- Santander, in partnership with Countrywide Surveying Services, has launched EnergyFact - a free, practical home energy report
- The free report provides existing Santander mortgage customers with guidance to improve the energy efficiency of their home
- The report comes as the Government consults on ways lenders can help improve homeowners’ carbon footprint, and Santander Group has announced its ambition to achieve net zero carbon status by 2050
Santander is, from today, launching a free, “Home Energy Report” – detailing steps customers could take to improve the energy efficiency of their home.
The EnergyFact report (attached), produced in partnership with Countrywide Surveying Services, will be available to all existing Santander mortgage customers1 who are looking to move to a new property, or take on additional borrowing on their existing mortgage2.
The report does not require a surveyor’s visit and is generated through a new dedicated online portal by using energy information about the property from sources including the Energy Saving Trust and Landmark Valuation Services, along with detail provided by the customer about their property’s size, age and construction, as well as their current utility usage.
The energy report will highlight to customers which areas of their home they should prioritise in terms of energy efficiency improvements, along with a series of suggested improvements, for example installing loft insulation or fitting solid floor insulation. The report will also provide an overview of how much work is involved, an indicative cost for completing the work, and a calculation of how much it would save customers on their energy bills.
In addition, the report will provide suggestions of small changes customers can make to their lifestyle, for example installing radiator reflector panels or turning down the thermostat by one degree. These steps could help to improve the overall energy efficiency of their property, while contributing to lowering their carbon footprint and saving money.
Research by Santander3 has underlined the growing importance of energy efficiency and sustainability to homeowners. 80% who planned to do work on their property in the next 12 months said they planned to use energy efficient lighting/heating or appliances, while two thirds (66%) planned to use sustainably sourced building materials or local suppliers. The EnergyFact report will help customers achieve their goals by signposting to the Government-backed TrustMark portal, where they can source tradespeople and suppliers specialising in green and energy efficient retrofitting in their local area.
Brad Fordham, Head of Mortgages at Santander, commented: “We know that energy efficiency and sustainability are increasingly important factors for homeowners, but many are confused or unsure about how to best make a difference. Our new report will help our customers to know what practical changes they can make to their own property and lifestyle, while understanding the costs and financial benefit of making those changes.”
Matthew Cumber, Managing Director at Countrywide Surveying Services, said: “This initiative demonstrates the ability for leading businesses to come together to support consumers in their efforts to improve their home’s carbon footprint, and marks a key step forward for addressing the climate change challenges involved in homeownership.”
The report comes as the Government consults on ways in which mortgage lenders could help homeowners reduce their carbon footprint4.
Santander UK is also participating in the development of the Green Finance Institute’s Building Renovation Passports framework, the first step towards providing homeowners and aspiring homeowners with a comprehensive digital logbook of works carried out on a property, plus a roadmap of future retrofit works to decarbonise it.
Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, Chief Executive of the Green Finance Institute, said: “The finance sector’s support for the decarbonisation of UK buildings is critical. We’re therefore delighted to see Santander, a valued member of our Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings, launch EnergyFact, drawing on the Coalition’s work on Building Renovation Passports. A single source of trusted information about a property’s current energy efficiency, and a roadmap of the retrofit work needed to reduce its emissions, is key to build confidence and enable homeowners and landlords to access finance for their journey to net-zero carbon.”
To support the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, Santander Group has set an ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions across the group by 2050. The ambition applies to both the group’s own operations, which are net zero since 2020, and all client emissions that result from any lending, advisory or investment services provided by Santander.
-ENDS-
The information contained in our press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions.
Notes to Editors:
1) The report is available for customers applying directly to Santander to move their existing Santander mortgage to a new property or take on additional borrowing on an existing mortgage.
2) Additional borrowing taken out must be for “home improvements”.
3) Research is drawn from a survey conducted by Opinium research between the 9th - 11th June 2020. The base size was 2,002 UK homeowners.
4) Improving home energy performance through lenders: Consultation on setting requirements for lenders to help householders improve the energy performance of their homes: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/936276/improving-home-energy-performance-through-lenders-consultation.pdf
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 31 December 2020, the bank had around 21,900 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in Europe and the Americas, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Its purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising over €120 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2025, as well as financially empowering more than 10 million people over the same period. At the end of 2020, Banco Santander had more than a trillion euros in total funds, 148 million customers, of which 22.8 million are loyal and 42.4 million are digital, 11,000 branches and 191,000 employees.