26 Oct Future Homes: Creating a Better Standard of Living for Future Generations in the UK
With the growing awareness around climate change, immediate action is necessary to ensure a better standard of living for future generations across the UK. And one of the ways the UK is taking steps toward a more sustainable future is through the Future Homes Standard. This is a standard for UK buildings and homes that will start taking full effect in 2025 to ensure that all UK homes will produce 75 to 80 percent fewer carbon emissions.
The standard is a result of the Future Homes consultation that took place in January 2021, and it aims to revise certain parts of the UK’s Building Regulations to reduce emissions. The standard looks to build a future where the buildings and homes in the UK are all sustainable and no longer pollute the air the way they have for decades.
But how will this standard change how our homes are built and operated? And when will we start feeling the difference?
In this read, we’ll address these complicated questions by taking a look and explaining the Future Homes Standard, what is currently being implemented, the changes we can expect in the future, and how the lives of future generations will be impacted based on the decisions we make today.
A Close Look at the Future Homes Standard
In a study conducted back in 2019, researchers found that 20% of the UK’s emissions were coming from new and existing homes. Their heating and cooling systems being the primary reason to blame for the huge contribution to carbon emissions, as nearly every British home has been using unsustainable forms of energy.
The Future Homes Standard was put in place to combat the emissions coming from UK houses. This standard is supposed to go hand-in-hand with the Building Regulations, which have seen significant reforms recently in an attempt to reduce the emissions and environmental impact of housing in the UK.
The standard is a result of a consultation that lasted from October 2019 to February 2020. After the consultation, the government proposed an improved standard for smart homes, which is the future of housing in the UK.
One of the biggest parts of the Future Homes Standard is the changes that the heating industry needs to undertake. The ultimate goal of the standard is to reduce emissions that come from UK homes by 75%-80% through standards and regulations that will start in 2025. And since heating units in residential properties are one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, it should come as no surprise that a big change will be necessary.
As a result, the Future Homes Standard states that homes in the UK will need to have low-carbon heating systems in place by 2025. That way, residents in the UK can still keep warm and comfortable in their homes without negatively impacting the environment. To do this, the government aims to install over 600,000 new heat pumps by 2028, which is part of the UK’s Green Plan.
By 2025, the Future Homes Standard will be in place for all new homes built in England. That way, property developers can start building more sustainable homes and structures that don’t have as much of an impact on the environment, creating a better and more promising future for generations to come.
At William Abbott Developments, we’re already ahead of the curve as we have been installing low-carbon heat pumps and solar for several years across properties in our developments in South West of England.
What Is Happening Right Now
The biggest change that is happening right now is that all newly built homes in the UK will have to start shifting to low-carbon heating systems. While the standard is set to take place in 2025, many property developers across the UK are already starting to make the shift to ensure compliance with the standard.
While this nationwide project is a huge undertaking, it’s something we can accomplish by taking small steps in the right direction. And one of those steps is starting to use a different type of heating system. By 2025, all new homes in the UK will have air-source and ground-source heat pumps, which don’t use as much power or produce as much carbon emissions as their counterparts.
As we mentioned above, at William Abbott Developments, we’re not only already installing low-carbon heat pumps but have also started to take additional energy-efficiency measures for all of our properties.
Some of these measures include increasing insulation and airtightness, installing heat recovery systems, and sticking to the basics of simply using high-rated windows that allow for minimal heat loss, even during the winter.
We also conduct much higher quality control over our new builds to ensure that heat loss is as minimal as possible.
As for existing properties with the lowest EPC rating, the government will provide non-repayable grants to incentivise homeowners to switch to more energy-efficient systems and take more impactful energy-efficient measures. This is all part of the government’s plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Additionally, owners of existing properties can also significantly lower their electricity bills, which is a step forward to ending fuel poverty and having to pick between food and heating for low-income households.
Another step that the government is currently taking is making changes to the UK’s Building Regulations. The changes target the consumption of homes and aim to make the structures more energy-efficient.
The government introduced the changes in 2022, with the goal of ensuring that all new homes built in the UK this year produce 33% fewer emissions than existing homes. That said, there is some debate as to whether the regulations and standards are ambitious and aggressive enough to make the impact we need to shift to a more sustainable future.
In 2023, the government is set to have another consultation about the Future Homes Standard. The consultation will look to iron out the technical aspects of the standard so that they can update the regulations to make it more feasible and effective. And in 2025, they will look to formally introduce and enforce these regulations.
So, the changes we’re seeing right now aren’t that obvious, but they are exactly what is needed for a brighter and more sustainable future.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
While many existing homes with the lowest EPC rating will need to be retrofitted, the main objective moving forward is to ensure that all new homes already have low-carbon and efficient heating systems. That way, they will not need to make any changes to comply with the regulations in the future.
And one of the main consequences of this is that we will no longer see gas boilers in homes. At William Abbott Developments, we ditched gas boilers a long time ago as we strive to build the homes of the future in the most sustainable way possible. While there will still be gas boilers on the market for the next couple of years, the IEA reports that by 2025, there should be no new gas boilers sold.
But while gas boilers are inefficient and produce harmful emissions, they are also effective heating units that are great at keeping people warm in their homes. So, what will new homes be using to stay warm when the outside temperatures start to drop?
This is where low–carbon heat pumps come in. The government views heat pumps as a possible solution to this problem. This is because heat pumps are very effective at raising temperatures, but they are also much more efficient. So, as the Future Homes Standard starts to apply to UK homes, you can expect to find more homes in England using these heat pumps instead of traditional gas boilers.
Is the Future Homes Standard Enough to Make a Difference?
At William Abbott Developments, we have been practicing our motto of building the most sustainable properties possible for a long time, and it’s nice to see that the government is now looking to take our approach at a nationwide scale through the introduction of the Future Homes Standard.
The Future Homes Standard is a great sign that governments are starting to take climate change seriously. The reason many people, including us, are hopeful that the Future Home Standard will make a huge difference is because it can kickstart a massive lifestyle change that we will all have to go through if we want to seriously address climate change.
And while the standard is promising, it comes with some significant questions.
One complaint that many people have with the standard is the ultimate goal. The primary objective of the standard is to reduce the carbon emissions coming from UK homes by 75%-80%. However, it would be nice to see the government stop comparing the carbon emissions of new homes to the homes of the past.
Currently, the government has not made any commitments to calculate the embodied carbon of new homes that are built under the standards. While it would be great for homes to produce 75%-80% fewer emissions than previous homes, it would be better to calculate the carbon embodiment of new homes as well.
That way, we can better gauge the effectiveness of the regulations and whether or not it makes a difference in the long term.
But while there are some complaints and questions about the Future Homes Standard, there’s no denying it’s a step in the right direction.
Conclusion
The UK government can no longer ignore the issues surrounding climate change. And as a result, they have taken drastic measures to create a better standard of living for future generations in the UK by making future homes more sustainable through heating pumps instead of gas boilers.
As for existing homes, those will undergo the necessary upgrading in terms of heating systems and insulation to become more environmentally friendly. And hopefully, by 2050, the United Kingdom will become among the first carbon-neutral nations in the world.