Effective 24 March 2027
The Future Homes Standard
Published as the Part L 2026 update to England’s Building Regulations, and taking effect on 24 March 2027.
What it requires
- Solar PV equivalent to 40% of the dwelling’s ground floor area.
- A heating system meeting a tight carbon cap — in practice, a heat pump.
- In many builds, battery storage alongside, because it makes the numbers work.
The practical effect is that a new home completing in 2028 will almost always arrive with a heat pump, an integrated solar array and frequently a battery.
Does it affect my existing house?
No. The Future Homes Standard applies to new build. Your existing house is untouched by it — though the wider direction of travel is obvious, and the grants available now are more generous than they are likely to be once the technology is standard.
What it means if you are buying a new build
Running costs on new builds are about to change character. A well-insulated house with a heat pump and solar can be genuinely cheap to run — but ask the developer for the expected heating cost, the size of the solar array, and whether a battery is included or an upgrade. Those three answers vary enormously between developers.
The supply problem
The UK is targeting 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028, against roughly 72,000 in 2022. That is a very large increase in a short time, and there are real concerns about installer numbers and solar supply chains. If you are planning work, earlier is likely to be cheaper and easier than later.