Going green: helping brokers help customers

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The innovative Home Energy Hub could help homeowners reduce consumption and lower bills. This digital platform connects customers with trusted partners for energy-saving improvements – and brokers can leverage the tool to build their businesses

WITH ENERGY bills still high, homeowners are facing challenging cost-of-living pressures. And while carbon emissions may not be at the top of everyone’s list of concerns, the cost of energy certainly is. Homeowners are looking for ways to reduce consumption – and NatWest has created a streamlined and simple way to do just that. “We’re on a mission to help customers understand how to make their homes more energy-efficient and cosier to live in,” says Lloyd Cochrane, head of mortgages proposition at NatWest. “Most relevant for customers is dropping their bills, and secondary are Energy Performance Certificate [EPC] considerations. We see our role as initiating that first step, helping customers build awareness, and giving them the tools to make changes. The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use.”

At NatWest we champion the potential of customers and intermediaries. Whether customers are buying for the first time, are landlords, or are looking to remortgage, we have solutions that can support them in their home and property ambitions. We offer leading customer service to intermediaries that combines digital experience with access to the best people – via webchat, over the phone, or in person.

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“We’re on a mission to help customers make their homes more energy-efficient and cosier to live in”

Lloyd Cochrane, NatWest

It starts with the Home Energy Hub, a free digital platform available to anybody via the NatWest website. After users input their post code and answer a few questions about their home, the tool provides a digital set of money-saving energy suggestions based on publicly available information about that property. These tips range from modest ideas, such as replacing old lightbulbs with energy-efficient ones, to more strategic measures like replacing an old boiler with a heat pump. After that initial three-minute investment and those generic suggestions, NatWest also provide the option of working with Home Energy assessors through a trusted third party to conduct a physical home assessment at a discounted price.

“An expert will come to the home and make more bespoke suggestions, based on the individual characteristics of the property and what else the homeowner could do to save more money on their heating bill,” Cochrane explains. The next step is getting the work done. If customers choose to proceed with any of the expert’s suggestions, they can research their options through TrustmarkTM, which aggregates trusted suppliers who can supply and fit solar panels to a roof, for example, or insulate effectively.

The suppliers are vetted and there’s a government-endorsed protection scheme in place if the work goes wrong, Cochrane notes. Customers can also choose to partner with British Gas, which provides a similar service, safe in the knowledge that they are choosing a household name with all the protection and reassurance this brings.

The NatWest Home Energy Hub also shows the various grants available to homeowners to offset the cost of this work. From national government to local authorities, there are a number of incentives to make a home more energy-efficient – but it can be confusing to navigate. The Home Energy Hub again simplifies things, allowing customers to find out exactly what they’re eligible for, based on their location. “Customers could apply for additional borrowing on their mortgage to fund the more expensive work if they need to spread the cost,” Cochrane adds. “Once customers understand what they want to do, we’ve put together a number of resources to help them take action. They’re in control at every stage.”

For brokers, leveraging a tool such as NatWest’s Home Energy Hub in conversation with customers is a great way to show that you care, you understand the challenges they’re facing, and you’re proactive in helping them find solutions. Cochrane recommends brokers familiarise themselves with the hub as a first step. “Conversations with customers can start in a very generic way – for example, [asking,] ‘Are you interested in improving the energy efficiency of your home?’ We deliberately made it accessible and easy for all, so any broker with a customer and a postcode in front of them can give the customer an idea of

“As part of their conversations to build their business, our digital journey is available to help brokers help their customers,” Cochrane says. “We encourage them to explore the platform and connect with us should they have any questions.”

Woman Calculating Energy Efficient House.

Taking customers on a digital journey

How can brokers leverage NatWest’s Home Energy Hub?

Published July 08, 2024

“As part of their conversations in building their business, our digital journey is available to help brokers help their customers”

Lloyd Cochrane, NatWest

NatWest has 1.3 million mortgage customers, which means they help 1.3 million customers in the UK to own their own homes. Since this housing stock is the least energy-efficient in Europe, the cost for those families to keep their homes warm is excessive. It also has a large emissions impact from a carbon point of view, which is something governments at home and abroad are beginning to address. NatWest offers a suite of green mortgages that provide a discount to buyers purchasing homes with the most energy-efficient ratings of A or B. Cochrane also promotes the lender’s digital process as a way any customer could make a difference to their finances and the environment.

what they could do. Browse it and understand it so your customers can benefit from it. “It’s about energy efficiency today, but it’s about resale value tomorrow,” Cochrane notes.

Five years ago, energy efficiency wasn’t high on buyers’ lists, but customers are more thoughtful about it now – and it’s only going to increase in importance as time goes on. Customers will eventually need to make these improvements, as the value of housing is likely to respond increasingly sharply to how efficient homes are. If brokers are talking to customers about increasing the resale value of their homes, or at least making the properties more desirable for whenever the customer does sell, they should consider energy efficiency.

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