Labour to Publish Future Homes Standard in 2026 Without Mandatory Battery Storage
Labour plans to publish the Future Homes Standard (FHS) in January 2026, setting energy regulations for all new homes in England. The standards will include requirements such as solar panels, insulation, and heat pumps but are unlikely to mandate battery storage due to lobbying from housebuilders.
Battery storage installation is estimated to cost between £2,000 and £5,000 per new home. However, it could provide around £1,350 in annual energy bill savings for a typical three-bedroom semi with a heat pump and solar panels. Building approximately 1.5 million new homes without battery storage might reduce grid efficiency and resilience while increasing reliance on gas imports.
Housebuilders are favoring alternatives like switch valves or using surplus solar energy to heat water, solutions that do not store energy nor support grid stability. Experts have warned that excluding batteries misses an important opportunity, noting that installing batteries during construction is cheaper than retrofitting them later.
Despite the omission of battery storage, the FHS is described as potentially transformative, promising substantial savings and significant on-site electricity generation impact, according to the MCS Foundation. The government also plans to announce a "warm homes plan" alongside the FHS to address insulation, reduce gas reliance, phase out fossil-fuel boilers, and decommission the gas grid.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that the FHS is in development and will be published early in 2026 with the aims of making homes warmer, more affordable, and helping to meet the net-zero target by 2050.
