The Green Mortgage; the one where we’ll pay you £1,000 for improving your home’s energy efficiency†
Whether you’re looking to buy a new home or remortgage your existing one, it’s usually a time when you start to think about what home improvements you want to make. If better energy efficiency is top of your list, now might be the time to ask your adviser about our green eKo Cashback Mortgage.
All you have to do is improve your home's energy efficiency rating by moving to the next Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) banding e.g. D to C OR increasing your rating by at least 10 Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) points. Then just send us a new EPC within 12 months of your mortgage completion date. If you've made all your mortgage payments on time and in full, we'll pay you a lump sum of £1,000 into the bank account associated with your direct debit mortgage payments.
We’ll pay you £1,000 cashback when you improve your home’s energy efficiency rating by moving to the next Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) banding OR increasing your rating by at least 10 Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) points.†
SAP points contribute towards a home’s overall EPC which measures the energy efficiency rating on a scale of A to G with A being the most efficient. Most UK homes are in bands D to E and every time you make an improvement to your home that’s energy efficient you increase your SAP points. It could be as simple as changing your light bulbs to LED’s, installing a new boiler or getting loft and/or cavity wall insulation.
We like to make things as clear as possible, so you’ll find everything you need to know below and in the tabs above:
Before you decide to talk to your mortgage adviser about our eKo £1,000 Cashback Mortgage, we suggest that you review the ‘Recommendations’ and if included, the ‘Further measures to achieve even higher standards’ sections of your current EPC. This will provide a good indication of whether any recommended energy efficiency measures are likely to result in a 10-point SAP increase or an increase in your EPC banding.
If you plan to purchase solar panels outright and your property is freehold, you do not need to request consent from us. However, if you would like to enter into a lease agreement with a solar panel firm you must request consent. Before we can give you consent to proceed, we will need confirmation that your request meets several requirements including, but not limited to, that your property is freehold and that the installation firm you plan to use is accredited by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
Yes. We will need you to instruct a solicitor (following completion and at your own expense) who is willing to act on behalf of you and Kensington. The solicitor will need to review the lease agreement and confirm that our minimum requirements for consent have been met.
In this case, we would recommend you talk to your broker as another Kensington mortgage may be more suitable for you.
In that case, you’ll need to have a new EPC assessment undertaken to determine the home’s current energy performance rating. For properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can find an assessor by visiting www.epcregister.com or www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk. For properties in Scotland, please visit www.scottishepcregister.org.uk.
You will need to have a new EPC assessment undertaken to determine the home’s current energy performance rating. For properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can find an assessor by visiting www.epcregister.com or www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk.
For properties in Scotland, please visit www.scottishepcregister.org.uk.
The cost for an EPC assessment can vary depending on who the assessment company is and which area you live in. For properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, if you visit www.epcregister.com or www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk you’ll be able to find an assessor. For properties in Scotland, please visit www.scottishepcregister.org.uk. When you contact your chosen assessor they will give you a cost.
We’ll need to see what your EPC rating is before and after you make any home improvements that improve your energy efficiency rating, so we can verify that you have either moved to the next EPC banding or increased your SAP points by at least 10 points.
We may hold your EPC rating at point of completion, please check with us before requesting this again.
For example, if the SAP points shown on your EPC are 55 and the band is D, before you make any home improvements, and your new EPC shows that your band has moved to C or your points have increased to 65, after the home improvements, we will be able to verify that your energy efficiency rating has improved by one of the required amounts to qualify for the cashback.
Yes, you have 12 months from the date of your mortgage completion to make any home improvements and send a new EPC to us.
We ask that you allow 5-10 working days for us to verify your energy rating or SAP points increase.
We’ll write to you to let you know the outcome of the review of your new EPC and SAP points.
We’ll pay the £1,000 cashback into the bank account your active Direct Debit is collected from within 5-10 working days.
To be eligible for your cashback, you must make your claim within 12 months of completion and your mortgage account will need to be up to date, with all monthly payments having been made on time and in full. You will also need to have an active Direct Debit in place.
If we are unable to verify an improvement in your energy band rating or a SAP points increase, we will write to you and let you know the reason why.
If you are still within 12 months of the completion date of your mortgage, you can make another application.
Our mortgages are specially arranged through approved mortgage advisers who will be able to talk you through the mortgages and options that could be available to you. You’ll need to borrow at least £25,000 and the property will need to have
a minimum value of £75,000.
If you don’t have a mortgage adviser, you might want to contact Like Mortgage Advice* who
can offer you FEE FREE, no obligation advice on Kensington products – both before and during the mortgage application process.
If you prefer, you can find your own broker by visiting unbiased.com where you'll find a list of advisers to choose from.
Why not find out how much you could borrow with our mortgage calculator?
* Like Mortgage Advice Limited is an appointed representative of Hawke Financial Services LLP, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Register No. 478284)
