What is the Future Homes Standard and what does it mean for homeowners?

For many years, successive governments have considered updates to planning requirements for new build homes to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and achieve net zero by 2050.

In March 2026, those hotly anticipated updates were finally published in the form of the Future Homes Standard (FHS). In its announcement, the government stated that from 2028, no new build home in England will be connected to the gas network. Instead, developers must ensure new homes:

• either have heat pumps or are connected to a heat network
• are fitted with solar panels covering an area equivalent to 40% of the floor space.

The FSH is complemented by the recently announced Warm Homes Plan (WHP), which puts in place funding mechanisms to support the retrofitting of existing homes in England to reduce carbon emissions and reduce bills for homeowners.

Both plans will rely on the involvement of competent, certified businesses with the right skills and experience to deliver quality installations and ensure new and existing homes are fit for a low carbon future.

The Future Homes Standard in detail

The FHS will be delivered in England only through updates to two main parts of the Building Regulations 2010:

• Part L, which governs energy efficiency
• Part F, which governs ventilation.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have devolved powers to implement their own separate regulations. For example, Scotland introduced the New Build Heat Standard in 2024, effectively banning the installation of gas and oil boilers in new build homes.

The updates will come into force on 24 March 2027 for most properties, with a 12-month transition period. This means new homes with foundations laid between 24 March 2027 and 24 March 2028 can continue to be constructed under the previous standards. After 24 March 2028, all developments must meet FHS requirements.

For higher-risk buildings (defined as buildings at least 18 metres tall or having at least seven storeys), the new rules will take effect later, on 24 September 2027, in acknowledgement of the greater complexity involved in designing and constructing higher-risk buildings and the stringent safety requirements that apply to these types of properties.

Solar panel requirements

From 24 March 2028, all new build homes in England must be fitted with a system for renewable energy generation, such as solar panels. This system must generate electricity for use by residents and produce a reasonable output for the type of building and its surroundings.

Recommended solar panel coverage is 40% of the home’s ground floor area, although the FHS does allow flexibility to pursue alternative methods in cases where architectural or design features may limit the roof space available for solar panels.

There two main exceptions to this rule.

• Higher risk buildings are exempt from the solar panel requirement due to limited roof space and prohibitively high installation costs.
• Buildings connected to heat networks (explained below) are also exempt.

Low-carbon heating requirements

All new homes built in England will be required to use low-carbon heating systems, with heat pumps anticipated to be the primary route to compliance for the vast majority of new homes. No specific type of heat pump technology is mandated – developers can install air source, ground source, or water source heat pumps depending on the needs and location of the property.

The FHS also lays out requirements for the structure of buildings to ensure efficient heat pump operation, such as good insulation and appropriate ventilation design.

For blocks of flats, or mixed-use developments, the government says heat networks can be used to meet the low-carbon heating system requirement (as long as the source of the heat network is itself low carbon). A heat network uses a single heat source to heat water that travels through insulated pipes to multiple individual homes. So, an example of a low-carbon heat network might be a ground-source heat pump that acts as a central source of heat for an entire street or block of flats.

Plug-in solar to be available “within months”

Together with the publication of the FHS, the government also announced the acceleration of plans to introduce plug-in solar panels. While plug-in solar is welcomed in some circles due to its potential to reduce householders’ energy bills, others have raised concerns about safety and regulation. And these concerns are valid. As this technology becomes more accessible, electrical safety and a strong regulatory framework must remain the priority.

Luke Osborne, Technical Director at consumer safety charity, Electrical Safety First (ESF), commented: “Whilst the risk remains low, without wiring regulation changes and under certain conditions, plug-in solar PV systems connected to standard household sockets can cause overheating or impair the operation of protective devices (such as RCDs) in a property.

“We are pleased to see the government intends to address these issues and we believe new safety standards should be introduced rapidly to ensure households can safely enjoy the benefits of plug-in solar.”

We look forward to working with ESF, industry experts, and government to ensure these concerns are addressed, so consumers can adopt the technology with confidence.

So, what does this all mean for me?

For existing homeowners, the Future Homes Standard won’t have any impact on your current property. For more information about the Warm Homes Plan and the funding being made available to retrofit the existing housing stock, please do take a look at our detailed blog here.

If you’re planning on purchasing a new build home in the next few years, however, then the Future Homes Standard is excellent news. You can rest assured any new home you purchase from 2028 will be fully fitted with low-carbon technologies that are great for the environment and for your wallet, too. In its announcement, the government suggested these measures could save families up to £830 per year on their energy bills and will create at least 75% fewer carbon emissions than homes built to the 2013 standards.