How to reach ECO4, and what runs alongside it
ECO4 covers three main types of work: insulation, heating system replacement, and renewables/controls, and it runs to 31 December 2026. There is no central government application — you contact any obligated energy supplier, even if it is not your own, or a TrustMark-registered installer, or your council if you are not on a qualifying benefit. Two other schemes sit alongside ECO4 rather than replacing it — the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Warm Homes: Local Grant, which is England only and, unlike ECO4, does have a national application service on gov.uk. ECO4 Flex is not a third scheme: it is the council referral route into ECO4 itself.
Insulation
For insulation
Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) — England only. Delivered by local authorities for low-income private-tenure households, on a whole-house, fabric-first basis — insulation is funded as part of the package rather than as a standalone measure. GBIS, which held this slot alongside ECO4, has closed (31 March 2026), so in England this insulation route now runs through WH:LG: you apply at gov.uk and your council takes it from there. ECO4 also funds insulation until 31 December 2026. In Wales the route is Nest, in Scotland Home Energy Scotland, and in Northern Ireland NISEP or the Affordable Warmth Scheme.
Read the Warm Homes guide →Heat pump
For heat pumps
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). £7,500 grant towards an air source or ground source heat pump (£9,000 for an off-gas-grid property replacing oil or LPG, for applications properly made 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027; £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump in a home, once installers are certified for it), claimed by your MCS-certified installer on your behalf. No income gate, no EPC requirement — any property owner in England or Wales replacing a fossil fuel or electric heating system. Applications close 31 December 2029.
Read the BUS guide →Whole-home retrofit
For whole-home retrofit
Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) — England only. Two separate caps of £16,600 per home — one for energy performance upgrades (insulation, glazing, ventilation), one for low carbon heating (heat pumps, renewables). Those are cost caps averaged across a council's whole project, not a cash sum any household is entitled to; owner-occupiers are not asked to contribute anything. Eligibility is set nationally rather than council by council: the home has to be privately owned — owner-occupied or privately rented, not social housing — with an EPC of D, E, F or G, and the household needs one of three routes — income of £36,000 a year or less, a qualifying means-tested benefit, or an address in one of the listed low-income postcodes. You apply at gov.uk and your council decides and delivers, so funding still has to be available locally. The delivery window closes 31 March 2028. The closest match to ECO4 in scope, and it runs alongside it.
Read the WH:LG guide (England) →Discretionary
For discretionary / hardship
ECO Flex (LA Flex). Local authority discretionary nomination for households facing energy hardship without meeting standard income or benefits criteria. Each council publishes its own Statement of Intent listing qualifying categories. It is the route into ECO4 rather than a scheme of its own, so it ends with ECO4 on 31 December 2026, and the installation has to be finished by then.
Contact your local council's energy advice service.
How ECO4 works
ECO4 is the fourth iteration of the Energy Company Obligation, a regulatory framework that has run since April 2013 in successive versions: ECO1 (2013-2015), ECO2 (2015-2018), ECO3 (2018-2022), and ECO4 (April 2022 to 31 December 2026). Across all four versions the scheme has operated on the same fundamental shape: an obligation placed by Ofgem on larger GB energy suppliers (those with over 150,000 domestic customers) to fund energy efficiency improvements in qualifying households.
ECO4 focuses exclusively on low-income, vulnerable, and fuel-poor households in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland sits outside the Energy Company Obligation entirely and runs its own Affordable Warmth Scheme and NISEP instead. There is no per-household figure to quote: Ofgem's position is that this is not a grant scheme, and that different companies or installers may provide different levels or types of support towards the installation. The obligation is set as a supplier target — £224.3 million of modelled annual bill savings across all obligated suppliers — not as an amount any one home receives.
The eligibility criteria are receipt of qualifying means-tested benefits (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Tax Credits, Jobseeker's Allowance, ESA), combined with an EPC rating of D, E, F or G on the property for owner-occupiers — E, F or G for private renters. ECO4 Flex — also known as LA Flex — lets local authorities refer households that do not meet the standard criteria but face fuel poverty or vulnerability; Route 1 of Ofgem's Flex guidance uses a combined household income under £31,000. The council has to have published a Statement of Intent for that route to be open in your area.
Funded measures span the full retrofit landscape: cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, solid wall insulation, room-in-roof insulation, floor insulation, air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, biomass boilers, electric storage heater upgrades, smart heating controls, hot water cylinder thermostats. Solar PV is occasionally included as part of broader packages but is not a primary measure.
