Future Homes Standard 2026
The Passivhaus Trust has issued a response to the UK Government's recently-announced Future Homes Standard 2026.
- The Trust welcomes the inclusion of heat pumps and the requirement for solar PVs on some roofs in the Future Homes Standard 2026 (FHS), as a means of decarbonising the energy supply and reducing CO2 emissions on new homes.
- However, the Trust is disappointed that the Future Homes Standard will not deliver significant energy efficiency, health and comfort improvements over current building regulations. In addition, according to Passivhaus Trust analysis for FHS homes, where solar PV is not a viable option, the energy bill costs will be higher than for homes built to existing building regulations based on today’s energy costs.
Jon Bootland, CEO of the Passivhaus Trust, commented:
“The proposed Future Homes Standard is a missed opportunity. By not addressing the fabric efficiency, peak heat load, occupant comfort and indoor air quality of newbuild homes, new homes built to the Future Homes Standard will not deliver the healthy and comfortable homes that are so urgently needed. The Scottish Government has recently unveiled proposals that buildings to the Passivhaus standard should be deemed to satisfy its building standards. Following Scotland’s lead, we believe that all-electric homes to the Passivhaus standard should be deemed to satisfy the Future Homes Standard.”
An all-electric certified Passivhaus dwelling will deliver the same decarbonisation as the FHS 2026 and deliver the following benefits:-
- Significantly better energy efficiency
- Homes that perform as designed, effectively eliminating the ‘performance gap’
- Better comfort and indoor air quality
- Equivalent CO2 emissions reductions
- Low running costs without the use of solar PV (and even lower with)
- Reduced peak demand on the electricity grid
Energy bills
Passivhaus Trust research shows that where solar PV is included in a Future Homes Standard home, the energy bill costs are likely to be similar to those delivered by the Passivhaus Standard (without additional solar PV). However, where solar PV is not viable, the energy bills of a FHS home are likely to be higher than homes built to the current building regulations, through the current price disparity between gas and electricity. Building to the Passivhaus Standard will ensure lower running costs for occupants.
Ventilation
The proposed FHS includes reduced air permeability rates which, unless coupled with adequate ventilation systems, will result in reduced indoor air quality and the risk of condensation and mould. All Passivhaus homes will have mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) which ensures continuous good indoor air quality.
Health & comfort
The health and comfort benefits of Passivhaus, such as good indoor air quality, and summer and winter comfort, are not included in the Future Homes Standard specification. The recent Healthy Homes guidance from Homes England has publicly acknowledged the health and comfort benefits delivered by the Passivhaus Standard: “Passivhaus is a well-established design and quality assurance system aimed at reducing energy demand, addressing the 'performance gap' of new buildings, and improving comfort levels for residents. ….There is significant overlap between a Passivhaus approach and the aims of Healthy Homes”. Passivhaus dwellings automatically achieve ‘good practice’ enhanced status within the Healthy Homes guidance on specific healthy homes measures, including: building fabric and energy performance; overheating; and ventilation and indoor air quality.
Lower peak demand
The Future Homes Standard does little to address peak demand on the energy grid. By requiring only about 10% of the heating energy of conventional buildings, Passivhaus lessens the load on the electricity grid during peak demand times. The excellent thermal performance of a Passivhaus allows for "load shifting" strategies, where energy systems (like heat pumps) can operate during off-peak hours at lower tariffs.
RecommendationsTo ensure affordability and long-term sustainability in UK housing, the Passivhaus Trust recommends that:
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Future Homes Standard FAQs
Is the Future Homes Standard (FHS) enough?
Although the FHS does include heat pumps and solar PV on suitable roofs in its requirements, there are only minimal building fabric improvements on existing building regulations. The Future Homes Standard also does not include the health and comfort benefits of the Passivhaus Standard. For FHS homes where solar PV is not a viable option, the energy bills could be higher than for homes built to existing building regulations.
What’s wrong with the new HEM methodology?
The update to SAP 10.2 will be the Homes Energy Model (HEM), and is yet to be published. In the interim, SAP will be updated to SAP 10.3 which will run in tandem with the HEM for at least 12 months. The accuracy of HEM methodology is still uncertain and may produce outcomes that fail to accurately reflect real-world performance, which is currently the case with SAP 10.2
PHPP (Passive House Planning Package) is a tried and tested methodology that has been proven to deliver homes that perform as designed, effectively eliminating the performance gap. Using PHPP as the building modelling tool rather than SAP will ensure homes are accurately designed and more likely to show how they will perform in use.
Is Passivhaus a viable alternative to the Future Homes Standard?
As the Passivhaus Trust believes that all-electric homes built to the Passivhaus standard will perform better than the proposed FHS 2026, this should be alternative means of compliance and be deemed to satisfy the Future Homes Standard. This is currently being proposed to meet Scottish building standards.
Passivhaus is becoming a mainstream within the UK and it is estimated that at least 1% of all new homes in the UK are now being built to the Passivhaus standard. As part of the Passivhaus Trust’s efforts to support this growth to 10% of the housing market, it is offering expanded training in universities and colleges and a new Passivhaus Learning Hub to help create a skilled and experienced supply chain of certified designers/ consultants and contractors. It continues to showcase Passivhaus exemplar projects through case studies, a projects map and Passivhaus Open Days. The UK Passivhaus Trust has almost 600 member companies with evidence of a maturing supply chain, which means there is also an ever-growing supply chain developing in the UK to deliver the specialist airtightness tapes and membranes, MVHR systems and triple glazed windows that are crucial components for Passivhaus projects.
Is Passivhaus too expensive?
There is still a lot of myth-busting to be done in relation to Passivhaus costs. Passivhaus Trust research shows an approximate cost uplift of only 4-8%. If you are working with an experienced Passivhaus designer who understands building physics, form factor and orientation, it is possible to drive down the cost to little or no additional premium. One Passivhaus apartment building project for Exeter City Council came in 4% cheaper than building regulation equivalents.
Passivhaus has been adopted in the UK for over 15 years now. This has given UK Passivhaus practitioners a chance to learn from and refine the process of delivering Passivhaus buildings. The lessons learned include the importance of reducing the complexity of design and a focus on early-stage design, addressing form factor and orientation as cost-effective ‘easy wins’. It is these design refinements that are bringing down the uplift costs of Passivhaus and making it possible for mainstream developers like Barratt London to adopt Passivhaus at scale.
Further information
The Future Homes & Buildings Standards - 24 March 2026
Passivhaus & Building Regulations
PHT Position Paper - Passivhaus as an alternative means of compliance to Future Homes Standard - March 2024
PHT Position Paper - Future Homes Hub contender specifications for the FHS - June 2023
Previous PHT story: PHT's position on the Future Homes Standard - 27 March 2025
Previous PHT story: The Future Homes Standard - 22 February 2024
Previous PHT story: Written Ministerial Statement - 15 December 2023
Future Homes Hub contender specifications for the FHS - Passivhaus Trust position paper: June 2023
25th March 2026
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