With the government aiming to build 1.5 million homes during this parliament, the pressure is on for builders and developers to deliver housing quickly while also meeting tougher performance expectations. The Future Homes Standard (FHS) will place building fabric performance under far greater scrutiny, meaning specification decisions made through merchants and their customers will play a vital role in delivering compliant, energy efficient homes.
While the uplift to Part L of the Building Regulations has already pushed higher performance standards, the Future Homes Standard will significantly increase expectations. The June 2022 update required a 31% reduction in carbon emissions for new homes.
The Future Homes Standard now targets around a 75% reduction, depending on the specification and dwelling type. Achieving this level of performance will depend heavily on how effective the building fabric is designed and constructed.
Prioritising the building fabric
Although low-carbon technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps will form part of the solution, they are not enough on their own. A well-insulated, airtight building fabric that minimises heat loss is essential to achieving compliance.
For merchants, this increases the importance of stocking and recommending products that support fabric performance, helping customers meet compliance without over-reliance on add-on technologies.
Tackling heat loss
One of the biggest challenges in a fabric first approach is managing thermal bridging, which can account for up to 30% of a homes heat loss if not addressed correctly. Eliminating thermal bridging through good design and correct specification is critical to meeting regulatory requirements.
However, what is designed is not always what is built. Product substitutions, often driven by availability or on-site decisions, along with variations in workmanship, can lead to a gap between as-designed and as-built performance. These inconsistencies can significantly impact overall fabric efficiency.
This is where merchants play a crucial role. Ensuring product availability aligns with specification helps prevent substitutions that could compromise compliance.
The Building Regulations Part L report (BREL) sets out the materials that must be installed without substitution unless approved by an energy assessor. Building control bodies can use this as a checklist and may request recalculations if products with different thermal values are used. For merchants, this reinforces the need to supply products with verified performance data and clear supporting documentation.
In addition, updated regulations require builders to use actual thermal transmittance values rather than relying on generic Accredited Construction Details (ACDs). This ensures that the calculated Y value more accurately reflects real-world performance within the BREL report.
The role of site evidence
New photographic evidence requirements mean builders must demonstrate that key junctions have been constructed as designed. Images must be geo-tagged and submitted to building control and the homeowner, providing proof that specified materials have been used correctly.
This increases the importance of product traceability, an area where merchants can provide real value through accurate supply, documentation and consistency.
High-performance lintels
Traditional steel lintels can create thermal bridges due to steel’s high thermal conductivity. However, thermally efficient alternatives such as Hi-therm+ offer a practical solution.
By incorporating a thermal break, Hi-therm+ is up to five times more thermally efficient than standard lintels. Recent enhancements, including pre-fitted insulation with higher recycled content, deliver up to a 20% increase in performance and can improve junction Psi values by up to 15%.
This makes Hi-therm+ a cost-effective option for improving fabric performance without increasing build complexity. It also supports better SAP outcomes, helping reduce overall carbon emissions across a development.
For merchants, this presents an opportunity to support customers with products that directly contribute to compliance while remaining practical and commercially viable.
Supporting compliance through specification
Balancing ambitious housebuilding targets with stricter performance requirements means getting specification decisions right from the outset. Merchants are increasingly central to that process, supporting builders with the right products, availability and technical understanding.
By prioritising fabric first solutions and ensuring alignment between specification and supply, merchants can play a key role in helping customers deliver compliant, future-ready homes.
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