After several delays, today’s announcement sets out how new homes will deliver heat and hot water for future buyers, giving manufacturers and infrastructure providers the certainty they need to plan ahead.

Commenting on the publication, Mike Foster, CEO of EUA, said:

“After a prolonged wait, it is good to finally see the Future Homes Standard published. Certainty is essential for long‑term investment, and today's announcement provides exactly that. We have always anticipated that new‑build properties would be where technologies such as heat pumps and heat networks become mainstream.

“Manufacturers and infrastructure providers can now move forward with confidence, knowing what government expects of them. With clear direction, businesses across the supply chain are better placed to invest in their future.

“Drawing a distinction between new build requirements and those of the retrofit market is key to a sensible home decarbonisation agenda. New homes can more easily be built to a lower carbon standard, each exiting home is a bespoke unit, requiring a variety of solutions. That’s an important lesson that I hope government have now accepted.”