In 2025, changes to part F and L of the Future Homes Standard will come into action to improve the energy efficiency of new homes.

 

From October 2019 to February 2020 the government undertook a consultation which analysed ventilation and power efficiency in new homes.  The results from this consultation have since led to alterations to part F and L of the Building Regulations which aim to reduce carbon emissions by 75-80%.

For reference, document:

• F deals with ventilation.
• L deals with fuel and power.

To improve the energy efficiency, the FHS identifies that new homes must use of low-carbon solutions. This can include technologies such as: heat pumps and renewable energy systems.

A great advantage of the updates to the FHS is that new homes will be ‘future-proofed’. This means that they are built in line with the conditions expected in the future. Future-proofing homes leads to a reduced resilience on external power and fuel. Therefore, allows us to lead increasingly self-sustaining, ‘eco’ lives.

 

Solar PV and the 2025 Updates

 

The updates to the FHS are anticipated to increase the sales for solar energy in the UK.

Solar PV installations can power both heating systems and electrical appliances. The use of PV reduces household reliance on grid electricity which inadvertently reduces carbon emissions. Furthermore, this method of renewable energy generation is great for future proofing homes as households can self-sustain powering appliances using ‘home-made’ electricity.

 

Limitations to the Future Changes

 

A fundamental limitation of the FHS changes, is that since the rules do no come into action until 2025, new builds can continue to install gas boilers. The issue is that these boilers will soon after be made to switch to greener solutions and therefore become quickly irrelevant. 

Therefore it seems questionable as to why they did not enforce this sooner.

As a final food for thought point*:

The Future Homes Standard consultation focuses entirely on the operational emissions of buildings; however, the embodied carbon of a new build home is estimated at around 50 tCO2. As operational carbon emissions decrease, embodied emissions account for an increasingly larger proportion of the lifetime emissions of the home. If this cannot be included now, it should be taken into account for future specifications of the carbon metric design (e.g. 2025).

*Extract taken from Catapults (2020) The Future Homes Standard: Changing to Building Regulations. 

 

About Wessex Eco Energy:

Based in Dorchester, Dorset, we are an award-winning eco-build, solar, battery, and electric vehicle charger installer with a great deal of experience in the domestic and commercial markets. We help our clients to reduce their impact on the environment and save money in the process.

 

If you are interested in installing Solar PV onto your property give Wessex Eco Energy a call on: 01305 250429

Or email us at: info@wessexecoenergy.com