We’re prepared – are you?
By Chris Armes, design and development director, Liniar.
Intended to help combat climate change, the UK Government’s Net Zero strategy aims to achieve a balance between carbon emissions and carbon removal by 2050 through actions across different sectors.
The construction sector will be significantly impacted by The Future Homes Standard (FHS), an incoming set of energy efficiency standards for new build homes in England.
Compliance will be mandatory from 2025, and all new homes built from this date will be required to emit 75-80% less carbon than existing new-build homes.
Future Homes ready
At Liniar we are keen to unlock the benefits of energy efficient homes today – our philosophy has always been to make compliance with future legislation easily achievable well into the future.
With the 2023 release of our Zero 90 and Zero 90R window and doors systems, we’re already prepared for 2025!
The Future Homes Standard proposes significant changes to the U-values required for windows and doors. From 2025, the indicative FHS specification for whole-window U-value is 0.8 W/m²K or lower for new build properties.
This is a considerable improvement over existing Building Regulations and beyond the capabilities of most windows and door systems currently on the market, without cost-prohibitive addons and components.
With Zero 90, Liniar has developed a system capable of a superb whole-window U-value of 0.66 with Argon-filled triple glazing. This means it already exceeds the UK’s forthcoming legislative standard today and is expected to do so for many years to come, offering Liniar customers and the wider construction industry a future-proof solution for further regulatory changes.
Crucially, Zero 90 achieves its 0.66 U-value using highly accessible, industry standard glazing components and doesn’t require, for example, expensive Krypton gas or quadruple glazing. Our aim is to make energy efficient homes accessible to everyone and accelerate the UK’s transition towards Net Zero.
It is widely recognised that the UK’s existing housing stock is energy inefficient, with a recent GGF report stating 98% of existing UK windows fail to meet current Building Regulations for energy efficiency and would benefit from immediate replacement.
Liniar has adopted a holistic approach to designing a system that will help the UK achieve its Net Zero ambitions. We understand that FHS will apply to new build properties, but it’s also widely recognised there’s a need for retrospective improvements to existing housing stock.
The Government has already stated existing homes will also be subject to higher standards, with a requirement for replacements, repairs and parts to be more energy efficient. Including the replacement of windows.
With this in mind we see a huge opportunity for an ultra-energy efficient, 90mm retrofittable system. However, the main issue with replacing a 70mm window with a 90mm one is often a need to chop back the existing plaster line.
Because of its brittle composition plaster is an unpredictable material to work with, and the process is rarely straightforward.
Zero 90R has been designed with an innovative rebated frame that fits neatly where a 70mm window once sat, drastically reducing the likelihood of having to undertake labour intensive and costly replastering work.
And there is more to reducing a building’s carbon footprint than simply increasing its energy efficiency.
Both Zero 90 and Zero 90R are manufactured with a recycled core and are completely recyclable at the end of their useful life, which can be as long as at least 35 years under normal urban and non-aggressive conditions.
This means Zero 90 contributes to the circular economy, reducing embodied carbon and making it one of the most sustainable window systems in the UK.
