Madeleine Greenhalgh, policy and advocacy manager at Regen,has set out key points in response to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and their Future Homes Standard consultation due to close on 7 February
The Future Homes Standard consultation from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is currently out for response, due to close on 7 February.
Hidden amidst this very lengthy and detailed consultation are some very significant changes to building regulations that could radically change how we build homes in England over the next five years. These changes will affect Part L and Part F of the building regulations and are a ‘stepping stone’ to the 2025 Future Homes Standard, which will be developed over the next few years.
We summarised the main aspects of the consultation last year and have since been developing our response. Our key points will include:
- Restrictions should not be placed on local authorities (LAs) to set higher energy efficiency standards. The consultation proposes a ceiling on the standards that LAs can set for new homes – a backwards step for many ambitious LAs who are looking to increase standards in line with climate emergency policies.
- Moving to primary energy as a key performance metric over energy efficiency could result in less efficient homes that appear to be performing well based on primary energy, but are expensive to heat due to low energy efficiency standards.
This consultation is in danger of being overlooked due to its niche and complex nature, however, it’s important that we supply MHCLG with robust responses and evidence to ensure the next five years of home building is in line with our carbon targets.
Some local authorities and groups are already responding – see responses from West of England LAs and the London Energy Transformation Initiative. We would encourage other LAs to provide a response and please do get in touch with our heat lead, Mark Howard, if you have any evidence you would be able to share with us.