By Laura Magezi, Mortgage Policy Manager, Building Societies Association 

The Building Societies Association (BSA) is working in partnership with the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment to strengthen climate risk awareness in mortgage portfolios. 

The partnership aims to increase understanding of the issues facing building societies when it comes to incorporating climate information into risk modelling and management. The project will develop communication and decision-support tools for both lenders and consumers, providing clear, actionable insights. In turn, unlocking opportunities for the UK to lead in greening finance. 

 As climate change and the drive to decarbonise homes climbs higher on the political agenda, it’s clear that a significant communication gap remains, particularly around the roles that consumers and brokers can play in driving the agenda forward. 

At the 2025 Building Societies Annual Conference, a session focused on how lenders can better support consumer understanding on climate risk highlighted several barriers that prevent them from taking action. For some, the challenge is simply the lack of awareness. For others, climate change is viewed as a distant concern, or a low personal priority.   

Even for those who are conscious of climate change and wish to make improvements, a lack of clear, accessible information often stalls their ability to act. Without this, the complexity and cost of retrofitting can feel overwhelming, especially when undertaken without proper guidance, which can lead to higher expenses and less effective outcomes. 

Financial concerns remain a key barrier. While schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme provide some level of support, many homeowners still rely heavily on personal savings or external financing to fund adaptation measures.  

Building societies are actively developing innovative solutions to tackle these challenges. This includes offering interest free loans to help consumers decarbonise their homes and Green Mortgage Products that reward those purchasing or remortgaging energy efficient properties.

For example, Nationwide Building Society offers interest free loans, Yorkshire Building Society is helping consumers better understand their retrofit journey through partnerships such as with SNUGG, to deliver personalised home energy improvement plan, and Leeds Building Society uses enhanced affordability.  

Skipton and Cambridge Building Societies have undertaken retrofit projects of their own to better understand the process and enable them to support their members in the journey. 

However, building societies cannot do this alone, more needs to be done to move the dial. The compounding effects of a climate change and the growing frequency of extreme weather events poses an increasing threat to homes. It is essential that government plays a stronger role to address the growing need for property-level climate resilience and support national efforts to adapt homes.  

A government led public education campaign is urgently needed to raise awareness and close the gap between scientific climate forecasts and the day-to-day realities homeowners face. Demystifying the retrofit journey and providing sources of trusted information will be key to building consumer confidence, particularly for those who are navigating complex financial decisions. Emphasising the benefits of climate adaptation and resilience, such as improved comfort, better health and long -term financial savings can help increase engagement. 

Additionally, a clear government strategy is needed to enable businesses to invest in the skills, training and infrastructure required to scale retrofitting nationally.  

Tackling climate change offers an opportunity to drive industry growth, deliver savings for homeowners and meet Net Zero targets. Bridging the financial gap for consumers will be crucial and government support for lenders to enable continued innovation through green initiatives and targeted incentives will be essential in achieving this at scale.  

Find out more about the UK CGFI Leeds Innovation Hub: https://www.cgfi.ac.uk/2025/02/uk-cgfi-leeds-innovation-hub-celebrates-climate-research-impact-in-the-finance-industry-one-year-on-and-beyond/