised qualifications in the design and installation of low-carbon technologies.