What happened: Building Circular 01/2026 just made the Future Homes & Buildings Standards real
On 24 March 2026, the government published Building Circular 01/2026 on GOV.UK, confirming the direction of travel for England’s Future Homes and Buildings Standards. This isn’t just another policy statement—it accompanies formal changes to the Building Regulations framework and updated guidance in the Approved Documents, particularly Part L (conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation).
The headline points that matter for homeowners are:
- New homes in England are being pushed firmly toward low-carbon heating (with explicit heat-pump-related guidance and user information requirements).
- Energy efficiency standards are getting tougher under Part L—think better fabric performance and stricter overall energy targets.
- On-site renewable electricity generation is being mandated for new dwellings (this will commonly mean solar PV in practice).
- These changes are set to come into force from 24 March 2027 (with additional sequencing mentioned for certain higher-risk building work later in 2027).
Even if you’re not building a house, this matters because it sets the definition of “normal” housing standards and drives what developers build, what homebuyers expect, what lenders value, and what manufacturers and installers stock and train for.
Why it matters: it changes what “a good heating system” looks like in new homes
For decades, the default answer to “what heats the house?” in our area has often been a gas boiler (where gas is available) or oil/LPG (where it isn’t), plus radiators sized around high flow temperatures. The Future Homes and Buildings Standards accelerate a shift away from that default.
In plain terms: a new home built after the changeover is far more likely to be designed around low-temperature heating and lower heat loss. That combination is what makes heat pumps work well—quietly and affordably—rather than feeling like an expensive experiment.
For homeowners in places like Bordon and Whitehill, where a lot of housing stock and development has been evolving over recent years, this policy direction feeds directly into what new developments will look like. In Liphook, Alton, Farnham and Haslemere, it also affects how buyers compare older character properties with modern builds—and what upgrades become “expected” when renovating.
What it means technically (without the jargon): Part L + on-site renewables + heat pump guidance
1) Part L: less heat loss first, smaller heating system second
Part L is fundamentally about how much energy a home needs to stay comfortable. Tightened Part L guidance typically results in:
- Better insulation (walls, roofs, floors) to reduce steady heat loss.
- Better windows/doors (lower U-values, improved air tightness).
- More attention to air leakage—uncontrolled draughts are essentially holes in your heating budget.
This matters because once the fabric is improved, the house needs less heat. That allows:
- Smaller heat pumps (lower upfront cost, better efficiency).
- Lower flow temperatures (which is where heat pumps shine).
- Radiators/underfloor heating designed properly—not just “what fits on the wall”.
2) Part F: ventilation becomes a designed system, not an afterthought
As buildings get more airtight, you can’t rely on leaky construction to remove moisture and indoor pollutants. Part F updates mean ventilation is treated as a system that must work predictably.
In new builds, this frequently results in:
- Continuous extract ventilation (MEV), or
- Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) in higher-performance homes.
For homeowners, the practical implications are simple but important: filters need changing, vents shouldn’t be blocked, and humidity management becomes part of keeping a home healthy (especially in winter). If you’ve ever dealt with mould in a bathroom or condensation on bedroom windows in a tighter property, this is why Part F matters.
3) On-site renewable electricity: why solar PV is becoming “standard issue”
The Circular confirms the intent that new dwellings include on-site renewable electricity generation. Realistically, most developers will meet this with solar PV, because it’s proven, scalable, and relatively low-maintenance.
Technically, this pairs neatly with low-carbon heating. A heat pump is an electrical appliance that turns electricity into heat very efficiently. If part of that electricity is produced on your roof—particularly in spring and autumn—your running costs can improve.
Homeowners should understand one key point: PV helps most when your home can use electricity during the day (or store it in a battery, or store heat in a hot water cylinder). This is why new builds increasingly include cylinders again—hot water storage becomes a practical tool, not a step backwards.
4) Heat pump-specific guidance and “home user information”
One of the most overlooked causes of poor heat pump experiences is not the kit—it’s setup and user operation. The Circular notes heat pump-related guidance and improved home user information. That’s significant because heat pumps don’t operate like a boiler.
In plain English:
- A boiler is often run in short, hot bursts.
- A heat pump is typically happiest maintaining steady temperatures with lower flow temperatures.
User information that explains weather compensation, thermostat strategy, hot water schedules, and what “normal” sounds like can prevent needless callouts and high bills.
What it means financially: purchase price, running costs, and future resale
Upfront costs: where money may move (not just increase)
Developers and manufacturers don’t absorb change for free, so some of these measures can affect the build cost of new homes. But it isn’t as simple as “everything costs more”. A better-fabric home can often use:
- smaller emitters (or lower-spec radiators because temperatures are lower but heat demand is lower too),
- smaller heat sources,
- more predictable ventilation and fewer damp/mould remediation issues later.
In the real world, you may see costs shift into insulation, glazing, PV and ventilation—while the heating system becomes a designed package rather than a boiler-plus-rads “default”.
