In the new role, she will focus on accelerating establishment of a “sustainable green mortgage market” in the UK which is “scalable and pays a significant role in greening the UK housing stock”.
She will work with partners across the sector to help homeowners in investing to improve their property’s energy efficiency and will work closely with GFI’s director of its built environment programme Emma Harvey-Smith.
Hunnisett worked at Skipton Building Society for around six years, initially joining as a business development manager (BDM) for London and South East before taking on the national accounts and new build lead role in 2021.
Before that, she worked as a mortgage and protection adviser at Facts & Figures and before that worked at Down to Earth and The Mortgage Company Kent in various roles.
Hunnisett looks to establish sustainable green mortgage market
Harvey-Smith said: “The GFI will be focusing on the green mortgage sector in 2023 and beyond, looking to launch a series of guidance pieces and resources for brokers and lenders around best practice.
“I’m delighted to welcome Rachael to the team to support the market in launching and scaling innovative green mortgages that benefit consumers.”
Hunnisett said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the GFI to lead their green mortgage campaign. I have one simple objective; to establish a sustainable green mortgage market within UK lending, which is scalable and plays a significant role in greening UK housing stock.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with colleagues at GFI, industry and Government as we mobilise to affect real change.”
The GFI said that the UK Committee on Climate Change figures show £250bn needs to be invested in the UK home upgrades by 2050, which it said showed there could be “potential for significant capital flows in green mortgages” in the near future.
Green mortgage growth
The firm added that when its launched its Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings (CEEB) in 2019, there were three green mortgage offerings in the UK. Now, there are over 50, with 11 banks and building societies launching green mortgage deals since the start of 2020 and five entering in the first four months of 2021.
The GFI launched a lender handbook in 2021 to inform lenders about different home retrofit solutions and technologies and brought out a green mortgage hub which collates information about deals on the market.
