Many homeowners want to make their property more energy efficient, both to reduce their carbon emissions and to lower their household bills. But, while there is a growing interest in sustainability, it’s still the case that many people don’t know where to start, what improvements are most suitable for their home, or if they can afford it. The costs can be a real barrier, even if an improvement will save money on bills over the longer term.

Our Green Living Reward is designed to help by offering eligible Halifax mortgage customers cashback of up to £2,000 towards qualifying improvements.

Eligible customers can receive:

• £2,000 towards the installation of a heat pump;
• £1,000 towards solar panels or solar battery storage; or
• £500 towards other qualifying improvements, including insulation and A-rated double or triple glazing.

The full list also includes measures such as solar thermal heating, electric heating upgrades and smart air bricks.

It can also be used alongside other grants and funding, subject to eligibility. For example, eligible customers in England and Wales could receive up to £7,500 through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and a further £2,000 through Green Living Rewards, providing total support of up to £9,500.

Improvements don’t necessarily need to be made all at once. During our recent webinar, Driving Sustainable Choices: Unlocking the Green Living Reward, we heard from a Halifax colleague and customer who has upgraded his older property in stages using the cashback scheme. Together, the improvements have taken his home from an EPC F rating to a B.

It’s really encouraging for us to see how much the intermediary channel has contributed to the green conversation. But you don’t need to become experts in energy-efficient home improvements. You can help your clients by starting a conversation early, explaining that support could be available and showing them where they can find out more.

A homebuyer might already be planning work after moving in, for example. A remortgage or further advance customer could be raising funds for wider improvements, while an existing customer completing a product transfer may be considering new windows or solar panels.

It can be as straightforward as asking:

• Are you planning to make any improvements to the property?
• Would you like to reduce your energy use or bills?
• Are you aware that cashback may be available towards some of the work?

We’ve found that our customers usually claim the reward around five months after completing their mortgage. That reflects the time it can take to research the options, get quotes, choose an installer and arrange the work, although they have up to a year.

The Halifax Home Energy Saving Tool, developed with the Energy Saving Trust, can help. It creates a personalised action plan showing the improvements your client could consider, along with indicative costs and potential savings. Brokers can go through the tool with your client or simply direct them to it.

There’s no application form for the broker to complete and you don’t need to arrange the improvements or submit the claim.

Customers making an eligible Halifax purchase, remortgage, further advance or product transfer application can qualify.

When the mortgage offer is issued, Halifax contacts the customer directly with information about the Green Living Reward and a link to their digital green living journey. Once any work has been completed, they upload the invoice and submit their claim directly to Halifax.

After receiving the cashback, they’ll also be offered a free EPC assessment, helping them understand the difference the improvements have made and show further ways to make their home more energy efficient. Our data shows that properties where customers claimed a Green Living Reward and used our free EPC assessment boosted their home’s rating by over one band, on average.

As energy efficiency becomes a bigger consideration for homeowners, initiatives like the Green Living Reward will play a more important role. The government wants as many homes as possible to reach EPC Band C by 2035, and we have a clear strategy in Lloyds Banking Group to help more homes across the UK become warmer, more affordable and more energy efficient. It’s going to require collaboration between government, industry and society as a whole.

For brokers, this is your chance to lead the conversation and position yourself as a trusted adviser by helping clients access funding and incentives to make their homes greener.

You’re often the first people clients speak to when they are thinking about buying, improving or refinancing a property. By making energy efficiency a routine part of your client conversations, you can help them understand the benefits of sustainable home improvements: reduced energy bills, a potentially higher property value, lower mortgage costs and a warmer, more comfortable home. And direct them to the available support to help them cut their household bills alongside carbon emissions.

If you’d like to find out more about our green mortgage incentives, speak to your BDM or visit the Halifax Intermediaries Sustainability section of our website.

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