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Mortgages on energy efficient homes are less risky – Bank of England staff

Lana Clements
Written By:
Posted:
October 16, 2018
Updated:
October 16, 2018

Homeowners living in energy efficient properties are less likely to be in payment arrears, analysis by Bank of England staff has found.

 

Energy performance ratings and borrower income and mortgage arrears of 1.8m properties were studied by Benjamin Guin and Perttu Korhonen from the central bank.

The data showed around 1.14% of energy-inefficient homes are in mortgage payment arrears, compared with 0.93% of energy-efficient properties.

Taking into account a number of variables, the findings concluded that the “energy efficiency of a property is a relevant predictor of mortgage risk”.

 

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A well-insulated home reduces energy bills, which can free up available income and help homeowners to make their mortgage payments even when budget shocks occur, Guin and Perttu wrote in on the Bank of England Underground website.

The pair added: “Overall, these results suggest that mortgages against energy-efficient properties are less frequently in arrears.”

Barclays is one lender that offers lower mortgage rates to borrowers buying energy efficient new build homes.

And the Welsh government has launched legislation to give Help to Buy borrowers in Wales larger equity loan sizes when they buy a home with smaller energy bills.

At the same time, a two-year energy efficient mortgage pilot backed by 37 European banks is currently underway, which aims to analyse the impact of energy efficiency on credit risk.