Nationwide said it has already provided approximately £60million through the initiative
Nationwide has made a new annoucement. It is doubling the number of homeowners who can access interest-free loans to boost the energy efficiency of their properties.
The building society has revealed it will permit up to 10,000 mortgage customers to borrow at 0%. Qualifying borrowers can secure between £5,000 and £20,000 to finance improvements such as solar panels, insulation and new windows. The expansion builds on its 0% Green Additional Borrowing scheme, first introduced in June 2023, which originally targeted 5,000 households.
Nationwide said it has already provided approximately £60million through the initiative, with the typical loan around £13,000. The South West has recorded the strongest uptake to date, representing 16% of completions, followed by the Outer Metropolitan and Outer South East regions, both at 12%.
Housing remains a significant contributor to emissions in Britain. Roughly 20% of emissions in England originate from residential buildings, according to government data cited by the lender.
Research by Nationwide and WPI Economics indicates upgrading all homes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C or above could cut emissions from residential housing in England by up to 47%. Henry Jordan, Nationwide’s group director of mortgages, said: “We are committed to helping our members improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
“Extending our zero per cent Green Additional Borrowing products will help another five thousand households who want to retrofit their home and can afford long-term investment but struggle to meet the upfront costs.”
He added: “However, more is needed and collaboration is crucial if we are to decarbonise the UK’s housing stock. We are, therefore, delighted to be part of the Green Home Finance Strategic partnership, which will play a leading role in helping to unlock the changes needed to make our homes resilient for the future.”
The expansion comes as Nationwide joins the Green Home Finance Strategic Partnership, an initiative involving the Government and the Green Finance Institute to increase funding for home energy improvements as part of the Warm Homes Plan.
Ryan Jude, programme director at the Green Finance Institute, commented to say: “Expanding and diversifying the range of green finance options available will be critical to enabling more households to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes. Nationwide’s extension on 0% Green Additional Borrowing mortgage offer is an important example of the range of options that will be needed from lenders to support the transition.”
In addition to the loans, Nationwide also runs a Green Reward scheme offering £500 cashback to purchasers buying the most energy-efficient properties (EPC-A rated, SAP score 92 or above) and £250 for high EPC-B properties (SAP 86–91).
Since the reward scheme was introduced, the building society has distributed approximately £4.8million in cashback, including more than £1.7million between February 2025 and January 2026. Nationwide also provides a Home Energy Efficiency Tool, created in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, to assist homeowners in evaluating upgrades and potential energy savings.
Since 2023, more than 20,000 people have accessed the tool, with over 80% completing an energy savings plan. One borrower, Andrew from Norfolk, utilised a £12,000 interest-free loan to fit solar panels on his bungalow.
He said: “I’d been looking at ways to reduce my energy bills and also help green my home. With a large south facing roof, solar panels seemed the obvious choice. However, the upfront costs for installing a suitable system were a bit prohibitive, so using Nationwide’s Green Additional Borrowing was the perfect solution. I could borrow the money needed and do so interest-free.”