Running costs: why design and commissioning will matter more than the badge on the unit
A well-designed heat pump system in a low-heat-loss home can deliver very competitive running costs, especially when paired with PV. But the phrase “well-designed” is doing the heavy lifting. The biggest technical cost drivers for homeowners will be:
- Heat loss calculation accuracy (oversizing can reduce efficiency; undersizing can reduce comfort).
- Emitter sizing (radiators/UFH must deliver required heat at low flow temps).
- Flow temperature strategy (weather compensation set correctly).
- Hot water cylinder performance (coil size, reheat times, legionella control strategy).
In other words: expect the industry to talk less about “kW boiler sizes” and more about heat loss, flow temperatures, and system balancing.
Resale value: EPC expectations will keep rising
Even though the Circular focuses on new builds, the ripple effects hit existing homes. Buyers increasingly notice EPC ratings, insulation quality, and whether a home looks “future-ready”. In markets around Farnham and Haslemere, where period homes sit alongside modern developments, we already see buyers comparing the comfort and running costs of a new-build against the charm of an older property.
This policy change strengthens the trend: homes that can be efficiently heated at lower temperatures—and have upgraded insulation—will feel like safer long-term bets.
What it means locally: Bordon to Haslemere, practical realities on the ground
The local picture across Bordon, Whitehill, Liphook, Alton, Farnham and Haslemere is mixed: some areas have robust gas coverage; others have more off-gas pockets, larger detached homes, and a variety of construction types.
Here’s how that plays out practically:
- New-build estates around Bordon/Whitehill are likely to standardise on heat pumps plus PV, with designed ventilation solutions. Homeowners moving in will need to understand controls properly to get the comfort and bills they expect.
- Villages and edges-of-town homes near Liphook and Haslemere often include larger footprints and sometimes more glazing. Heat pumps can still work extremely well, but the “fabric first” approach becomes essential to avoid needing very large outputs.
- Older housing stock in Alton and Farnham ranges from well-insulated upgrades to solid-wall properties. Even though you’re not forced to retrofit to new-build standards, the market and the supply chain will increasingly steer toward low-carbon solutions—so planning staged improvements now is sensible.
What homeowners should do next (whether you’re buying new, renovating, or just planning ahead)
If you’re buying a new build that will complete after March 2027
Ask the developer (or your conveyancer to request it) for clear documentation on:
- Heating system type and design flow temperature (what temperature is it designed to run at?).
- Heat loss calculations and emitter schedules (radiator sizes/UFH zones should match the design).
- Ventilation system type (MEV or MVHR) and maintenance requirements (filter locations, replacement intervals).
- PV system size (kWp), inverter location, monitoring app access, and what happens if the inverter fails.
- Home user guide for heating and hot water—specifically how to run it efficiently day-to-day.
If the answers are vague, push for clarity. A high-performance home is only as good as the handover.
If you’re in an existing home and your boiler is fine (for now)
The best move is rarely “rip everything out”. Instead, use this next year to make your home more heat-pump-ready, because even if you choose another boiler later, these measures still cut bills:
- Get a heat loss survey before you change major components. It stops guesswork.
- Deal with insulation and draughts—loft insulation depth, loft hatches, suspended floors, and leaky doors are common offenders locally.
- Check radiator performance: cold spots, slow warm-up, frequent bleeding and noisy pipes often indicate sludge or balancing issues. A system clean and correct balancing can improve comfort immediately.
- Review controls: zoning, programmer schedules, and thermostat placement can reduce waste more than people expect.
If you’re due a heating replacement in the next 12–24 months
This policy shift is a good moment to get a proper options appraisal rather than defaulting to what your home had before.
Typically, the decision comes down to:
- Heat pump (best suited where heat loss is reasonable and emitters can work at low temperatures),
- Hybrid approaches in some cases (depending on property constraints and tariffs),
- Boiler replacement where appropriate—ideally paired with emitter upgrades, controls improvements, and fabric upgrades so you’re not locking in inefficiency.
The technical must-have, whichever route you take, is proper system design: correct sizing, good pipework, commissioning, and homeowner education.
What this means for comfort: quieter homes, more even temperatures, fewer damp surprises
Done properly, the Future Homes direction tends to produce homes that feel different to live in. Temperatures are more even, night-time cold spots reduce, and the house holds heat longer. The flip side is that the building becomes a more engineered environment—ventilation, controls and maintenance matter.
For many homeowners, the biggest adjustment is psychological: moving from “blast heat for an hour” to “steady background warmth”. When you understand that shift, you get the benefits the regulations are aiming for: comfort with lower energy use.
If you want help making sense of what these standards mean for your property—whether you’re in Whitehill, buying in Bordon, renovating near Liphook, or planning heating upgrades in Alton, Farnham or Haslemere—book a heating survey and we’ll talk you through the most cost-effective path for your home: https://www.embassygas.com/book • (01420) 558993 • helpdesk@embassygas.com