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Energy efficient housing tracker - August 2025 update

Consumer attitudes towards greener homes

We commissioned the 'Greener Homes Attitude Tracker', based on 9,000 UK individuals, to understand how homebuyers, renters and owners feel about greener homes and the importance of environmental features.

Our key findings for greener homes

Long-term intentions to make green home improvements have increased since the end of 2024, with 65% of homeowners planning upgrades in the next 10 years. However, this falls to 53% among low-income households. Cost remains the main barrier. 

The most planned features include EV chargers, solar panels, triple glazing, and encouragingly more than a quarter are also planning to install heat pumps. 

Insulation tops buyer priorities, with 33% stating double glazing already being installed is ‘essential’ when purchasing a property and a further 36% stating it’s ‘very important’. 

A property’s EPC importance is stable with 42% considering it ‘very important’ but it’s now ranked lower than wanting local green space and access to public transport compared to Q4 2024. 

Energy efficient home improvements

Around two-thirds of the homeowners surveyed in the first six months of 2025 said they had plans to improve the environmental sustainability of their property in the next decade. However, our data shows that this falls to around 50% among the lowest income group, with cost remaining the biggest barrier to having work done.

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

Green lifestyle choices

Some of the most common measures people take to reduce their environmental impact have continued to gain traction in the past year, including minimising food waste and home energy use, and regularly recycling clothing.

Around one-in-five adults surveyed said they were considering taking out a green mortgage alongside the 4% that have already made the switch.  

Ideas to reduce, reuse and recycle Open in new window

Homebuyer preferences

Finding a property that has good insulation remains an important point to prospective homebuyers, at a time when many continue to feel the pressure from high energy bills. Features such an electric car charging point are lower on the agenda, though opinions here differ according to age, with those between 25 and 34 the most likely to consider such a feature important. Prospective homebuyers were more aligned when it came to wanting an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above. Double glazing also continues to be an important feature, with 33% stating that it was 'essential', and a further 36% indicating that it was 'very important'.

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

Download the Greener Homes Attitude Tracker - August 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 (H1 2025 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 January 2025 – June 2025 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.