Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Future Homes Standard will permit (a) air conditioning and (b) air to air reversible heat pumps in (i) new build and (ii) refurbished dwellings.

Under the Future Homes Standard (FHS), which will apply to new builds only, new homes will be required to be built with low carbon heating. We do not mandate specific technologies in the Building Regulations and so we expect a range of different types of heat pumps or other low carbon technologies to be used.

While the FHS will not be focused on overheating, Part O of the Building Regulations requires that new residential buildings are built to mitigate the risk of overheating. Mechanical cooling can be used, however, given the government’s net zero commitment, our preferred means of mitigating overheating is through passive means. Developers must demonstrate that all possible passive means of cooling a dwelling have been implemented before adopting mechanical cooling. As part of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation, which closed in March 2024, we sought evidence on whether current overheating standards are appropriate or require amendment. The government will set out the evidence it received and its response to this in Autumn 2025.