Energy savings measures for our homes and buildings, such as insulation and heat pumps, help to permanently lower energy bills by reducing the exposure of households to expensive and volatile international fossil fuel markets.
A focus on green homes will not only underpin Britain’s energy security, but can also spur economic growth in green industries and jobs across the country – with opportunities to grow clean tech markets such as heat and solar. Reducing household spending on expensive energy bills would free up disposable income which can be spent in local economies.
Despite the many social, economic and environmental benefits on offer, to date the UK has experienced a market failure in getting home retrofits to scale. Britain’s leading banks and building societies stand ready to support green home finance, and there has already been a steady growth in the supply of products and services offered in recent years. Further measures to drive demand will unlock a huge market potential, getting on track for the £360 billion that the Climate Change Committee estimate is needed to decarbonise all homes and buildings in the UK by 2050.1
Following consultation with financial institutions and experts, in this report the Green Finance Institute’s built environment programme sets out its key priorities for the government to drive finance, supply chains and consumer demand.