As homes become more airtight, adequate ventilation becomes critical. Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) is the preferred solution under the FHS, with strict indoor air quality monitoring required to prevent damp and mould. Background ventilation is required at a minimum of 5,000 mm² per room, equivalent to trickle vents or similar background systems.
The FHS tightens airtightness targets significantly, from 8 m³/(h·m²) under previous standards to 3 m³/(h·m²). This means new homes will need much greater attention to construction detailing, particularly at junctions, to prevent uncontrolled air leakage and heat loss.
Under the FHS, a one-size-fits-all approach to window specification is no longer sufficient. The new Home Energy Model (HEM) uses half-hourly solar modelling, which means the orientation, size, and glazing specification of windows on each elevation of a home must be carefully assessed individually. The distribution of glazing across different orientations is significantly more important than total glazing area alone as south and west facing windows behave very differently to north-facing ones in terms of heat gain and overheating risk.
Compliance also requires satisfying Part O (overheating)
The maximum U-value for windows under the Future Homes Standard is 1.2 W/m²K, reduced from the previous 1.6 W/m²K. While triple glazing is not explicitly mandated, it has become the de-facto industry standard to meet the tightening U-value requirements
Under the FHS, the minimum fabric performance standards for new builds are: walls at 0.18 W/m²K or lower, roofs at 0.13 W/m²K or lower, and floors at 0.13 W/m²K or lower for more details. These requirements are designed to significantly reduce heat loss through the building envelope.
The regulations were laid before Parliament on 24 March 2026 and come into force on 24 March 2027, with a 12-month transition period. Projects with planning applications submitted before that date may still build under previous standards, meaning full mandatory compliance for all new homes and buildings in England is effectively from March 2028.
The Future Homes and Buildings Standard (FHS) is a major update to England's Building Regulations designed to ensure new homes produce 75–80% less carbon than those built under 2013 standards. It covers low-carbon heating, fabric performance, ventilation, and renewables, and forms part of the UK's commitment to reaching net zero by 2050.
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