DUAL Sets New Benchmark with Insurance Innovations for Greener, Safer Real Estate
In a strategic move aligning with the growing demand for sustainable investment and regulatory compliance, Howden’s DUAL has launched two groundbreaking insurance products aimed at revolutionizing risk management in the real estate sector. The announcement, timed ahead of the UK Real Estate Infrastructure and Investment Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds (20–22 May), signals a bold step toward integrating environmental responsibility into the financial fabric of property development and investment.
At the forefront of this launch is DUAL’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit (EER) Insurance, a policy designed to support asset owners undertaking energy performance upgrades. As real estate stakeholders from social housing authorities to industrial investors grapple with tightening carbon regulations and ESG pressures, the EER policy offers financial certainty by covering underperformance in energy savings, asset inefficiency, and potential losses in energy-related revenue streams.
This innovation is particularly relevant as retrofitting older buildings becomes a primary strategy for meeting the UK’s net-zero targets. By de-risking these upgrades, DUAL not only facilitates access to green financing but also accelerates progress toward energy-efficient urban infrastructure.
Complementing this is the Environmental Investment Protection (EIP) Insurance, which targets a less visible but equally critical component of real estate risk: environmental liability. As land contamination and biodiversity concerns increasingly influence property values and due diligence, the EIP policy safeguards investors from post-transaction environmental surprises, including future changes in environmental legislation.
These products are the result of work by DUAL’s Climate Risk & Resilience team, which is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in sustainable insurance solutions. “Climate events continue to focus minds on the role insurance can play in building resilience,” noted Simon McGinn, CEO of DUAL UK. “This is a fantastic example of how MGAs can lead the charge in underwriting for emerging and niche risks.”
With this move, DUAL not only reinforces its position as an innovator within the MGA market but also sets a new industry benchmark for integrating climate risk into core insurance offerings. The dual launch is expected to attract significant attention at UKREiiF, particularly from public sector bodies, institutional investors, and real estate developers looking to future-proof their portfolios.
Following recent expansions, such as the opening of a marine insurance hub in Hamburg, DUAL’s latest offerings reflect a broader ambition: to build a truly resilient and sustainable insurance ecosystem that supports clients through climate transition and regulatory evolution.
As the real estate sector continues to evolve under the pressure of climate imperatives, DUAL’s product innovation could serve as a blueprint for insurers worldwide aiming to combine profitability with planetary responsibility.
