New Build Heating Systems What Developers Actually Install

What Heating Systems Are Actually Fitted in New UK Homes from 2025—and What Does It Mean for You?

Picture this: you’re inspecting a shiny new build, architectural lines crisp, EPC papers stacked, developer smiling. Beneath the gloss sits the real asset—or the hidden trap—that defines your day-to-day comfort, future resale, legal safety, and what you’ll be paying for warmth and hot water over the next decades. If you miss the details now, there’s no turning back later without cost and stress. The new world of UK heating changed for good in 2025: gas is gone, heat pumps rule, paperwork is as mission-critical as the pipework, and your ability to ask the right questions is what shields you from traps left behind in a rush to “low-carbon.”

You can’t ‘set and forget’ a modern heating system—ownership now means understanding what’s behind the controls.

What’s really getting fitted behind those well-plastered walls? Let’s break it down with the clarity and honesty that working plumbers and handover engineers see daily—giving you control before your signature ever lands on the dotted line.

Are Gas Boilers Still Fitted in New UK Homes, or Are They Over?

The short answer: after 2025, gas boilers are effectively over for new builds in the UK. Developers once defaulted to gas combi systems, easy and familiar, but changing laws now close that chapter for good. The government’s Future Homes Standard and new Building Regs require low-carbon heating on all new dwellings—no ifs, no “option to retrofit later”, and no wink-nudge loopholes except in true one-off edge cases (think ultra-remote plots or complex mixed-use blocks with existing gas grid feeds). Trying to sneak traditional gas in can tank sales, cause insurance and mortgage snags, and leave owners facing costly forced upgrades before resale or remortgage.

Since 2025, gas combi and regular boilers are all but extinct in newly-built UK homes; expect builders to instal heat pumps or certified equivalents instead.

“From 2025, new homes will be required to use low-carbon heating—gas boilers are essentially phased out except for narrow exemptions.” (The Guardian, 2024)

What do you need to check on every new build?

• Scrutinise system specification sheets: —don’t trust website renders or estate agent scripts.
• Confirm EPC and compliance forms reference the actual installed kit, not placeholder wording.
• Ask, in writing, if the developer commits to meeting *all* of Part L and Future Homes requirements.
• Query any “provisional” or “permit-ready” gas proposals. If it’s not heat pump or future-certified, escalate—it will affect lending and resale.
• Make sure your mortgage broker and insurer see the heating compliance, not just what the developer claims.

The system you get at legal completion is your liability, not just the developer’s promise. Challenge vagueness now—remediation later is expensive and slow.

Are Air Source Heat Pumps Really the Main Heating Now?

Yes, air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are now standard in nearly all new UK homes built from 2025 forward. Why? They align with EPC requirements, planning law, and the long-term push for carbon-neutral housing. For buyers or managers, ASHPs mean a visible shift: instead of a familiar combi or system boiler in a kitchen or airing cupboard, you’ll find an outdoor heat pump unit (usually slab-mounted near a back or side wall) and a hefty hot water cylinder, often tucked in a utility or landing cupboard. The system captures heat from the air and works even in freezing winter—if sized and commissioned right.

Nearly every new detached or semi built in the UK after 2025 features an ASHP for heating and hot water—no built-in gas option, no exceptions for “future upgrades.”

“Redrow made heat pumps standard in new builds, with most major developers expected to follow suit to meet EPC and planning requirements.” (Redrow 2023)

Smart buyer and manager moves:

• Confirm the *make, model, and full published spec* for the ASHP—not just “heat pump fitted.”
• Insist on the G3 and WRAS certificates from both installer and product—these affect warranty and future claims.
• Demand exact location details for outdoor units: avoid window adjacency and public walkways where possible, for comfort, planning, and servicing speed.
• Ask for a start-up demonstration: an engineer should *show* you how to use any stats, controller apps, and reset or schedule features.
• Schedule and record annual maintenance from the outset—skipped servicing can void warranties as early as year one.

Future proof on the brochure means nothing unless you know your system spec, installer contact, and what you’re actually shown at handover.

Underfloor Heating: Is It Really the New Default, or Still a Perk?

Breakthrough: underfloor heating (UFH) is no longer a rare upgrade—it’s standard on ground floors in most UK new builds using heat pumps. Why? Heat pumps are most efficient with lower water temperatures, and spread-out UFH piping provides gentle, even heat at these reduced temps, which is perfect for open-plan living and maximising your EPC. So, in 2025 and beyond, expect every new detached, semi, or high-spec flat to feature looped UFH throughout the downstairs rooms (occasionally bathrooms upstairs).

