Future homes, forgotten homeowners
Despite a change in government, in 2025, the Future Homes Standard will still be published. As we all know, this will set out how new homes will be built to stricter energy efficiency standards as part of the UK’s drive towards net-zero carbon emissions – what we don’t know, is exactly how fenestration will be impacted.
Will these changes influence homeowners looking to upgrade their existing properties? Are consumers even aware of it? Charlotte Hawkes, director at Keystone Market Research, takes a look at findings from the company’s latest report and discusses what they mean for the fenestration industry.
The Future Homes Standard, set for introduction in 2025, is designed to improve the energy efficiency of new-build homes.
Until the standard is published it will be difficult to know the impact on fenestration. However, given that only 10% of the fenestration market comes from new-builds, while 68% is from repair, maintenance, and improvement (RM&I), the real question is whether this policy will influence homeowners’ decisions about their existing properties.
Low awareness
Our latest research has revealed that 82% of homeowners are completely unaware of the standard, highlighting a major disconnect between government policy and public awareness. Awareness was higher among younger (27% of 18-24s) and wealthier respondents (24% of AB social grade), but most homeowners remain unaware of the changes on the horizon.
Almost half (49%) of homeowners said they wouldn’t make any energy efficiency improvements in response to the Future Homes Standard. However, 37% would consider upgrading their current home, while 14% said they would prefer to buy a new-build designed to meet the standard.
As with awareness, younger homeowners were the most engaged, with 46% considering home improvements and 20% interested in new-builds. In contrast, just 29% of over-65s would make improvements, and only 7% would look to buy a new home.
Regionally, London had the highest motivation to buy a new-build (22%), while the South West (7%) and North East (8%) showed the least interest. However, Wales stood out for its preference to upgrade existing homes (45%).
Opportunity for the industry
With such low awareness and engagement, while the Future Homes Standard may not directly drive sales in the replacement market, there is an opportunity to capitalise on the growing interest in energy efficiency, particularly among younger and wealthier homeowners.
Our report identifies additional insights that could help shape business strategy, including:
Consumer investment trends – How much are homeowners willing to spend on energy-efficient upgrades?
Product demand shifts – Which features are gaining traction as homeowners prioritise efficiency?
Marketing opportunities – How businesses can position their offerings to align with emerging homeowner priorities.
With the fenestration industry unable to rely on the new policy to generate sales, instead businesses must actively promote the benefits of high-performance windows and doors to close the awareness gap with consumers – emphasising energy savings and comfort, to create demand independent of the regulations.