25
Feb
Mortgage incentives 'could be used to make homes greener'
Incentives based on mortgage products could be used as a means of
making the UK's housing supply more eco-friendly, it has been
suggested.
According to Andrew Leech, director at the National Home
Improvement Council, future property buyers should have to pledge
to improve the energy efficiency of certain homes in order to
secure loans.
He said: "You possibly won't get a mortgage unless you are planning
to increase the efficiency of the house by [around] another 50 per
cent."
This would encourage owners of dwellings with poor efficiency
ratings to improve this aspect before homes are put up for sale
because potential buyers may not be able to secure the necessary
finance otherwise.
His comments follow the release of new figures from the government
showing that home energy efficiency has increased in recent years,
with the average standard assessment procedure rating rising from
42 in 1996 to 51 in 2008.