Ground floor underfloor heating is now baseline in new builds with heat pumps; full-house UFH or “radiators everywhere” are deviations, not defaults.

“Top developers pair heat pumps with underfloor heating; generally, it’s standard on all main living floors, with radiators upstairs.” (National Grid)

Before you sign:

• Request a room-by-room plan for UFH layouts, never just “most living areas.”
• UFH should come with commissioning and balancing documentation for each circuit—this stops “cold spot” complaints after handover.
• If any zones are up for debate or potential upgrade, lock them in now (post-handover retrofits are far costlier and messier).
• Where radiators *are* present, get BTU output and pipe sizing for each room—especially open-plan lofts and conversions.

The time to win long-term comfort and value is before you take the keys; chasing add-ons later costs much more than haggling before exchange.

Are Ground Source Heat Pumps or District Heating Used Often?

No—ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) remain a rarity, and district heating appears only in high-density or institutional schemes. GSHPs offer unmatched efficiency and quiet running, but trenching or borehole installation means extra site cost and disruption; expect to see them only in premium eco-developments or scattered rural one-offs. District heating, where a shared plant (boiler, heat pump, or CHP) pipes heat to multiple homes or flats, is rising in city blocks, social housing, and some multi-unit conversions, often where planning or grant funding required it.

If you’re buying or renting a standard house or low-rise flat, you’ll almost always see ASHP, not GSHP or communal systems, unless you’re shopping at the luxury or institutional end.

“Ground source heating is found in less than 1% of new UK homes; district networks are mostly for city blocks or social housing.” (ProBuilderMag 2024)

What to pin down if you’re offered GSHP or communal heating:

• Clarify who maintains, insures, and pays for ground loops or central plant—confused ownership means repair delays (or uninsurable risk).
• In flats or tenancies, insist on metre-separated billing. Mortgage lenders now often require proof that each property has control over its own heat and usage, even if plant is shared.
• If a grant or “incentive” helped fund the communal system, clarify whether future tariffs are capped and if you benefit as the occupier.

Shared infrastructure saves costs upfront—but brings extra moving parts at resale and during major upgrades.

Does Direct Electric or Solar Count as “Main Heating” in Practice?

Almost never—direct electric (e.g., panel, storage, or electric boilers) and solar-only heating are outliers, installed mainly in compact flats or specialist “zero carbon” experiments. Why the reluctance? Direct electric instals fast but converts to higher, less predictable running bills. Most new builds need a robust EPC score or planning department sign-off, and heat pumps deliver those handsomely while remaining compatible with future grid decarbonisation. Solar PV is now common—but mainly supports water heating, appliances, or batteries, rather than being the sole heating source.

Direct electric and sole-PV systems are almost never installed as the main heat source in new houses from 2025—look out for them only in specialist or urban micro-developments.

“Direct electric covers main heating only for a minority of compact new builds, and panels alone cannot meet heat demand in family homes.” (Daikin UK)

Key moves if buying or managing these units:

• Scrutinise the EPC and request in-writing energy use forecasts plus the make/rating of every PV and inverter component.
• For all-electric, ask what support/contingency exists during outages; well-run developments offer backup provision or on-call aid.
• Future upgrades may need costly fuse-board or supply enhancements—get a written commitment or heads-up from the site manager before signing.

The upfront bargain of basic electrics or PV-only often disappears on your first winter electricity bill.

What Paperwork and Documentation Is Non-Negotiable?

If you value comfort, security, or future-proof legal standing, documentation is as important as the actuators and pipework. Modern heating systems demand full traceability and compliance for mortgage, warranty, and building control sign-off. Anything missing? It’s your headache as a buyer, manager, or landlord—delayed sales, sky-high insurance, or enforced upgrades await.

Every new heating system handover requires a complete compliance, commissioning, and aftercare pack. Anything else means avoidable risk.

