Going electric is now standard in new homes. With the right upgrades, yours can be too. 

From 24 March 2027, every new home built in England has to have a heat pump, solar panels, and much better insulation, by law. Gas boilers are out. Solar panels are in, mounted on the roof and sized to cover about 40% of the home’s footprint. Draught-proofing gets tighter, windows have to work harder, and every new home needs at least one place to charge an electric car. This is the Future Homes Standard, and it’s been a long time coming. 

It makes sense when you think about it. Gas prices have been unpredictable for years, and the climate keeps proving it isn’t waiting for us to catch up. The government’s answer, for new homes at least, is to stop treating energy efficiency as the upgrade and start treating it as the default. 

What that means in practice: buy a new-build from 2027 onwards, and a heat pump and solar panels come with the house, the same way double glazing already does. Batteries aren’t standard yet. Housebuilders pushed back on the extra upfront cost, and the government left them optional. That also makes them negotiable: if you’re buying a new-build, you’re in the driving seat – it’s worth asking whether a battery can be added to the deal. The case for having one is simple: it lets you use your own free daytime solar power in the evening, export what you don’t need back to the grid, and top up at cheap night-time rates in winter, when there’s less daylight to work with. 

But most of us aren’t buying a new home in 2027. We’re staying exactly where we are, because we like it here, or moving’s a hassle, or both. So does any of this matter if you’re not moving? 

Legally, no – the Future Homes Standard only applies to new builds. But it’s not really a rulebook, it’s a preview of what’s possible. Your home doesn’t need to be brand new to work like one. The same three things new homes are getting – insulation, solar, and a heat pump – work just as well in a home that’s forty years old. They just don’t arrive all at once, or for free. 

Start with insulation. Some of it’s cheap and simple – loft insulation, draught-proofing. Some of it costs more and takes planning, like solid walls. Either way, it comes first: whatever heats your home, better insulation means using less energy to do it, and it makes everything you add later work harder for you. Then look at solar, if you haven’t already – add a battery alongside it, and you’re onto a real winner. If a heat pump makes sense for your home, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes a real chunk off the cost: £7,500 for most households, or £9,000 if you’re off the gas grid on oil or LPG heating (though that higher rate is only running until March 2027, so worth checking before you plan around it). 

None of this has to happen at once. Fit it to your budget, and do it in whatever order makes sense for your home. 

Not sure where to start? Homewise is a free tool that looks at your home and tells you what would make the biggest difference, from a few pounds of loft insulation to a full heat pump switch. 

Whether you’re buying new or working with what you’ve got, the goal’s the same: a home that’s comfortable, and doesn’t cost the earth to run. That’s the home’s future, new or old. We’ve got guides on retrofit, insulation, solar, and heat pumps to help, wherever you’re starting from. 

Further reading: The Future Homes and Buildings Standards (Building Circular 01/2026)