According to NatWest’s latest Greener Homes Attitudes Tracker, this is the highest number of homeowners planning sustainable home improvements since 2022 and an increase from an average of 64%.

The report found that 23% are planning to make changes in the next 12 months. This is up from around 20% in the first half of last year.

A third of those surveyed said they plan to make sustainable home improvements in the next 1-5 years, a slight increase from the end of last year.

Around 68% who are not planning to make any sustainable home improvements said cost was the primary barrier, followed by the amount of disruption at a third.

The report noted that the proportion of those without plans for home improvements reporting upfront cost as a barrier has fallen from 50% in Q1 to around 42% in Q2.

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Fewer homeowners are discouraged by the prospect of taking on debt to fund the work, decreasing from 38% in Q1 to 34% in Q2.

The most popular sustainable home improvements for those looking at making changes in the next decade included electric car charging points and triple-glazed windows. Solar panels and electric boilers have also grown in popularity.

Around 84% of households looking to buy a property in the next decade said that Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings were of some importance, but only 40% considered them very important.

The proportion of prospective homebuyers placing importance on having an EPC rating of C or higher was unchanged at 84% compared to a year ago.

 

Younger people more in favour of policies for sustainable home improvements

NatWest asked respondents in the lead-up to the election about whether political parties having offerings to support making homes more environmentally sustainable was important.

Around 41% of homeowners who own their own home outright said it was very important, compared to 36% of those with a mortgage and 34% of renters.

Younger homeowners who either own outright or bought with a mortgage were more in favour of such policies than their older counterparts, at 44% for those aged 18-44 compared to 34% of those aged 45-64.

Regarding energy bills, around a fifth of renters said they were much less confident in being able to afford energy bills compared to a year ago, and over a quarter said they were a little less confident.

Those who own their home outright were more confident, with 38% saying they were more confident regarding affording energy bills and only 22% said they were less confident.

Lloyd Cochrane, head of mortgages at NatWest, said: “From our own research, we know that making greener changes is an important part of homeownership, particularly for the younger generation. We’ve seen a real shift in people being environmentally conscious – whether that’s looking to save on energy bills or taking public transport to reduce their carbon footprint.

“Relevant solutions, suppliers and funding needs to be more accessible to customers and homeowners across the UK. In order for people to realise the potential benefits and confidently undertake work to their homes, it’s incredibly important that we’re able to provide viable solutions to these property owners. Partnerships are key in helping us to do that and helping customers to get started on their home energy-efficiency journey.”