“Installers must provide WRAS, G3 (if applicable), and system commissioning; incomplete handover invites building control issues.” (NewHomesForSale.co.uk)

Handover checklist:

• WRAS approval certificate—confirms all parts resist contamination and backflow.
• G3 certificate—essential if you’re being handed an unvented hot water cylinder.
• Full Building Regs signoff, referencing Future Homes Standard, Part G (water safety), and Part L (energy).
• Commissioning/test sheets (not just “certified installed”): includes circuit balancing, pressure readings, flow rates.
• Complete and current EPC (no “forecast”)—scan for reference to installed system and its efficiency band.
• Named aftercare engineer(s) and warranty hotline—steer clear of generic “customer support” only.

No paperwork, no warranty. No test log, no building control. Legal comfort is worth as much as physical warmth.

How Can You Ensure Everyday Comfort Instead of Just Box-Ticks?

Comfort doesn’t come from system brochures or “low-carbon” tags; it is built during the handover and the weeks after you move in. Even best-in-class heat pumps or next-gen UFH won’t keep you warm and worry-free unless they are balanced, labelled, and demoed properly for your use. Miss this window, and you inherit a call centre run-around or discover cold rooms just when you need performance most.

Real comfort is delivered by live zoning and balance proofs, clear manual and app-based controls, plus hotline access to a named engineer—not just a helpline.

“Handover packs should always include WRAS/G3 paperwork, user instructions, and direct engineer contact—not just a helpline.” (Redrow 2023)

Post-handover comfort protocol:

• Walk each zone and controller in person with the commissioning engineer or site plumber.
• Get a printout or digital copy of balance and temperature readings zone-by-zone; insist on a demonstration at handover.
• Clarify emergency/aftercare response: who, when, escalation ladder.
• Schedule your first annual service at key exchange (can affect warranty and must often be logged year one).

Comfort is engineered twice—first at installation, second at handover. Anything less is a permanent disadvantage.

What Should You Demand From the Developer Before Handover?

Once scaffold and trades are offsite, your leverage drops. The handover week is the single most powerful moment to clarify, correct, and future-proof your heating system. Hector Gauge from Plumbers 4U sees what happens when corners are cut—and how avoidable so many long-term frustrations really are when you act before the keys drop.

It costs less to argue your requirements now than to fund remedials after you’re in.

The 2025 Handover Essentials—Concrete Questions to Nail Down

• Request *manufacturer and installer details* for every core system: heat pump, cylinder, UFH manifold, stats/controls.
• Confirm signed, dated system schematics mapping every circuit, controller, and valve (including what’s on smart apps or wireless).
• Make sure you have coverage maps and room-by-room plans for UFH; don’t let “main living area” suffice on its own.
• For radiators, note make/model and exact room fit. In large or open-plan homes, check heat loss calcs and insulation level.
• Solar/battery handover: model, spec, and installer details (plus DNO notification evidence if grid-connected).
• Confirm presence and spec of ventilation—MVHR vs. simple extraction; get maintenance schedule and philtre change details.
• Demand all certificates up-front; do not let “pending after completion” stand.
• smart controls: will brands like Nest, Hive, Tado, or app upgrades work with the current wiring and controls? No surprises later.
• Aftercare: ask for a hotline, a named engineer, and escalation path in writing—not just generic main office support.
• Accessibility: if you or your tenants have greater needs, flag them now for proper grab-rails, lowered stats, or ultra-low temp zones.
• If anything is unclear, escalate with the site lead—no reputable team will dodge such queries.

Ambiguous or half-finished paperwork is your signal to delay completion—buyers and managers set the standard that keeps the industry sharp.

Secure Your New Build Heating—Audit, Upgrade, or Handover With Plumbers 4U

Don’t let developer shortcuts, missing paperwork, or hidden setup errors saddle you with cold rooms, compliance drama, or warranty gaps. Plumbers 4U’s experienced engineers specialise in Future Homes-compliant setups, user-friendly controls, and spot-on paperwork. Whether you’re buying, letting, managing, or holding new build property to portfolio standards, you can book us for a pre-handover system walk, paperwork audit, or future expansion upgrade. No mystery, no half-measures—just the rigour you wish every developer would show. Our stepwise, WRAS- and G3-certified handover flow gives you usable assurance that lasts beyond the keys.

How do you guarantee the heating and comfort your property deserves—rather than discover mistakes when trades are long gone?

Book a handover, survey, or system upgrade with Plumbers 4U and secure paperwork, live support, and best-in-class comfort—every system, every room, every single time.

Instal standards, paperwork, and aftercare are now the difference between a smart investment and a headache—Plumbers 4U treats every instal as if it were our own.

Frequently Asked Questions