REHAU Water Technologies has welcomed the publication of the Future Homes Standard (FHS) but is urging housebuilders and installers to consider heat networks in their pursuit of carbon reduction targets.
The FHS begins phasing in from 2027 and will require homes built from 2028 onwards to produce 75% less greenhouse gas emissions across their lifespan than those built in line with existing requirements. While the electrification of heat is clearly the direction of travel, REHAU says it’s important that the government considers how to reduce the running costs of heat pumps, whether individually installed or part of a district heating system, compared with gas boilers. This requires consideration of the rebalancing of energy levies. Although some progress began on 1 April this year, there is still a long way to go before electricity prices are fully disentangled from gas prices
Here, Steve Richmond, Sales & Marketing Director at REHAU Water Technologies, is highlighting heat networks as an ideal route to the 75% greenhouse gas reduction target.
He said: “The Future Homes Standard is long-awaited and welcome development, but if we are serious about cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75%, we must take a holistic view on decarbonisation in heating homes. While the delay from the original 2025 implementation date is disappointing, it’s nevertheless a positive development that the industry now has a clear timeline to plan against.
“For large housing developments, district heating is a practical opportunity that offers a substantial reduction in carbon emissions, offers the opportunity for future network expansion, and most importantly can already be deployed at scale. Polymer systems in particular offer a practical solution for new build housing, with long coil lengths, the ability to navigate around obstacles without additional jointing and the flexibility of sitting within the same trench as other services, overall keeping installation costs down.”
District heating is a system where heat is generated centrally from a single heat source – such as a large heat pump, or waste heat recovery system from a data centre or similar – and then distributed to multiple buildings via a network of pre-insulated underground pipework.
This offers an alternative approach to individual heating systems in each household, such as gas boilers or heat pumps. Analysis from Tunley Engineering shows that a heat network using a low-carbon heat source can reduce annual carbon emissions by 3.2 times compared to a standard gas boiler – equivalent to a reduction of around 70%.
He concluded: “The FHS is an important step forward in mandated low-carbon technologies, but we are proud to be working with customers who are not waiting until 2028 and are already installing and operating green heating technologies.
Find out more about district heating.
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