Sero partners with Virgin Money and Rightmove

Sero partners with Virgin Money and Rightmove to support customers in their quest for greener homes as part of new Government project.

Sero is partnering with top 6 lender, Virgin Money and the UKs number 1 property portal, Rightmove to help customers make their homes more energy efficient.  

Virgin Money is acting as lead organisation for the POWER (Partnership Outputs Working to Enable Retrofit) project, working alongside project managers Sero and project partners Rightmove. The project is now in its discovery phase, and it aims to educate customers on the bespoke retrofit options available to decarbonise their home and the benefits of doing so, while also providing affordable finance options to implement the changes.    

The POWER project is funded by the Green Home Finance Accelerator fund (GHFA), a government initiative that aims to drive green finance innovation. It encouraged consortium applications, supporting industry wide collaboration to increase the implementation of energy efficient home improvements to support the UK transition to Net Zero.  

Cerys Williams, Finance Partnerships Manager at Sero said:We’re very excited to be back working with Rightmove following our collaboration on the VALUER project (supported by the 2020 Green Home Finance Innovation fund). We’re equally thrilled to be venturing on a new partnership with forward thinking bank, Virgin Money. Through the Green Home Finance Accelerator fund, the collaboration aims to remove the upfront cost barrier facing many homeowners seeking to install appropriate retrofit measures within their home. 

Craig Calder, head of secured lending at Virgin Money said: “To be part of the innovative Green Home Finance Accelerator project is important for Virgin Money as we look to reinforce our aspiration to halve our financed emissions by 2030 and deliver net zero by 2050. Working with industry experts Sero and Rightmove is an opportunity to research, test and learn what consumers want before we take a proposition to market – enabling us to provide a great product for customers while at the same time making a positive impact on the environment.” 

Simon Dawson, Director of Data Services at Rightmove said: “The Green Home Finance Accelerator project gives us an important opportunity to try and help breakdown the complexity of retrofitting homes for home-owners, as the UK strives to hit Net Zero. Rightmove has put the green agenda at the forefront of our data and analytics, and by working with our collaboration partners Sero and Virgin Money and having access to virtually the entire UK property market, we aim to help educate people on the best options available to decarbonise their homes.” 

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “The government has put in place long-term commitments to ensure homes across the country have greater energy efficiency to reduce bills, drive down energy use and lower emissions. We are supporting these organisations to develop fresh and innovative ways of helping more people get better access to energy efficiency measures, such as loft insulation, double glazing and heat pumps.”