As the Future Homes Standard approaches, heat pumps are set to become the primary heating system in new homes. But the biggest challenges emerging from early schemes aren’t about the technology – they stem from early design decisions, making the same assumptions as for gas boiler schemes, and not addressing coordination gaps that lock in cost, complexity and redesign later.
In this guide, we provide key hints and tips for architects and architectural technologists to help them integrate heat pumps confidently from concept stage onwards. The guide has been shaped with industry through the Future Homes Hub’s Heat Pump Implementation Group and reflects real lessons learned from early Future Homes Standard projects.
What the guide provides
This new resource gives architects and architectural technologists a clear, accessible entry point to heat pump-ready design while avoiding duplication of detailed external standards. It focuses on:
- Early design choices that drive performance, compliance and cost, including spatial planning, fabric performance, layout, routing and acoustics.
- Where coordination is essential, helping teams work more effectively with SAP assessors, heating designers, M&E consultants and installers.
- Practical prompts across the design process, from concept design through to technical coordination.
- Visual guidance and illustrations, covering siting principles, clearances, acoustic limits, safety zones, and typical internal spatial allowances.
- Signposts to authoritative standards and guidance, offering clarity without recreating the technical manuals you already use.