Buildings: Carbon Emissions

(asked on 22nd July 2026) - View Source

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering introducing statutory zero-carbon building standards.


Answered by
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage Portrait
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This question was answered on 5th August 2026

In March 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published an update to the energy efficiency standards in the Building Regulations: the Future Homes Standard (FHS).

Under this new standard, which will come into force from March 2027, all new homes will need to have excellent insulation, low carbon heating systems, and in most cases, solar panels to boost our energy security with clean, homegrown power. New homes built to these standards will be zero carbon ready, meaning they will become zero carbon once the national grid is fully decarbonised and will require no further retrofitting to meet net zero.

Reticulating Splines