Warm housing plans are positive, but need further resolution: Santander – Mortgage Strategy
As part of the government’s greenhouse program, up to 170,000 homes are available in England, which will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades.
About £1.8 billion of government support will be allocated to local authorities and social housing providers to provide warmer, more energy-efficient homes in local communities across England.
The funding will target low-income families and tenants living in social housing, with thousands of families going to get energy performance and clean heating upgrades in the form of insulation, solar panels and heat pumps.
This is underway with other government support to provide warmer, more energy-efficient homes and protect consumers, including: Consulting plans to authorize private landlords in England and Wales by 2030 to improve the energy performance of their properties, resulting in an average of £240 per year.
Commenting on the government’s policy charter, housing CEO Gavin Smart said: “We welcome this investment, another important step to make the house warmer, healthier and affordable.
“Social landlords have been working to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and this funding will help them continue to work – supporting renovation programs to reduce fuel poverty, lower carbon emissions and reduce energy costs for tenants.”
Energy-saving houses
New research from Santander UK shows that households should welcome the warm-up program in 2025, as more than half of UK residents now believe that improving the energy efficiency of their homes is a priority, increasing the priority of homes from more than a third (37%) in 2023.
But despite the increased enthusiasm, Santander’s latest “House of Tomorrow” report identifies specific barriers to prevent consumers from taking action, and government plans need to address them if impact is to be made.
More than half (57%) of those surveyed said that improving upfront costs of household energy is a barrier to action. More than two-thirds (69%) also said they knew nothing about the incentives of government programs, while similar figures (65%) knew little about financial products that could be used to fund energy efficiency improvements.
Fiona, head of sustainability at Santander “It is encouraging to see more UK residents consider the benefits of energy-efficient housing. The government aims to upgrade 5 million households by the end of this council, and the Warm Home program provides a major opportunity to address homeowners’ concerns and inspire actions. Finding new ways to deal with financial barriers and knowledge surrounding the improvement of energy efficiency in homes hopefully marks a turning point in the appetite we see for homebuyers.”
