The Green Finance Institute (GFI) is establishing a mortgage training programme to drive the greening of the built environment.

The GFI Certificate in Green Mortgages is designed to help educate mortgage professionals to understand, define and sell green mortgage products. The training scheme, which is accredited by the London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF) and eligible for CPD certification, is new innovation in green finance that could help accelerate decarbonisation.

The programme covers the impact of climate change, specifically on UK housing, as well as the broader green finance landscape and how it impacts the mortgage sector; the vital role of housing in tackling climate change; emerging technology, grant funding and EPCs.

Having successfully piloted the green mortgage training programme with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the GFI is now offering training sessions more widely as it looks to support the industry through its green transition.

Rachael Hunnisett, associate director for built environment at the GFI, who leads the training, said: “Decarbonising UK properties remains an integral part of our transition to a net-zero economy. Our new CPD-accredited training programme will equip brokers with the core information and skills they need to develop a deep understanding of financing green home upgrades, and how to navigate and support customers as they seek to invest in home energy efficiency improvements enabling them to save money on energy bills.”

In September 2020, as part of its built environment focus, the GFI launched the Green Home Finance Principles (GHFPs), a framework of guidelines that promote integrity in the market by providing financial institutions with a consistent and transparent methodology for the allocation of finance towards retrofitting works in the UK’s domestic buildings, and last year the GFI launched the Broker’s Handbook, a tools to support mortgage intermediaries on sustainable financing options.

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