With the launch of the Future Home Standard (FHS) in March of this year, building regulations are changing, with compliance becoming more onerous with higher levels of energy efficiency required, mandatory requirements for the use of solar PV and the effective banning of gas-boilers in new homes. Full details of the changes will be covered in future articles, however, it is important to understand when these new requirements will come into effect and whether they will affect your upcoming projects.
Part L, Conservation of Fuel and Power, 2026, otherwise known as The Future Home Standard will come into force on 24 th March 2027, by which time, buildings will be required to be designed to the new standard. However, in recognition of the extent of design work that goes into buildings before they get to the stage of a building control submission, as with previous updates to the regulations, there will be a transition period, which will allow projects to remain under the current standards.
The new standards will not apply where a building notice, an initial notice, or an application for building control approval with full plans has been given to the relevant authority in respect of that building before 24 March 2027. However, this is provided that the building work is commenced before 24 March 2028.
The definition of commencement has however changed from previous iterations of the regulations and their applicable transitional arrangements, with commencement being defined within the Regulation 46A of the new Approved Documents. This defines commencement as the ground floor level structure being in place.
High Risk Buildings (HRB), being those buildings which are at least 18 meters or 7 stories high and contain at least 2 residential units or are a care home or hospital, have been subject to enhanced building control procedures to improve safety standards in such buildings since 2022. In recognition of these enhanced procedures, the FHS will apply from 24 th September 2027, with separate commencement and transitional arrangements. The new Regulations will not apply where a valid building control approval application has been submitted to the regulator before 24 September 2027, and the application has not been rejected before, on or after that date. Other transitional protections and definitions of commencement apply, and it is therefore recommended that the these be reviewed in full.
The implications of these new regulations are wide reaching; it is therefore of high importance that projects in their early design stages consider these implications alongside their project timelines. We here at ERS Consultants can guide you though this transitional period and advise on the implications of these new regulations, so please do get in touch.