Key Takeaways
- 27 January: Was the final day to register under BREEAM 2018/V6 before mandatory V7 transition
- £15bn Warm Homes Plan targets 5 million homes by 2030
- Future Homes Standard transition begins; higher performance bar for new builds from mid-2025
BREEAM 2018 and V6 Registrations Close 27 January
Monday 27 January is the final day projects can register under BREEAM 2018, V6 and V6.1. After this, new projects must register under BREEAM Version 7.
Version 7 places stronger emphasis on measurable outcomes. Whole-life and embodied carbon move to the centre of the assessment. Predictive operational energy becomes a required part of early design. Biodiversity, resilience and material performance are strengthened across the scheme.
If you’re in design under V6.1, you must ensure you are registered or V7’s requirements will force you to re-design.
£15bn Retrofit Programme Will Create Immediate Capacity Pressure
The Warm Homes Plan targets 5 million homes by 2030 with funding for insulation, rooftop solar, home batteries and low-carbon heating. The government estimates this could lift up to 1 million households out of fuel poverty over time.
In 2026, funding prioritises social housing and low-income communities through area-based delivery i.e. estate upgrades rather than isolated interventions. This approach addresses long-standing issues with programme fragmentation and inconsistent quality.
What this means for delivery:
- Heat pump installers and retrofit coordinators will be in short supply. Procurement timelines will stretch.
- Quality control becomes harder as the sector scales rapidly.
- Rushed delivery on this scale encourages quality failures. Expect botched installations, moisture issues from poor ventilation design, and accountability disputes when performance doesn’t match predictions.
Future Homes Standard Raises the Bar for New Builds
The Future Homes Standard comes into effect for new residential buildings from 2025, setting a higher performance baseline. By 2026, all new homes must produce 75-80% lower carbon emissions than current Building Regulations allow.
This means fabric performance, heat pumps and renewables become standard rather than optional. Developers and housebuilders face higher upfront costs, longer design periods and supply chain pressure for compliant systems.
What this means for delivery:
- Design teams must integrate heat pump and ventilation strategies earlier in the programme.
- Product specification might become more constrained, enhanced thermal performance requirements could limit current material choices.
- Supply chain capacity for compliant heating systems will be stretched across both retrofit and new build sectors simultaneously.
The Bottom Line
BREEAM V7, retrofit funding and Future Homes Standard all point to a similar conclusion: the need for earlier technical decisions and tighter quality control.
Teams that integrate solutions early and secure delivery options sooner will have an advantage.
Eight Versa provides BREEAM assessments, energy advisory, and sustainability strategy for developments that need technical delivery, not box-ticking exercises.
