Posted: 13th January 2024
In December 2023, the government launched its Future Homes and Buildings Standards: 2023 consultation.
In this blog, we answer your questions on the consultation document and look at what it means for installers.
The consultation sets out the government’s plans for achieving the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard, which aim to ensure that all new homes are zero-carbon ready by 2025. This means houses will be zero carbon once the electricity grid has been decarbonised.
The consultation sets out technical proposals for the changes to the Building Regulations, the associated Approved Document guidance and calculation methods that will be needed to achieve zero carbon homes.
It asks for expert input on changes to Part 6, Part L (conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation) of the Building Regulations for dwellings and non-domestic buildings. It also seeks evidence on previous changes to Part O (overheating).
All the talk in the industry last year was that the Future Homes Standard would require windows to meet thermal efficiency levels of 0.80W/m²K. There was widespread concern about how feasible this would be given how difficult this figure is to achieve without using triple glazing or gas-filled units.
The good news is the government isn’t proposing to reduce thermal efficiency requirements beyond the 1.2W/m²K introduced in the 2021 update to Part L of Building Regulations.
The reason it isn’t proposing to reduce the figure again because it sees no benefit in it.
The consultation says: “We investigated including better walls, floors, roofs, triple glazing and improved thermal bridging.” The results of these investigations were clear: “fabric improvements are increasingly not a cost-effective intervention to reduce carbon.”
This is good news for our industry if it goes ahead because it will not require widespread re-engineering or re-tooling.
However, there is one potential concern in a related consultation on the new ‘Home Energy Model’ (HEM), which will replace the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for the energy rating of new homes.
Under HEM, a window’s U value will need to be calculated using its actual size and configuration rather than the ‘standard’ window configuration (1230×1480 open/fixed).
Most new windows are smaller than the standard window configuration, which changes the frame-to-glass ratio. Because frames are less thermally efficient than glass, especially when they use steel reinforcement, this will make achieving even 1.2W/m²K harder. The reality of the proposal is it may mean more windows need to use triple glazing or gas-filled units to achieve the required thermal efficiency levels.
At the moment, the consultation is just that, a consultation. It doesn’t affect installers day-to-day work at all.
However, the detail of the consultation does highlight the importance of working with a fabricator that’s on top of regulatory change. Partnering with a fabricator who’s with you every step of the way is essential. Here at Mercury Glazing we work with commercial contractors, builders, specifiers and installers to deliver high quality windows, doors and screening products that meet or exceed all the latest regulations.
It’s important to make your voice heard in this consultation. It’s vital the government hears from people who really understand the practical implications of their proposals. As an industry, we need to reiterate the value of maintaining U values at their current levels. We also need to alert it to the reality of switching to the Home Energy Model.
To contribute to the Future Homes consultation and the Home Energy Model consultation, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-homes-and-buildings-standards-2023-consultation/. The consultation is open now and closes at 11:59pm on 6 March 2024.
To talk about partnering with a fabricator who’s by your side when it comes to ensuring your products meet and exceed all regulatory and quality requirements, get in touch.
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