Future Homes Standard

Future Homes Standard

The Future Homes Standard introduces revised Approved Documents underpinning Building Regulations in England from 24 March 2027, with staged application for higher‑risk buildings and transitional arrangements.

For fenestration, the key change is not tighter thermal targets, but how window and door performance is calculated and evidenced, with greater emphasis on reflecting real‑world specification and installation.

What’s changing for windows and doors

Collaboration that drives progress

While notional U‑values for windows and doors will be familiar to much of the industry, the Future Homes Standard introduces a more detailed and transparent approach to performance calculation for new dwellings.

Under the revised methodology:

  • Thermal performance must be calculated using actual window and door sizes
  • Area‑weighted calculations are required
  • The use of a standard or reference window for demonstrating compliance is no longer acceptable.

Reflecting real‑world configuration

Key technical expectations

Thermal calculations must now take account of relevant non‑structural components that can influence overall performance, where present. These may include:

  • Frame sections and differing frame widths
  • Sills and thresholds
  • Add‑ons and frame extensions
  • Couplers and fixed or dummy elements
  • Decorative glazing bars within the glazing unit

Dead‑load‑bearing structural components are excluded from the calculation.

How VEKA supports Future Homes Standard requirements

WindoPlan

VEKA has been preparing for this direction of travel for some time and supports its customers with tools designed to reflect real‑world outcomes.
WinDoPlan already enables:

  • Area‑weighted thermal calculations
  • Calculations based on actual window and door sizes and configurations
  • Consideration of relevant non‑structural elements such as frame extensions and add‑ons

This supports informed specification decisions and helps reduce the risk of late‑stage design changes as projects progress towards implementation of the Future Homes Standard.

VEKA Specification team

Tim James
National Specification Manager
E-Mail: tjames@veka.comPhone: +44 1282 725281
Anna Crossley
Project Sales Coordinator
E-Mail: acrossley@veka.comPhone: +44 1282 725320