Ecology Building Society is offering its borrowers free access to a new service that helps them understand how green home improvements can enhance comfort, improve energy performance, and lower household bills.               

The society says many homeowners can be deterred by a lack of information about their options and uncertainty about costs, and worry about finding reliable, practical and independent advice or a reputable tradesperson.

So Ecology has launched a unique new partnership with Retrogreen, offering the company’s retrofit management service to borrowers who have or are applying for its renovation mortgage. Retrogreen’s online tool helps homeowners to understand their property, review what benefits retrofit work might deliver, and how much it would cost.

The homeowner can filter their choices of potential work depending on their individual priorities and what’s affordable for them. They also receive an illustration of how making changes can improve their property’s EPC rating and potentially even affect the value of their home.

Daniel Capstick, Ecology’s senior mortgages product and proposition manager, says: “Retrogreen can offer support, from assessing the property’s needs and what changes are right for the borrower, through to finding accredited tradespeople and helping to see the work through to completion.”

The initial assessment process is free to Ecology borrowers, with discounted access to the full surveying and support service to see the project through to the end. Ecology intends to expand Retrogreen’s service across its membership at a later date.

Ecology already incentivises its borrowers to make their homes more energy efficient, through its innovative C-Change discount. This rewards borrowers with a reduction of up to 1.50% off their mortgage rate, based on improvements they make. The more they improve the energy efficiency of their property, the greater the discount.

The society’s two renovation mortgage deals also come with a cashback incentive for installing a heat pump – £500 for an air source heat pump and £1,000 for a ground source heat pump.