Ministers may drop batteries from Future Homes Standard
Ministers may drop batteries from Future Homes Standard
Written By
Reviewed By
Published on
7 January 2026
The Guardian is reporting that the government might drop batteries from the Future Homes Standard.
Critics have pushed back, saying batteries can save money and cut emissions
The Future Homes Standard is set to be fully implemented in 2027.
The Guardian said the average three-bedroom semi-detached home could save roughly £1,350 a year by installing solar batteries
The government could allow homes to be built without storage batteries in the soon-to-be published future homes standard (FHS), caving into demands from housebuilders, according to reports in The Guardian.
The newspaper says that the FHS will not force builders to include solar batteries, even though it will require them to install solar panels, insulation, and heat pumps. This is despite the fact that batteries allow consumers to store more energy and sell it back to the grid.
Jess Ralston, head of energy, Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said the UK risks “not making the most” of its own power and that it could cause bills to increase and mean more gas is imported from abroad.
Get free solar panel quotes
Answer a few quick questions, and our trusted installers will send you bespoke solar panel quotes – for free.
The FHS is a regulatory framework for new homes in the UK requiring new builds to have low-carbon heating technology, such as insulation, heat pumps (or heat networks) and solar panels. It is set to be fully implemented by 2027. It was expected that solar batteries would be part of the regulations, but The Guardian’s report suggests they won’t be.
Ralston described batteries as “really useful for ensuring that homes can use as much of their own power as possible.” The Guardian goes on to say that not including solar batteries will mean homeowners save less than they otherwise would have done.
Using data from the MCS Foundation, The Guardian said the average three-bedroom semi-detached home could save roughly £1,350 a year by installing solar batteries, along with heat pumps and solar panels.
Jan Rosenow, a professor of energy at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, said the government would be missing an opportunity if it didn’t include solar batteries in the Future Homes Plan because installing them at construction is cheaper than retrofitting them later.
He told The Guardian that developers in the UK have a “track record of pushing back against requirements” that improve energy performance of homes.
Get free solar panel quotes
Answer a few quick questions, and our trusted installers will send you bespoke solar panel quotes – for free.
Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.
In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.
He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.
Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.
As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.
His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.
Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.
Tamara BirchNewsletters and sponsored content editor
Tamara is a journalist with more than six years experience writing about environmental topics. This includes advising small businesses on cost-effective ways tom become more sustainable, from installing to solar panels and heat pumps and reducing waste. She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs. Now, she’s using this experience to advise homeowners on the benefits of installing low-carbon technologies. She is also qualified in offering innovative initiatives to improve sustainability practices in businesses, from advertising to marketing and publishing.
Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.
‘Smart’ British EV owners save hundreds of pounds more than German drivers
British EV drivers are on average saving more than £540 compared to electric vehicle (EV) drivers in Germany thanks to using smart meters to charge their cars at night, according to new analysis from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).
Tamara Birch
Offshore wind saves UK £30bn in energy costs
New data from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has found that, for the first time, UK offshore wind generation overtook the amount of electricity generated from domestically-produced gas in 2024, generating around 10% more power.
Tamara Birch
What is the ECO4 Scheme?
The government has released its new ECO4 scheme, which will run until March 2026 – but what does it cover and are you eligible? Find out here.
