One quarter of UK homeowners plan to make green upgrades in next 12 months

When asked about their immediate plans, 10% of respondents mentioned composting bins, while 9% each wrote about smart energy meters and rainwater harvesting systems.

Higher earners were around twice as likely to have short-term improvement plans. Among households earning under £23,000 a year, only 53% had a 10-year green upgrade plan, compared to 78% of those earning over £57,750.

Cost was the main hurdle, according to 74% of homeowners without upgrade plans. Reasons included a reluctance to take on debt at 38%, disruption from the work at 32% and limited financing options at 27%.

Almost one in five households, equivalent to 18%, said the type of property they lived has prevented them from making green changes.

The survey also found a significant rebound in plans for green upgrades in the first half of 2025 compared to late 2024, despite ongoing financial pressures.

The rise comes amid increased housing supply and renewed government focus on building more homes and raising energy standards, with proposals under consideration for Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in social housing.

Within the next decade, 65% of homeowners said they had plans to make green home improvements.

Planned features for the next 10 years included EV chargers at 34%, solar panels at 34%, triple glazing at 33%, and heat pumps at 26%.

Double-glazing was considered essential to 33% of homeowners, and 36% said it was very important.

The survey also recorded wider lifestyle changes on the rise, with 72% of the adults surveyed saying they were reducing food waste, 62% minimising home energy use, and 11% using an electric or hybrid vehicle (compared to 9% a year earlier).

Lloyd Cochrane, head of mortgages at NatWest Group, said: “It’s promising to see that two thirds of UK homeowners now have long-term plans to improve the environmental sustainability of their homes, but the research clearly shows that cost remains a significant barrier.

“Our challenge is to ensure these improvements are as accessible and affordable as possible.”