Critically, only around half of UK properties currently have an EPC rating. We need to ask just why this is and challenge the barriers preventing more homeowners from engaging.
Of course, there is more that the government could be doing in all these areas, too. A survey from Countrywide Surveying Services found that, when asked who should fund retrospectively required energy-efficiency measures, almost three-quarters of property professionals said measures should be funded through a mix of public and government funding. Only 3 per cent said the public should take sole responsibility for the cost.
And there is more the industry can and should do – not least because if it does not, the government is likely to step in. It has been reported that the government is considering setting lenders targets relating to energy performance. We want to avoid anything that could prevent us from focusing on getting the right customers the right deal for the right home.
More than that though, the industry should play its part because it is in a unique position to make a real contribution to the UK’s move to a greener future. And it should do so, because it is what borrowers, particularly a new generation of customers, want and demand. It is time we played our part.
Danny Belton is head of lender relationships at Legal & General Mortgage Club
