The Future Homes Standard is the biggest change to the energy rules for new homes in more than a decade — and it will reshape what a planning energy statement has to demonstrate. If you are designing new dwellings in England, understanding what is coming, and when, is now essential to getting a scheme through both planning and Building Control.
This guide explains what the Future Homes Standard is, the timeline, the headline requirements, and how it interacts with the energy statement you submit with a planning application today.
What is the Future Homes Standard?
The Future Homes Standard (FHS) is the Government's update to Part L of the Building Regulations for new homes in England. Its purpose is to make sure every new dwelling is ‘zero-carbon ready’ — highly energy efficient, heated without fossil fuels, and needing no future retrofit work to decarbonise as the electricity grid gets greener. New homes built to the standard are expected to produce at least 75% lower carbon emissions than homes built to the previous 2013 standards.
It is the destination the energy hierarchy has been pointing towards for years. If you are new to how energy statements work, start with our explainer on what an energy statement is and when you need one.
The timeline
The Government confirmed the Future Homes Standard in 2026, publishing the updated Approved Document L (renamed to cover energy and greenhouse gas emissions). The new requirements take effect from 2027, with a transitional period afterwards for homes already under construction under the old rules. In practice that means:
- schemes being designed now should be planning ahead to the new standard, especially where completion will fall after the transition window; and
- energy statements submitted today are still assessed against the current Part L 2021 baseline, but reviewers increasingly expect to see a clear path towards FHS-compliant servicing.
The headline requirements
The Future Homes Standard changes the fabric, the heating and the on-site generation of a new home:
| Area | What the Future Homes Standard expects |
|---|---|
| Carbon | At least 75% lower emissions than the 2013 Part L standard |
| Heating | No new gas, oil or LPG boilers — predominantly air-source heat pumps or heat networks |
| Renewables | On-site electricity generation — solar PV sized to a proportion of the dwelling footprint where feasible |
| Fabric | Improved insulation and airtightness (fabric-first), with good ventilation |
The move away from gas is the single biggest shift. From the point the standard takes effect, carbon targets cannot be met with any form of fossil-fuel or hydrogen-ready boiler — which is why heat pumps move from ‘nice to have’ to the default. Our comparison of heat pumps versus gas boilers works through the carbon maths that now sits behind every compliant scheme.
What it means for your energy statement
An energy statement for planning is not the same as a Building Regulations Part L submission — it is the planning-stage document that shows how a scheme meets local and national energy and carbon policy. The Future Homes Standard changes what ‘good’ looks like in that statement:
- The baseline is rising. Statements are still built on the Part L 2021 / SAP 10.2 notional-building method and the energy hierarchy — Be Lean, then Be Clean, then Be Green — but the direction of travel is towards deeper fabric performance and electric heating.
- London targets still bite. In London, the London Plan Policy SI2 35% on-site carbon reduction target over Part L, plus carbon offset payments for any shortfall, continues to apply. The FHS makes hitting that on-site figure with electric heating and PV much more achievable.
- Future-proofing is now a selling point. Showing a scheme is aligned with where regulations are heading — heat pumps, solar PV, a strong fabric spec — strengthens the statement and reduces the risk of expensive redesign mid-project.
Practical steps for designers and applicants
- Assume electric heating. Design around heat pumps or a heat network from the outset; retrofitting them into a gas-based layout is costly.
- Reserve roof space for PV. On-site generation is central to the standard — plan the roof and orientation for it early.
- Get the fabric right first. U-values and airtightness are the cheapest carbon savings and reduce the size of the heat pump you need.
- Model early. An early energy assessment shows whether the scheme meets the target and, in London, how large any offset contribution would be.
How Fortress Associates can help
Fortress Associates prepares automated energy statements for planning applications across every UK local authority. Each report sets a Part L 2021 baseline using the SAP 10.2 notional-building method, then works through the full energy hierarchy — Be Lean, Be Clean, Be Green — with carbon savings calculated at each stage, and applies the London Plan SI2 35% target and offset for London schemes. The report is free and ready in minutes. To get started, contact us or see our full range of planning services.
Sources & further reading
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