ECO4 is funded by a levy on energy bills paid by GB households. Its end on 31 December 2026, with no successor supplier obligation to follow (announced in the November 2025 Budget), is part of the policy shift towards direct Treasury funding via the Warm Homes Plan, on the rationale that placing the cost directly on the Exchequer rather than as a regressive levy on energy bills better targets support without disproportionately affecting the lowest-income households who pay a higher share of income on energy.
ECO4 and the other UK schemes
| Aspect | ECO4 | GBIS (closed) | BUS | WH:LG (England only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Open, ends 31 Dec 2026 | Closed 31 Mar 2026 | Live (applications close 31 Dec 2029) | Live (delivery to 31 Mar 2028) |
| Funded by | Energy suppliers (levy) | Energy suppliers (levy) | Treasury (DESNZ) | Treasury (DESNZ) |
| Apply via | Energy supplier / installer | Energy supplier | MCS installer | GOV.UK, then your council |
| What it pays | No set amount | Per-measure | £7,500 (£9,000 off-gas-grid oil/LPG, to 31 Mar 2027) | Two cost caps of £16,600 (project average) |
| Income gate | Yes (£31k or benefits) | CTB + EPC route | None | Yes (£36k, benefits or listed postcode) |
| EPC requirement | D–G owner-occupier, E–G private rented | D–G | None | D–G (A–C not eligible) |
| Insulation | Yes | Yes (primary) | No | Yes |
| Heat pumps | Yes | No | Yes (primary) | Yes |
| Solar + battery | Occasionally | No | No | Sometimes, in a package |
If you already approached someone about ECO4
In-flight applications
There is no March 2026 cut-off. That was ECO4's original end date, and it was extended to 31 December 2026. If your ECO4 application was lodged with an energy supplier or installer and works were committed under the ECO4 obligation framework, the installation should proceed under the agreed terms, provided it is finished by 31 December 2026.
What to do: contact the supplier or installer who took your application. They should confirm whether the works are still going ahead and provide an installation timeline. If they say the works are no longer happening despite a prior commitment, escalate to Ofgem's ECO complaints route.
If you started the eligibility check but no works were committed: nothing has lapsed. ECO4 runs to 31 December 2026, so go back to the supplier or installer, approach any other obligated supplier, or ask your council about ECO4 Flex — but the installation has to be finished by that date. WH:LG (whole-home including insulation, England only) and BUS (heat pump) are alternatives worth checking in parallel. GBIS, the insulation route that ran alongside ECO4, closed on 31 March 2026.
Check your eligibility for live schemes
The widget below covers Warm Homes: Local Grant, which is open in England only and runs to 31 March 2028. If your home is in England, the application starts at gov.uk: it checks your postcode, tells you if your own council has paused its referrals, and passes you to your council — West Midlands households included, though the service will say their funding is devolved to the combined authority. Greater Manchester is the exception: the service stops those households and sends them to the GMCA retrofit portal instead. It is not an ECO4 check: ECO4 has no central application and no eligibility engine, so the route there is to contact an obligated energy supplier, a TrustMark-registered installer, or your council's ECO4 Flex service. If WH:LG doesn't fit your situation — or you are in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, where WH:LG does not apply — the FAQ below and the country guides cover the alternative routes.
Warm Homes: Local Grant eligibility check
Warm Homes: Local Grant, which runs alongside ECO4. England only — an EPC of D, E, F or G, plus an income, benefits or postcode route. Indicative only; your council decides.
Key eligibility factors:
- England only — not Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland
- EPC band D, E, F or G
- Household income of £36,000 a year or less, a qualifying means-tested benefit, or a low-income postcode
- Owner-occupiers and private tenants with the landlord's consent (not social housing) — owner-occupiers and tenants are not expected to contribute anything, and a private landlord gets one home fully funded and pays half the cost on each additional home
- Separate caps for energy performance and low carbon heating, funding a whole-home package of measures — the caps are averaged across a council's whole project, not a sum a household can claim
- Apply on GOV.UK first and you are passed to your council, which decides — some councils have paused while their funding lasts. Greater Manchester and the West Midlands are funded through their combined authorities instead: West Midlands households still apply through the same GOV.UK service, while Greater Manchester households are sent to the GMCA retrofit portal
Check your property against the live MHCLG EPC register to see your current band and the schemes you may qualify for — free, in under a minute.
Check your propertyNeed an EPC first? Book an EPC assessment via energyperformancecertificates.co.uk.
