Another 44 percent don’t know what an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating is, despite the efficiency grade being commonplace for 13 years. It also emerged 49 percent of adults aren’t worried about the impact of their personal carbon footprint. Most haven’t yet made significant purchases to change their lifestyle, with 98 percent of drivers not currently driving electric cars.
And less than one in 10 (seven percent) have installed solar panels on their home in a bid to go greener.
The study was commissioned by Nationwide, which has pledged to make £1 billion available in new mortgages, offering preferential rates for EPC A-rated homes.
Joe Garner, CEO of Nationwide Building Society, said: “Our social purpose is to help people into a place fit to call home, but it’s equally important that we also look at how homes contribute towards emissions as part of the bigger picture.
“By growing our understanding of our individual impact, we can start to make a positive difference.”
The research of 2,198 British adults also found more than half aren’t planning to make any green improvements to their homes in the 12 months.
But, 47 percent would be more likely to do so if they were offered incentives by the government.
Nationwide is also calling for an adaptation and extension to the outgoing Help to Buy scheme, so that it encourages developers to build more sustainable homes with higher EPC ratings.
The Building Society is pushing for a new ‘Help to Green’ scheme to replace Help to Buy from 2023, as it believes this would encourage developers to build more energy-efficient homes due to demand from buyers receiving additional support.
Joe Garner added: “As our research shows, real change will only be achieved if there is incentivisation.
“This is why on behalf of our members we are calling for government, house-builders and lenders to work together to make a significant contribution towards achieving a net-zero carbon footprint.
“Our suggested reforms are about creating meaningful incentives for people to green their homes and that starts with an understanding of their EPC rating.”
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