Citizens Advice response to BEIS consultation on Improving home energy performance through lenders
Reaching the government’s target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will require home energy improvements being installed in most homes across the country. Yet the current landscape of support for householders looking to invest in these measures and technologies is limited and patchy.
Citizens Advice agrees that lenders can play an important role in driving improvements in the energy performance of homes, and welcomes proposals to give them a greater role. But the government needs to give greater consideration to:
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how to support lower income households who may be unable take on additional borrowing
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a relative improvement target, rather than one based on portfolio average EPC ratings
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how the policy interacts with other incentives
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the need for high quality independent advice about the changes consumers need to make their homes more efficient or to switch to a different heat source.