Andrew Charlesworth, technical director of Profine UK and Kömmerling, talks about the 2025 Future Homes Standard (FHS) and the implications on window and door product systems for the new build and residential markets.

The overriding goal for the UK is to be carbon zero by 2050. With just 27 years to achieve this new standard for existing and new dwellings, this next period in evolution will dictate the future prospects for the generations to come and as an industry we must be well prepared.

According to the CBRE ‘Heating and powering buildings accounts for 30% of the UK’s total energy usage, so our homes will play a vital role in the UK’s efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions’. In 2025, compliance with the Future Homes Standard (FHS) will become mandatory. Its aim is to ensure that new homes built from 2025 will produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes built under the current Building Regulations.

Already we are talking about the U value of 0.80 W/(m²K) for new housing which will require the development of deeper product structures in profile system ranges such as 75-80mm depths even 85-90mm when we refer to Passive House specification, whilst addressing how to deliver the growing energy demand for the world.

From our perspective, we are well covered with the Kömmerling 76mm and 88mm systems which include a wide array of ancillaries too. Yet it seems that triple glazing will become the norm in the years to come and already there are some European markets where this equates to 50% of all installations.

For the UK, some glass processors are already gearing up for increased production of triple glazed units with dedicated and automated lines, whilst further practical considerations must also be made about the implications of any new legislation.

Manual handling of any deeper units at the point of delivery and installation is one such point and then there are the long-term performance implications of hardware, particularly hinges and friction stays. This could well limit sizes and specifications of side and top hung windows. But while there are seemingly challenges from a product perspective there are also good opportunities too.

We have a dedicated 76mm system in the form of Kömmerling 76 for the UK market which includes casement, flush, tilt and turn, single and double doors, along with the performance-led lift and slide PremiDoor 76. The casement derivative achieves the U-value of 0.79 W/(m²K) and has been designed alongside the entire system range to accommodate triple glazing.

Clever use of additional chambers, pseudo chambers and typical Kömmerling product engineering know-how makes this an outstanding product system that has already been well adopted in Ireland, who are in front of the UK when it comes to Building Regulations and energy efficiency. Better still we can offer a full Passive House solution with our 88mm system.

With proStratoTec technology we can achieve Passive House standard in both white and foiled profiles. Sustainability is high on the agenda for Kömmerling and is satisfied as this system is extruded with recycled material which is fully recyclable at the end of its useful life.

Our aluminium/PVC-U hybrid systems have been highly regarded over the years. Specifically aimed at the UK market, we have WarmCore that was designed with triple glazing in mind from the outset. Boasting 1.0 W/(m²K) U-value for all door options including patio and bi-folding and 0.80 W/(m²K) for all window configurations, all easily achieved with a standard 44mm triple glazed units.

Will the sales savvy industry look to start selling Future Homes Standard windows and doors to the replacement market in the immediate future? I certainly think given the opportunities early-adopters could gain by doing so, it would lead to competitive advantage.

So, whether you are fabricating or installing in new housing or the replacement sector, future-proofed products with a profile partner already competent to deliver now for in the future has never been so important.