Retrofit Mortgages - Here. Now
Green Home Finance Roadmap: What It Means for Retrofit Professionals
On 12 August 2025, the Green Finance Institute (GFI), in partnership with the Green Mortgage Advice Initiative (GMAI), launched the Green Home Finance Roadmap – a blueprint for embedding sustainability into the UK mortgage market. It’s backed by 34 organisations spanning finance, energy, and the built environment – and Refurb & Retrofit is one of them.
For retrofit professionals, this is a significant change. It’s the start of a framework that could make it easier - and more financially attractive - for homeowners to invest in upgrades you deliver. And we know there is demand. This is how we meet it.
The scale of the challenge – and the opportunity
The UK’s Climate Change Committee estimates that decarbonising homes will require £373 billion in additional capital by 2050, with around 80% of that aimed at residential property. Between 65%-90% of this capital will need to come from the private sector, and the mortgage industry - worth £242 billion a year - has the reach and influence to move it.
The Roadmap recognises that to meet net zero targets, green finance must become normal finance. That means embedding sustainability criteria, benefits, and features into mainstream mortgage products and advice – not leaving them in a niche.
“Green shouldn’t be seen as ancillary to other products – the concept of green should be woven into all products.” – Stakeholder feedback, GHFR
Why mortgage policy matters to retrofitters
For decades, mortgage affordability assessments have focused on income, outgoings, and loan-to-value - not the efficiency or resilience of the property itself. That’s beginning to change.
Green mortgages offer incentives - from lower interest rates to additional borrowing - for buyers or homeowners who purchase efficient homes or carry out energy improvements. The Roadmap aims to make these products easier to access, better understood, and more consistent across lenders.
For retrofit businesses, that could mean:
- More customers able to finance works through mortgage products rather than savings.
- Smoother project pipelines as finance is linked directly to property transactions.
- A stronger sales story when your upgrades also increase borrowing capacity or reduce interest costs.
Five themes you need to know
The Roadmap’s action plan is built around five core themes. Here’s what they mean for your work:
1. Cross-Sector Collaboration
Clearer roles in the retrofit journey, consistent support for homeowners, and a standard definition of “green mortgage” so the term means the same thing to all lenders, brokers, and customers.
For you: expect greater emphasis on integrated advice chains - where retrofit designers, installers, and finance providers coordinate to keep projects moving.
2. Commercial Viability
Making green finance commercially sustainable by weaving it into all mortgage products, not just specialist offers. Lenders are encouraged to use granular property data to identify upgrade opportunities at application stage.
For you: be ready to supply verifiable performance data from completed projects - lenders and brokers will increasingly ask for it.
3. Public Awareness and Driving Demand
Moving beyond technical jargon to relatable storytelling. Health, wellbeing, and long-term security benefits must be part of the pitch, alongside savings and carbon reduction.
For you: case studies and before/after stories are gold dust - and the industry will be actively looking for them.
4. Policy Clarity for Market Confidence
Calling for a stable, long-term government roadmap for clean heat, retrofit incentives, and EPC reform. Without this, lenders fear “moving goalposts.”
For you: if policy signals are clearer, you can plan investment and recruitment with more certainty - and align services with upcoming requirements.
5. Industry Education and Training
Upskilling brokers, lenders, and even non-financial stakeholders like architects and trades so they can guide customers more effectively.
For you: expect more requests to partner on training or advice - your technical expertise will be in demand to brief finance professionals.
The Roadmap in action
Chloe Timperley, Green Mortgage Campaign Lead at the GFI, says:
“The Roadmap gives us a means to track progress, celebrate collective wins, and identify new priorities and areas of unmet need over time. It sets out a shared vision - and crucially, helps us avoid circling the same conversations or working in silos.”
Stephanie Charman, CEO of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries, underlines the broker connection:
“Around 9 in 10 mortgages are now transacted via brokers, which puts intermediaries on the front line of the green transition; helping homeowners access the right support and guidance to make their homes more sustainable.”
What you can do now
- Connect with finance partners - Build relationships with brokers and lenders already offering green products.
- Prepare your case studies - Homeowner stories, performance data, and cost breakdowns are now marketable assets.
- Stay informed on policy shifts - The Roadmap aligns closely with the government’s Warm Homes Plan and manifesto commitments.
- Engage in training - If you can brief finance professionals on retrofit realities, you’ll strengthen your network and referral base.
Why this matters for the retrofit sector
Don't mistake this for a finance document - it’s a demand driver. When green mortgages become standard, the retrofit conversation moves from “should I?” to “how soon can I?”
As one stakeholder put it during the Roadmap’s development:
“Success would look like warm, low carbon homes being as key a part of the buying/selling decision as location – becoming a hygiene factor, like having a decent kitchen.”
For retrofit professionals, that’s the market shift we’ve been waiting for.
