Real-World Performance, Commissioning & Home User Guides
The government has strengthened requirements for commissioning, certification, and homeowner information to help close the gap between designed and actual building performance.
Competent Person Schemes
The Approved Documents now state that competent person schemes should be used when installing heat pumps or mechanical ventilation. For heat pumps, registered schemes include APHC, BESCA, Certsure, HETAS, NAPIT, and OFTEC. For mechanical ventilation and air conditioning, registered schemes include BESCA, Blue Flame Certification, Certsure, and NAPIT. The government will monitor scheme performance and capacity closely.
Home User Guides — Regulation 40C
A new Regulation 40C requires developers to provide information to homeowners in an "appropriate format." The Approved Document guidance recommends both a paper and digital copy of the Home User Guide should be provided, or a paper copy with a digital copy made available. This ensures all occupants — including those with limited digital access — can understand how to operate their heating, ventilation, solar PV, and overheating systems effectively.
Heat Pump Commissioning
Guidance now requires a commissioning checklist as evidence that commissioning has been carried out correctly. The Approved Document references MCS and Heat Pump Association documents as examples. Operating and maintenance information must be fixed to heat pumps, providing a physical reference that is always available regardless of internet connectivity or digital literacy.
MVHR Commissioning
Guidance on ductwork has been revised — there is no longer an explicit maximum length for dMEV ductwork, but design verification by a competent person is required for lengths over 2 metres. Powered flow hoods are cited as the approved testing equipment for measuring airflow rates. The government has decided not to extend Regulation 42 (mechanical ventilation airflow testing) to work in existing buildings.
BREL Reports
Building Regulations England Part L (BREL) reports continue to be produced by approved energy modelling software, providing building control with standardised compliance information. Under the FHS, voluntary delivered energy reporting is available via the BREL where the Home Energy Model is used, increasing awareness of how much energy a new home may reasonably be expected to consume.
No FHS Brand
The government considered but decided not to proceed with a Future Homes Standard brand for marketing purposes. While there was majority support for incentivising performance testing, there was significant uncertainty about how a brand would work in practice. Existing brands like Passivhaus and the Home Quality Mark continue to operate independently.