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Energy efficient housing tracker - January 2025 update

Consumer attitudes towards greener homes

We commissioned the 'Greener Homes Attitude Tracker', based on 4,500 UK individuals, to understand how homebuyers, renters and owners feel about greener homes and the importance of environmental features.

On this page:

Green home improvements index Open in new window
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ranking Open in new window
Energy efficient home improvements Open in new window
Homebuyer preferences Open in new window
Green lifestyle choices Open in new window
Green financial products Open in new window
Download the report Open in new window

Our key findings for greener homes

Plans for sustainable improvements

65% of homeowners plan to improve the environmental sustainability of their home in the next 10 years, from 64% in H2 2023.

Cost of improvements still a barrier

71% of homeowners not planning sustainability related improvements said that the cost of the work required was a barrier.

Energy efficient home features

Looking ahead, an electric car charging point was the sustainability-related feature most likely to be installed in the next decade, with 37% of homeowners saying they had plans to do so. It was followed by triple glazing (35%) and solar panels (34%).

More use of public transport

More people have turned to public transport to reduce their environmental impact. The proportion of adults regularly doing so reached an average of 30% in H2 2024, up from 23% three years earlier. 

Green home improvements index

In the second half of 2024, the majority of homeowners stated they had plans to make improvements to the environmental sustainability of their home in the next 10 years. At 65%, the average in the six months to December was down from 67% in the first half of year, but up slightly from 64% in H2 2023. The proportion of those with plans for upgrades in the forthcoming 12 months increased slightly compared with the same period in 2023, rising from 20% to 22%.

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Energy performance certificate (EPC) ranking

The latest findings suggest that a property's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating became a higher priority among prospective homebuyers towards the end of 2024. 42% of those looking to buy a home in the next 10 years considered the EPC rating a ‘very important’ factor in the final quarter of 2024, up from an average of 39% in Q4 2023. This pushed it above both access to public transport (40%) and the amount of local green space (41%), based on this metric. 

Energy efficient home improvements

More than 60% of surveyed homeowners have already made improvements to the environmental sustainability of their home, data collected in the second half of 2024 shows. Looking ahead, the installation of an electric car charging point is the top priority when it comes to green home improvements planned for the next 10 years.

71% of homeowners not planning sustainability related improvements said that the cost of the work required was a barrier.

Overall plans for both the near term and longer term were scaled back slightly compared to earlier in the year, however, amid signs of continued pressure on household budgets and a rise in the number homeowners reporting that their property is already as environmentally sustainable as possible.     

Considering just short-term plans, an average of 22% of homeowners intended to make improvements over the next 12 months in the second half of 2024, which was down fractionally from 23% in the first six months of the year. Similarly, there were slight decreases in the proportions of homeowners planning changes in the next 1-5 years (32% from 33%) and in the next 6-10 years (18% from 19%).

Smart energy meters were a feature in 59% of the owner-occupied homes surveyed in the second half of 2024, up from 57% in H2 2023 and a noticeable jump from 46% three years ago. Furthermore, among the homeowners surveyed, the proportion that already have solar panels installed has more than doubled since the second half of 2021, rising from 8% to an average of 17% in H2 2024. 

The prevalence of gas boilers in owner-occupied properties has meanwhile decreased over this period, dropping from 75% to 70%, as consumers move towards greener ways of heating their homes. Indeed, both electric boilers (23%) and heat pumps (10%) were found to be more commonplace than a year earlier. 

Our greener homes retrofit project

We teamed up with British Gas and Worcester Bosch to cover the cost of home retrofits for nine of our customers, with co-ordination help from Quidos. We followed our customers through every stage of their retrofit journey - from start to finish - and we're now sharing it all with you. 

Find out more about greener homes retrofit Open in new window

Homebuyer preferences

An air source heat pump on the side of a home being installed in the North East of England. The house is aiming to be sustainable. There is a construction worker with a hard hat and reflective jacket holding a digital tablet, they are both pointing to the heat pump.

A property's energy efficiency has increased in importance among prospective homebuyers, data collected in the second half of 2024 showed. At the same time, there is a greater focus on flooding risk.  

The cost of a property, its location and its features remain the highest priorities, with things like electric car charging points, heat pumps and smart energy meters having become more important to those looking to buy a home in the next 10 years. 

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Green lifestyle choices

Changing homebuyer preferences partly reflect a shift in lifestyle choices, with the growing desire for electric car charging points in the home tallying with an increased proportion of people driving electric or hybrid vehicles. Latest data shows that the number has in fact doubled in the past three years.

Amongst the adults surveyed in the six months to December, an average of 11% stated that they drive an electric or hybrid vehicle. This was up from only 5% in the second half of 2021. 

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At the same time, more people have turned to public transport to reduce their environmental impact. The proportion of adults regularly doing so reached an average of 30% in H2 2024, up from 23% three years earlier.

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The NatWest Home Energy Hub

We’ve launched a one-stop shop to help homeowners create a more energy-efficient home - the NatWest Home Energy Hub:

  • Get a free Home Energy Plan tool to help get started.
  • Find out about Energy Performance Certificate ratings (EPCs), get tips on managing energy use and how they could reduce costs.
  • Discover ways that could improve home energy efficiency online or with a visit from an energy expert at a discounted rate.
  • Find out how much any changes could cost and the benefits of energy-efficiency home improvements.
  • Connect with experts and trustworthy tradespeople who can do the work.
  • Explore various funding options including grants and or find out how NatWest could help.
Go to the Home Energy Hub Open in new window

Green financial products

Latest data indicates that, while uptake remains low, there is sizeable proportion of adults that are currently considering taking out products such as a green mortgage.

Find out more about our Green Mortgages (Eligibility & Exclusions apply) Open in new window

Download the Greener Homes Attitude Tracker - January 2025

You can download a pdf version of the full report, save and share by using the link below.

Survey methodology

The NatWest Greener Homes Attitude Tracker survey was first conducted in May 2021 and is compiled by S&P Global. The survey is intended to accurately anticipate changing consumer behaviour. The questionnaire is designed to be quick and easy to complete, incorporating a small number of key questions, which encourages regular participation among even high-level respondents.

Ipsos MORI technical details (H2 2024 survey)

Ipsos interviewed 9,000 adults aged 18-64 across the United Kingdom from its online panel of respondents and partner panels. Interviews were conducted online on a monthly basis between July 2024 – December 2024 to an approximate monthly sample of 1,500 adults. Respondents were excluded from taking part again in the survey for a 3 month period. A representative sample of adults was interviewed with quota controls set on gender, age and region and the resultant survey data was weighted to the known UK profile of this audience by gender, age, region and household income. Ipsos was responsible for the fieldwork and data collection only and not responsible for the analysis, reporting or interpretation of the survey results. For further information on the survey methodology, please contact economics@spglobal.com.

About S&P Global

S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) S&P Global provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world.

We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today.

The NatWest Greener Homes Attitude Tracker survey was first conducted in May 2021 and is compiled by S&P Global. The survey is based on monthly responses from 1,500 individuals in the UK, with data collected by Ipsos MORI from its panel of respondents aged 18-64. The survey sample reflects the true composition of the population to ensure the accuracy of the survey results.