Tamsin Lishman, CEO of The Kensa Group, and Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS, have each commented on the publication of proposals for a new Future Homes Standard, setting out the carbon and energy efficiency requirements for all new homes from 2025.
Government this week opened its consultation on the Standard, which will continue until March 2024.
Tasmin said: “The publication of proposals requiring all new homes to be low-cost, low-carbon and energy efficient to run is a major step forward for the decarbonisation of homes and heat. This new standard will boost heat pump installations drastically, expanding the market from 50,000 to over 250,000 almost overnight, providing companies like Kensa with the confidence to go ahead and invest heavily in new manufacturing facilities and the continued development of our supply chains.
“It is particularly important that these proposals intend to make heat pumps and low-carbon heat networks the default options for heat in new homes, effectively banning new gas grid connections and so-called hydrogen-ready boilers from installation. Allowing these technologies to continue to be installed in new homes would simply have maintained confusion about the future of home heating and short-changed hundreds of thousands of new home buyers who would have inevitably had to replace their fossil fuel heating system in the years to come.
“In an extremely busy policy landscape, establishing these standards is the single most important step the government can take to fire up the heat pump market and drive investment in the sector. As a developer of networked heat pumps, a heat pump in each home connected to a shared networked in the street, Kensa is confident the Future Homes Standard will now lead to a major expansion in the deployment of this technology, combining the best of heat networks and individual heat pumps.”
Ian added: “We welcome today’s government announcement on the 2025 Future Homes Standard. Mandating all space heating and hot water demand in new homes should be met through low-carbon sources will ensure the UK makes quicker progress towards decarbonising our housing stock. It also gives homeowners assurance that they are making the right decision in installing a heat pump which is a proven technology for heating our homes.
“We are disappointed that no clear stance has been declared on mandating Solar PV for all new homes, but remain hopeful that the outcome of the consultation will conclude that solar is a must-have for new build homes, supporting homeowners by decreasing electricity bills, securing energy independence, and reducing their carbon impact. It is particularly pleasing to see that the government has proposed mandating that all Battery Storage systems must be safely and efficiently installed in compliance with MCS standards.
“Our homes generate almost 20% of the UK’s carbon emissions and creating a standard for new homes goes a huge way to supporting our shared national journey towards a Net Zero 2050.”