The short answerIn England, new homes built to the Future Homes Standard won't need a gas connection for heating. The standard doesn't ban gas boilers, but its targets are based on a home heated by a heat pump, and the government expects these homes not to need gas. It applies from 24 March 2027, with a transition that lets some homes be built to the 2021 rules until March 2028.
What is the Future Homes Standard?
The Future Homes Standard is the new energy standard for new homes in England. It is set through changes to the Building Regulations and new editions of Approved Document L (conservation of fuel and power) and Approved Document F (ventilation). The same package brings in the Future Buildings Standard for new non-domestic buildings. This guide focuses on homes.
The standard works by comparing your design with a "notional" home. Under the 2021 rules, that notional home could be heated by a gas boiler. Under the Future Homes Standard, it is heated by a heat pump and has solar PV. Your design has to perform at least as well.
The key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 24 March 2026 | The regulations (SI 2026/335) and the 2026 Approved Documents L and F are published. |
| 24 March 2027 | The Future Homes Standard comes into force in England. Building notices, initial notices and full plans applications given from this date fall under the new rules. |
| 24 September 2027 | Cut-off for higher-risk buildings. A valid Gateway 2 application submitted before this date keeps the 2021 Part L. |
| 24 March 2028 | End of the transition. A building whose notice was given before 24 March 2027 must have started work by this date to keep the 2021 rules. |
Source: the government's Building Circular 01/2026 and its consultation response. The standard is not in force in 2026.
How does the transition work?
A home can still be built to the 2021 Part L rules only if both of these are true:
- A building notice, initial notice or full plans application was given before 24 March 2027, and
- Work on that building starts before 24 March 2028.
The key words are "that building". The transition applies building by building, not site-wide. Starting the first plot on a 60-home site doesn't protect the other 59.
An example
A developer gives an initial notice in February 2027 for a phased site. Plots where work starts before 24 March 2028 can be built to the 2021 rules, so a gas boiler is still possible. Plots that start after that date must meet the Future Homes Standard, so they are designed around a heat pump. The same site can end up with both.
That matters for utility planning. If you're designing a gas network for a phased site, it may only serve the early plots. Some respondents to the government's consultation warned about sites being left with oversized gas infrastructure, and about electricity upgrades being needed late.
What about higher-risk buildings?
Higher-risk buildings (taller residential buildings that go through the Building Safety Regulator's gateway process) have a different timetable. The new rules apply to them from 24 September 2027. A higher-risk building keeps the 2021 Part L if a valid Gateway 2 application was submitted before that date.
If you're developing a higher-risk building, check the exact position with your Building Control and design team early. The Gateway 2 timing affects the heating design, which drives the electricity and gas applications.
Does the Future Homes Standard ban gas boilers?
No. The law does not name or ban gas boilers. In practice, though, a gas boiler is not expected to meet the targets, because they are set from a heat-pump home with solar PV. The government's impact assessment is direct: "Homes built to the FHS standard no longer require a gas connection."
Two more points are worth knowing:
- Temporary fossil-fuel heating won't help. Fitting a gas boiler while waiting for a heat network to arrive will not allow a home to comply.
- Gas for cooking isn't directly addressed. The documents don't deal with gas hobs, so we don't say gas is "banned". The accurate position is that new homes built to the standard won't need a gas connection for heating.
Gas connections for new homes won't disappear overnight. Homes on the transitional route can still be built with gas until about March 2028. After that, demand for gas on new homes in England is expected to fall to near zero. Existing homes and many commercial sites will still need gas work, such as new services, alterations and disconnections.
What it means for your electricity supply
If a home has no gas, its heating and hot water run on electricity. That changes the size of supply you need, and on a development it can change the substation and cable sizes too.
- Declare every load in the application. Heat pumps, EV chargers, solar PV and batteries should all go into the new connection application, so the service and substation are sized for them.
- Expect a higher demand per home. The government's impact assessment models an extra 1.5 kVA per heat-pump home. That is an assumption in its cost model, not a design figure, so loads still need working out for your house types.
- Check single-phase or three-phase. Larger homes with a heat pump, EV charging and battery storage may justify three-phase.
- Understand who pays. Since 1 April 2023, demand connections pay for extension assets, and wider reinforcement is paid through network charges. The impact assessment notes costs can still fall on developers where assets are sole-use or Ofgem's High Cost Cap of £1,720/kVA is exceeded.
On a phased site that crosses the transition, it often makes sense to size the electricity network for all-electric homes from the start, even if the first plots have gas. We talk this through with you before applying. Read more on electricity connections.
What about Wales and Scotland?
The Future Homes Standard applies in England. Wales has its own rules: Part L 2025 (Wales) comes into force on 4 March 2027, with a 12-month window for starting work and a requirement for on-site renewable electricity. The Welsh rules also use a notional home with a heat pump and solar PV, but we'd check the Welsh Approved Document L with your designer before assuming anything about gas in a Welsh new home.
Scotland has its own building standards, which this guide doesn't cover. Ask us about a Scottish site and we'll check the position for you.
What to do now
- List every plot with its notice date and likely start date. That tells you which homes can still use the 2021 rules.
- Decide the heating strategy per plot before applying for gas or electricity.
- Don't oversize the gas network for plots that will start after 24 March 2028.
- Size the electricity supply for heat pumps and EV charging, and apply early. Substations and reinforcement take time.
- Keep evidence of start dates for each building, in case Building Control asks.
We handle both gas and electricity applications, so we can plan them together and avoid paying for gas mains that later plots won't use.