Future Homes and Buildings Standards

I wish to update the House on the publication of the Government response to the 2023 future homes and buildings standards consultation and the laying of a statutory instrument today to implement the policy resulting from this consultation.

Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings and reducing carbon emissions is challenging but essential. The 2021 amendments to the Building Regulations 2010, which increased the standards in parts L and F and introduced part O, were a good first step. But the future homes and buildings standards, which we are confirming today and laying the statutory instrument to implement, will ensure new homes and buildings in England will have good quality building fabric and, crucially, be fitted with low-carbon heating such as heat pumps. They will be “zero carbon ready” meaning they will naturally become zero carbon over time, as the electricity grid fully decarbonises, without the need for any retrofitting. This policy will help the UK avoid the more volatile price increases of fossil fuels, drive down energy bills for households, and support our goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The future homes and buildings standards consultation received over 2,000 responses, providing invaluable technical insights. We have carefully reviewed all of the feedback and worked hard to ensure the essential technical details are right to deliver a robust and workable standard.

The Government response to the future homes and buildings standards consultation confirms that, with implementation starting from 2027, the standards will make sure new homes and non-domestic buildings are future-proofed with low-carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. The future homes standard will ensure new homes emit, on average, at least 75% less carbon than 2013 standards homes, and will see solar panels installed in the majority of new homes, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and strengthening energy security. This could help save families hundreds of pounds a year.

Our ambition for on-site renewable electricity generation, such as solar, has meant we have developed a new approach to how we require this technology in the future homes standard. Our statutory instrument amends the Building Regulations to add in a new legislative functional requirement for on-site renewable electricity generation for new dwellings, which will ensure grid-connected new homes contribute towards clean energy and help manage peak demand. We have balanced this ambition with flexibility for developers constructing buildings where solar is not suitable, and appropriate exemptions for situations where installation may not be feasible, including higher-risk buildings. Higher-risk buildings, such as blocks of flats, often have limited roof space proportionate to the overall size of the building, with little available space for large equipment such as communal heating system components. Given this limited roof space, any benefit derived from requiring solar on the roof would be minimal when split across each individual flat. Residents of higher-risk buildings will continue to benefit from high levels of energy efficiency, supporting improved comfort and energy performance once homes are occupied.

The future buildings standard, which sets the performance standards for new non-domestic buildings such as offices, schools and warehouses, will also mean new non-domestic buildings feature high fabric standards, low-carbon heating, and other elements such as efficient lighting, better heat recovery, and solar panels (unless the building is a higher-risk building). This will ensure new non-domestic buildings are zero carbon ready, will lower energy use and emissions, and protect occupants from more volatile price increases due to reliance on fossil fuels.

The consultation response also includes the response to the call for evidence on part O of the Building Regulations, which came into force in June 2022. Part O requires new residential buildings to be designed and built to mitigate the risk of overheating, helping our country adapt to climate change and protecting people in their homes. The call for evidence collected input from house builders with first-hand experience of applying these requirements. Based on this feedback, the Government have decided to proceed with a comprehensive technical review of approved document O to consider how it could best be improved. The review will consider stakeholder concerns, including reviewing the adoption of the updated CIBSE TM59 for the dynamic method, exploring improvements to the simplified method and reviewing the noise and security guidance in approved document O. The review will also consider issues relating to overlaps with other parts of the Building Regulations and the use of weather files.

I am placing a copy of the Government response to the 2023 future homes and buildings standards consultation in the Library of the House.

The policies set out in the Government response to the future homes and buildings standards consultation form the policy for the 2026 changes to the Building Regulations.

Alongside publication of the Government response to the future homes and buildings standards consultation on 24 March 2026, I have laid a statutory instrument to implement the amendments to the Building Regulations, and I have published new statutory guidance.

Transitional arrangements have been established to provide clarity during the implementation of these amendments. These standards will come into force from 24 March 2027 for non-higher-risk building work, accompanied by a 12-month transition period. For higher-risk buildings, the amended regulations will be effective from 24 September 2027 in recognition of the greater complexity and length of the building control process making the standard arrangements unsuitable. Where a valid gateway 2 application has been submitted prior to this date, completion may proceed under the 2021 part L standards, except where such application is rejected or lapses. Full details are set out in the consultation response and statutory instrument.

Implementing these standards marks a pivotal step for the sector in our pursuit of net zero. It sets out a clear route towards delivering homes and buildings that are prepared for the future in their enhanced energy efficiency, low-carbon heating, and improved protection against overheating. This approach supports the transition to a cleaner, greener built environment, ensuring new homes are zero carbon ready and resilient to the impacts of climate change.

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