Archives for February 2024

The Future Homes Standard is an initiative by the UK government aimed at reimagining the way new homes are built. Set to take effect in 2025, this standard seeks to create a greener, more sustainable housing stock. Let’s look into the key aspects:

Decarbonization: At its core, the Future Homes Standard focuses on reducing carbon emissions associated with residential buildings. By emphasizing low-carbon technologies and practices, it aims to mitigate the impact of housing on the environment.

Energy Efficiency: New homes constructed after 2025 will be required to meet stringent energy efficiency criteria. These homes must achieve a significant reduction in carbon emissions compared to previous standards. In other words, they’ll be a lot more energy efficient.

Heating and Hot Water: The standard places special emphasis on heating systems and hot water supply. It encourages the adoption of innovative, low-carbon heating solutions to ensure homes remain warm and comfortable while minimizing their environmental footprint.

Consultation Process: Before implementation, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are engaging in a technical specification consultation. This collaborative approach ensures that the standard aligns with industry best practices and addresses practical challenges.

This affects our industry by placing higher demands on specifications. U values are lower now than previously.

The Glass and Glazing Federation will be responding to the consultation, and we urge our members to have their say too.

You can find the consultation details below. Please note that the response deadline is 6^th March 2024.

Below are some useful guides to assist you with your response.

Summary of Proposed Changes to Approved Document L

This document details the proposed changes to Approved Document L1 for dwellings and L2 for buildings other than dwellings that are within the consultation documents. It is split into two sections and created in PowerPoint for ease of use.

‘How to Guide’ for Responding to Consultations

This guide will show you how to respond to the consultation, it does not give guidance on what you should respond with but instead takes you through the process of submitting your own response with screen shots and a step-by-step walkthrough.

Next steps

The Glass and Glazing Federation will be holding a webinar with Q&A on the 26th February starting at 2pm and running for 1 hour 30mins to go through the proposed GGF response and take any questions members may have.