Prioritising the performance of the building fabric of new homes is required by the Future Homes Standard, is key to ensuring the effectiveness of renewable technologies, and fundamental to occupant comfort. However, is it being ‘deprioritised’ in the industry’s rush to achieve realistic solutions to the Future Homes Standard, and a failure to amplify Part L requirements? Conversely, should it be the priority in the first place, or should holistic comfort be the guiding principle?
This round table will look at the housebuilding sector’s approach to ‘fabric first,’ the detail behind the headline statements around the Future Homes Standard’s fabric approach, and also at whether the conversation is being dominated by electricity generation and heating technology options.
Should we be setting up a hierarchy where fabric is ‘first’ and other solutions aren’t considered early on; could this lead to wrong assumptions being made on the realistic impact of improved envelopes on heating? What are the design impacts if a fully holistic approach isn’t taken? In short, is a focus on either fabric or renewables misguided?
Getting insulation, junction detailing, air tightness and thermal breaks right is key, but poses challenges for many housebuilders, including verifying product performance and attention to detail onsite. What are they prioritising in terms of fabric solutions, and where do they need to work closer with the supply chain, to identify the best options (such as the impacts of larger cavities? Are they specifying insulation beyond Part L, what are their air-tightness methods of choice, and how are they offsetting them with ventilation? What about thermally efficient windows, doors and lintels and elimination of thermal bridges? And is passive solar design getting a look in, particular on volume housebuilding?
The discussion will look at broad implications of the the Future Homes Standard on fabric vs renewables, the ins and outs of the Fabric Energy Efficiency metric in use, as housebuilders anticipate the Home Energy Model, and solutions for housebuilders and designers. Other drivers such as EPC changes, buildability and the need to collaborate to find the right balance will also help shape the discussion.