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Frequently asked questions
Is ECO4 still open?▾
Yes. ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026 — it was extended by nine months in March 2026. The catch is that the installation has to be completed by that date, so a household starting now needs to move in weeks, not months. Being eligible does not mean a supplier will decide to fund the work.
What else is available alongside ECO4?▾
Nothing has replaced ECO4 — it runs until 31 December 2026. Alongside it: BUS (heat pumps, £7,500, or £9,000 off the gas grid replacing oil or LPG for applications made 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027; applications close 31 December 2029) and Warm Homes: Local Grant (England only, whole-home, two caps of £16,600). GBIS, which covered insulation, closed on 31 March 2026. ECO Flex via your council continues as the discretionary route for hardship cases — it is the council route into ECO4, not a separate scheme, and it ends with ECO4 on 31 December 2026.
I started an ECO4 enquiry a while ago — is it too late?▾
No. ECO4 was extended to 31 December 2026, so there is no March 2026 cut-off. If works were committed, contact the supplier or installer who took your application. If only the eligibility check was started, nothing has lapsed — go back to them, try another obligated supplier, or ask your council about ECO4 Flex. The installation has to be completed by 31 December 2026.
What is ECO4 worth?▾
There is no set amount. Ofgem is explicit that ECO4 is not a grant scheme and that different companies or installers may provide different levels or types of support towards the installation — so it depends on the supplier, the installer and the property, and you may be asked to contribute. Insulation, heat pumps, smart controls, electric storage heater upgrades and biomass boilers are the main measures.
How does GBIS compare to ECO4?▾
GBIS closed on 31 March 2026; ECO4 did not close and runs to 31 December 2026. GBIS was narrower in scope (insulation only) but broader in eligibility (Council Tax band route instead of income/benefits). Bands A-D (England) or A-E (Scotland, Wales) with EPC D-G typically qualified. No heating or renewables.
Can I still apply for a heat pump?▾
Yes. BUS provides £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump replacing fossil fuel (such as oil, gas or LPG) or electric heating in England and Wales (£9,000 for an off-gas-grid property replacing oil or LPG, for applications properly made 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027; £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump in a home, once installers are certified for it). No EPC or income gate — any property owner replacing that heating with an MCS-certified heat pump can apply via their installer. Applications close 31 December 2029.
Is ECO5 coming?▾
No. As announced in the November 2025 Budget, there will be no successor supplier obligation to ECO4. The policy direction is towards direct Treasury funding via the Warm Homes Plan rather than continued energy-supplier obligation.
What if I'm not on a qualifying benefit?▾
ECO4 Flex via your local authority is the discretionary route — councils can nominate households facing hardship outside standard criteria. Each council publishes its own Statement of Intent. It is the council route into ECO4, not a separate scheme, and it ends with ECO4 on 31 December 2026. Worth checking even if you have been told before that you do not qualify — though inclusion in a council declaration does not guarantee measures will be installed.
Does ECO4 include solar panels?▾
Occasionally, as part of broader measure packages — not a primary supported measure. For solar funding beyond ECO4, the routes are 0% VAT (universal), Warm Homes: Local Grant (England only; whole-home packages may include solar), and Smart Export Guarantee for ongoing export income.
Is this page useful if I'm researching old applications?▾
Yes. The scheme-mechanics summary on this page applies to measures installed under ECO4 at any point since April 2022 — for example when buying a property where ECO4 measures were installed. ECO4 is also still open, until 31 December 2026.
Live UK energy grants
Whole-home
Warm Homes Plan
The umbrella programme that includes WH:LG (whole-home retrofit in England, under two £16,600 caps). Runs alongside ECO4.
Read WHP guide →Heat pump
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
£7,500 for heat pump replacement, or £9,000 off the gas grid replacing oil or LPG (to 31 March 2027). No income gate. Applications close 31 December 2029.
Read BUS guide →Insulation · closed
GBIS
Closed 31 March 2026. Kept as a historical record, with the live insulation routes mapped.
Read GBIS guide →Grants hub
All UK energy grants
Every live scheme with current eligibility criteria, in one place.
Grants hub →Scotland
Scotland grants
Warmer Homes Scotland and HES — the devolved equivalent routes.
Read Scotland guide →Wales
Wales — Nest scheme
Wales only. Nest is a Welsh Government scheme you contact directly, not through your council — free advice and home improvements, on a low-income, benefits or health route.
Read Wales guide →Find your live route
ECO4 runs to 31 December 2026 and the installation has to be finished by then, so start now if you are going to. Other schemes run alongside it. Start with the grants hub.