Matthew Pratt, chief executive of Redrow, has taken up the role of co-chair of the Future Homes Standard Implementation Board, the Future Homes Hub announced on 2 October 2023. He shares the position with Catherine Adams1.
The board is being set up by the Future Homes Hub to bring industry, government and other stakeholders together over the next three years on delivery of the Future Homes Standard, which the Hub describes as expected in October 2023 and applying from 2025. The Hub said the board will "anticipate, identify and monitor the key issues and actions required to secure successful delivery of Future Homes Standard 2025", supported by expert working groups1.
Pratt said Redrow had announced in January 2023 that all upcoming Redrow developments would feature air source heat pumps, which he described as two years ahead of the Future Homes Standard deadline. He became chief executive of Redrow in 20201.
"It's a privilege to be taking up the role of co-chair of the Future Homes Standard implementation board alongside Catherine Adams, helping to collaboratively drive vital change through our industry."
The announcement cites an Opinium survey of 2,000 UK adults carried out in December 2022, which found that 74 per cent of UK adults said living in an energy efficient home was more important to them than a year earlier, and 83 per cent said they would be willing to pay more for an energy efficient home1. The survey was commissioned by Redrow and the figures are given as percentages of those surveyed; no regional breakdown or margin of error is reported.
The Hub states that the standard represents "a significant and early milestone in England's pathway to net zero"1. The carbon reduction expected under the standard and the choice between its two options for compliance are set out in the Hub's own evidence. The announcement does not give the board's full membership, meeting dates or terms of reference; these have not been reported1.
Why it matters for households
The Future Homes Standard sets how new homes in England will be built and heated from 2025, so the board's work shapes what a new home comes with as standard: the fabric of the building, the heating system and the running costs a household inherits. The Hub's position is that new homes are already more energy efficient in their fabric than those on the second-hand market, and that the standard is the next step towards zero-carbon homes1. For a household, the practical effect sits in how much energy a home needs to stay warm and what it uses to produce that heat, which in turn affects exposure to future fuel prices and to changing rules on heating. The survey figures cited suggest buyers are already weighing energy efficiency when they choose a home, though the survey measured stated willingness to pay rather than completed purchases1.
What happens next
The board is intended to run for three years, working on delivery of the standard at scale across the sector1. The Hub said the standard was expected in October 2023, with delivery targeted for 20251. No further appointments or timetable for the board have been reported1.