Yorkshire Building Society launched a bespoke digital energy advice tool in December 2022, developed for it by Energy Saving Trust. The tool sits on the Society's website and on the website of its Accord Mortgages intermediary brand, where brokers can access it1.
Customers answer a short series of questions about their home and then receive a personalised action plan and insights setting out the most economical ways to cut energy consumption. The outputs include an estimated energy performance certificate (EPC) rating, a CO2 emissions estimate, energy costs and ideas for energy saving home improvements1.
Since launch, 2,176 customers have used the tool to create a plan for their homes, a figure correct as of May 20231. The Society has 250 branches and local agencies and nearly three million customers1. Energy Saving Trust states that the tool creates action plans for consumers to make their homes more energy efficient, helping them to save money on their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint1.
The Society also used Energy Saving Trust material in its own communications: a cost of living tips poster and flyer in all branches and agencies, content on branch and agency ATM and digital screens, a feature in its Annual General Meeting communication sent to 1.2 million members by post or online, a dedicated cost of living web page, and a link to that page in its January eNewsletter sent to nearly 500,000 customers1.
Siobhan McHale, product development manager at Yorkshire Building Society, said:
"We are committed to educating our customers around energy efficiency as we know reducing energy bills is a priority for many households with the current cost of living pressures. That is why we have been working in collaboration with Energy Saving Trust, to provide a tool that is available not only for our customers but to all homeowners, that will allow them to look at the most cost-effective ways to do this."
Energy Saving Trust says customers recognise and value that the insights offered are independently verified and trustworthy1. The tool is not a grant, a loan or an installation service; it produces an estimate and a plan. No figure for the savings a household might achieve by following a plan has been reported1.
Why it matters for households
A plan of this kind gives a household a starting estimate of where its home sits on the EPC scale and what its energy costs and emissions look like, before any money is spent on measures. For energy independence, the practical value is in the ordering: knowing which improvements cut consumption most economically for that particular property, rather than working from general assumptions. The EPC estimate is modelled from the answers given, not from a formal assessment, so it is a guide rather than a certified rating. The tool is free to use and open to homeowners beyond the Society's own customers1.
Householders who want advice from a publicly funded service rather than a lender's tool can approach the national advice lines; the getting-started hub sets out the routes by nation, including Home Energy Scotland and NI Energy Advice, with separate pages for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What happens next
No further launch, expansion or update to the tool has been reported. The usage figure of 2,176 customers is stated as correct as of May 2023, and no later total has been published1.
Sources1 cited
- Yorkshire Building Society - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk