The Future Homes Standard: a mission-driven approach to deliver at pace and scale

6 June 2025

The Future Homes Standard: a mission-driven approach to deliver at pace and scale.

Matthew Pratt

The Government has announced that the Future Homes Standard legislation will be published in the Autumn and will include solar PV on most roofs.  


The Future Homes Standard undoubtedly represents a totemic opportunity to shape a better generation of higher performing homes, that are not just better for the planet but also more comfortable, healthier to live in and cheaper to run for customers – in short, a better way of life.


Moving to all-electric homes means the core fabric of the home uses a better performing system with better ventilation and smart technologies to optimise the way new homes use energy. We also know from our experience at Redrow, having moved to heat pumps in 2023, that meeting the new standard is relatively straightforward at a technical level if you put all the right processes in place. However, there are clearly material challenges that we need to overcome if we are to succeed in creating better, more affordable homes for customers. This includes a significant shift as perhaps 2,000 companies switch from gas to electric, deploy new technologies and ensure customers are comfortable with new systems. And of course, this change is happening simultaneously as we all seek to accelerate delivery of homes.

We must therefore pull together as a new homes community – and by that I mean homebuilders, housing associations, suppliers and building merchants, infrastructure designers, financial institutions, central and local Government –and adopt a mission-based approach to delivering change at scale. Thankfully, as the wider homebuilding sector, with leadership from the Home Builders Federation and support from Government, we have had the foresight to set up the Future Homes Hub to drive this mission forward. Whilst the Hub has a remit to support positive change across a wider set of issues, from Biodiversity Net Gain to water efficiency, The Future Homes Standard is, in the near term, mission critical.


The Future Homes Hub is ready to work collaboratively with the sector and to drive this mission forward. The central brain of this mission is the Future Homes Standard Implementation Board, a structure that I and the director of building regulations at MHCLG have had the enormous privilege to help set up and chair. The Implementation Board brings together the key parties who need to work together to succeed, and meet regularly to review our shared problems and identify the best solutions, covering:


  • Heat pumps – forecasting numbers and scaling up skills and supply chain, and providing the guidance and information needed by site managers, designers, assessors and installers need.
  • Consumer – pooling experience of successful customer journeys and providing guidance for sales teams and buyers.
  • Fabric – establishing the design solutions, site guidance and construction details required for smaller builders.
  • Building performance evaluation – establishing the methods to ensure buildings perform in line with design expectations.
  • Grid and demand flexibility – working out the power requirements of all electric development, how to get an efficient grid connection and the opportunities to use smart energy systems like micro-grids.
  • Home energy model  – supporting the Government’s development of the new energy modelling software.
  • Heat networks  – supporting implementation for those using heat networks.
  • Ventilation – supporting design and commissioning of new ventilation systems.



The Hub is also leading important work with lenders and valuers to provide the data needed to ensure lending criteria and valuation reflects the design and performance of new homes.


Personally, I am acutely aware that whilst at Redrow, and now at Barratt Redrow, we have had the benefit of superb central technical teams that work through the implications and provide the right knowledge at the right time to our regional and divisional teams. I know smaller developers will not always have the same capacity to help them to navigate change.


We therefore have a collective responsibility, particularly as larger companies, to share information and support the whole industry with the change. Through the Hub, with support from the Government, we must scale up the support we collectively provide so developers of all sizes across the country have the right information at the right time to succeed.


I have been hugely encouraged by the spirit of collaboration to solve issues collectively and build better homes at scale. I would like to thank the vast number of homebuilders, suppliers, financial institutions and others that contribute to make it possible. Importantly, membership of the Future Homes Hub is free for the smallest developers. If you are not a member, do get in touch to join up.


Finally, while a step forward, today’s announcement does not give us all the detail on the new standard, so we look forward to continuing to support Government as they work towards publishing the full standard later this year.


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