There has been no noticeable recovery in the UK housing market in the last quarter, however I remain optimistic for the future.

I see the Future Homes Standard (FHS) and the national drive for decarbonisation as the biggest growth opportunity our sector has ever faced. The UK’s housing stock is aging and inefficient—with the median Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for housing in England and Wales sitting disappointingly at around Band D. To meet the goal of Net Zero by 2050 while delivering the 1.5 million new homes required, simply maintaining the status quo is a recipe for failure. The market demands radical innovation, and we must rise to meet it.

The key to success is forging deep, strategic partnerships with housing developers. The requirement for new homes to use low carbon heating systems from this year forces an industry-wide switch to heat pumps, underfloor heating and pre-insulated piping.

This isn’t just a component swap; it requires a wholesale redesign of a building’s operational core. Developers need partners such as ourselves who can co-engineer the transition.  This means our R&D must align directly with the developer’s build strategy. We need to move beyond being simple suppliers to become integrated system designers. Our focus must be on creating advanced pipework and integrated systems that guarantee the optimal, low-temperature performance required by heat pumps, ensuring rapid, risk-free installation on-site.

Furthermore, true partnership means tackling the embodied carbon of construction materials. Developers face stringent new reporting requirements, and we must provide transparent data on the lifecycle of our products, utilising recycled content and low-carbon manufacturing to help them meet their whole-life carbon targets. By working together—manufacturer and developer—to deliver high-performance, low-carbon, and easily installed solutions, we not only comply with the new standards but outperform the market and secure a sustainable future for our industry.