Blue Ape Renewables is an award-winning, MCS certified installer rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot, and we can help you work out what to borrow and what it will buy. Call 0151 452 4085 or book a call, including evenings and weekends.

Why Most People Never Hear About This

Most homeowners assume there are only two ways to pay for solar panels or a heat pump: cash out of savings, or finance arranged through the installer. There is a third route, and in some cases it is the cheapest money on the table.

Because the loan is secured against your house, lenders treat it as lower risk than an unsecured personal loan, so the interest rate is usually lower. Some lenders go further and charge nothing at all for a fixed period. The trade-off is real, though: an unsecured loan cannot cost you your home, and a secured one can.

We are not a nine-to-five outfit. Most people cannot take a call about their mortgage from the office, so we run appointments in the evenings and at weekends as well as during the working day. Pick whatever slot actually suits you.

What Does "Green Additional Borrowing" Actually Mean?

Additional borrowing, sometimes called a further advance, means asking your existing mortgage lender to lend you more on top of what you already owe. The new money is added to your mortgage and secured against your home. If you stop paying, your home is at risk.

• Loan to Value (LTV): The size of your total mortgage compared to what your home is worth. If your house is worth £200,000 and you owe £120,000, your LTV is 60 per cent (120,000 ÷ 200,000 = 0.6). Lenders cap green borrowing at a maximum LTV, so this number decides whether you qualify.
• MCS Certification: The Microgeneration Certification Scheme is the UK quality mark for small-scale renewables. It matters financially as well as technically: without an MCS certified installer you cannot claim the government heat pump grant or register for export payments.

Which UK Lenders Offer Green Additional Borrowing?

Nationwide: 0% Interest on £5,000 to £20,000

Nationwide runs the most eye-catching deal of the group. Existing Nationwide mortgage members can borrow between £5,000 and £20,000 at 0% fixed interest for either two or five years, with no product fee, up to a maximum of 90 per cent LTV. The catch is that 100 per cent of the money must go on eligible energy-efficient improvements, and there is a limit of one such loan per property.

Eligible work covers solar panels and storage, insulation, heat pumps, energy-saving windows and doors, hot water systems, EV chargers, battery storage, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). Supporting work like scaffolding or rewiring is allowed where genuinely required. What they will not fund: fossil fuel boilers, routine maintenance, like-for-like repairs, and works already completed.

Co-operative Bank: Only Half Has to Be Green

The Co-operative Bank's version carries no fee, a two or five-year fixed term, and an LTV band of 60 to 85 per cent. The key difference is flexibility: you only need to spend at least 50 per cent of what you borrow on qualifying green improvements. Borrowers generate an Improvement Plan using the free Energy Saving Home Improvement Tool and submit that report with their application.

Skipton: The Biggest Cheque, Up to £50,000

Skipton Building Society allows green additional borrowing of £10,000 to £50,000 with no product fees. That is the largest range available, making it ideal for a whole-house retrofit. At least 50 per cent must go on energy-efficient work, and Skipton asks for quotes covering the full job upfront. Skipton members can also access a free EPC Plus home energy report.

TSB & Santander

TSB: The 2021 green borrowing terms have been superseded; current offers focus on £250 cashback for purchasing A/B rated homes. Check with TSB directly for active further advance rates.
Santander: Offers secured additional borrowing from £5,000+ over 5+ year terms up to 90% LTV, alongside unsecured personal loans (£1,000 to £25,000).

Green Additional Borrowing Compared: Five UK Lenders

Claim Your Grant Before You Borrow Anything

Grant money reduces the amount you need to borrow in the first place. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is run by Ofgem and is installer-led—your MCS-certified installer applies on your behalf and takes the grant directly off your upfront quote:

• £7,500 off an air-to-water or ground source heat pump.
• £9,000 off an air-to-water or ground source heat pump in eligible off-gas grid oil/LPG properties (available 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027).
• 0% VAT on the installation of energy-saving materials until 31 March 2027.
• Smart Export Guarantee (SEG): Earn recurring payments from suppliers for surplus solar power exported to the grid.

What Order Should You Do This In?

1. One: Get a survey and a firm quote (lenders like Skipton require quotes for the full works; Co-op requires an Improvement Plan).
2. Two: Check your grant entitlement so you only borrow the remaining balance.
3. Three: Check your loft. If you have spray foam insulation, resolve this before speaking to lenders to prevent survey and valuation issues.
4. Four: Compare the mortgage route against installer finance. Blue Ape offers 0% APR over 24 months and Buy Now Pay Later options, so a secured mortgage deal is not always the only answer.
5. Five: Work out what you are buying. Book an evening or weekend slot on our calendar and we will run the calculations with you.

Frequently Asked Questions