Where ECO4 applicants now apply
ECO4 covered three main types of work: insulation, heating system replacement, and renewables/controls. Three successor schemes have taken over these functions, plus a discretionary route through your local authority for households facing hardship.
Insulation
For insulation
Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). Energy-supplier-delivered, qualification by Council Tax band and EPC. Funds cavity wall, loft, solid wall, room-in-roof insulation. Broader eligibility than ECO4 — Council Tax bands A–D (England) or A–E (Scotland, Wales).
Read the GBIS guide →Heat pump
For heat pumps
Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). £7,500 grant claimed by your MCS-certified installer on your behalf. No income gate, no EPC requirement — anyone in England or Wales replacing a fossil fuel heating system. Runs until 2028.
Read the BUS guide →Whole-home retrofit
For whole-home retrofit
Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG). Up to £30,000 per property for whole-home retrofit packages — insulation, heating, renewables, ventilation, controls. Locally-determined eligibility, delivered through your council. The closest direct successor to ECO4 in scope.
Read the WH:LG guide →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.
Contact your local council's energy advice service.
What ECO4 was — for the historical record
ECO4 was the fourth iteration of the Energy Company Obligation, a regulatory framework that ran from April 2013 in successive versions: ECO1 (2013-2015), ECO2 (2015-2018), ECO3 (2018-2022), and ECO4 (April 2022 to March 2026). Across all four versions the scheme operated on the same fundamental shape: an obligation placed by Ofgem on larger UK energy suppliers (those with over 150,000 domestic customers) to fund energy efficiency improvements in qualifying households.
ECO4 was designed to deliver around £4 billion of energy efficiency support over its four-year run, focusing exclusively on low-income, vulnerable, and fuel-poor households. Notional package values reached around £15,000 per household for comprehensive whole-home upgrades, though typical packages ran £5,000-£12,000.
The eligibility criteria included combined household income typically under £31,000, or 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. ECO Flex — also known as LA Flex — allowed local authorities to nominate households not meeting standard criteria but facing fuel poverty or vulnerability.
Funded measures spanned 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 was occasionally included as part of broader packages but was not a primary measure.
ECO4 was funded by a levy on energy bills paid by all UK households. The closure of ECO4 has been 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 vs its successors
| Aspect | ECO4 (closed) | GBIS | BUS | WH:LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Closed Mar 2026 | Live | Live (until 2028) | Live |
| Funded by | Energy suppliers (levy) | Energy suppliers (levy) | Treasury (DESNZ) | Treasury (DESNZ) |
| Apply via | Energy supplier / installer | Energy supplier | MCS installer | Local authority |
| Maximum package | £15,000 | Per-measure | £7,500 | £30,000 |
| Income gate | Yes (£31k or benefits) | CTB + EPC route | None | Local criteria |
| EPC requirement | D–G | D–G | None | Usually D–G |
| Insulation | Yes | Yes (primary) | No | Yes |
| Heat pumps | Yes | No | Yes (primary) | Yes |
| Solar + battery | Occasionally | No | No | Yes |
If you started an ECO4 application before March 2026
In-flight applications
If your ECO4 application was lodged with an energy supplier or installer before the March 2026 cut-off and works were committed under the ECO4 obligation framework, the installation should still proceed under the original terms. Energy suppliers had specific obligations to complete committed measures even after the scheme closed to new applications.
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: the application has lapsed. Re-apply under GBIS (insulation), BUS (heat pump), or WH:LG (whole-home) depending on what you needed.
Check your eligibility for live schemes
The widget below routes you through Warm Homes: Local Grant eligibility — the closest direct successor to ECO4 in scope. If WH:LG doesn't fit your situation, the FAQ below covers the alternative routes.
Warm Homes: Local Grant eligibility check
The closest live successor to ECO4. Postcode + EPC + Council Tax band — instant indicative eligibility.
Key eligibility factors:
- Comprehensive energy upgrade
- Multiple measures
- Owner-occupier
Check your property against the live MHCLG EPC register to see your current band and every grant you qualify for — free, in under a minute.
Check your propertyNeed an EPC first? Book an EPC assessment via energyperformancecertificates.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
Is ECO4 still open?
No. ECO4 closed to new applications in March 2026. The scheme is no longer accepting applications. Successor schemes have taken over its functions.
What replaced ECO4?
Three live schemes: GBIS (insulation), BUS (heat pumps, £7,500), and Warm Homes: Local Grant (whole-home, up to £30,000). ECO Flex via your council continues as the discretionary route for hardship cases.
I started an ECO4 application before the deadline — what happens?
If works were committed under the ECO4 framework before March 2026, the installation should still proceed under the original terms — contact the supplier or installer. If only the eligibility check was started without works being committed, the application has lapsed; re-apply under a successor scheme.
What was ECO4 worth?
Up to a notional £15,000 per household. Typical packages ran £5,000-£12,000 depending on property and measures recommended. Insulation, heat pumps, smart controls, electric storage heater upgrades, biomass boilers were the main measures.
How does GBIS compare to ECO4?
Narrower scope (insulation only) but broader eligibility (Council Tax band route instead of income/benefits). Bands A-D (England) or A-E (Scotland, Wales) with EPC D-G typically qualify. No heating or renewables.
Can I still apply for a heat pump?
Yes. BUS provides £7,500 towards heat pump replacement of fossil fuel heating in England and Wales. No EPC or income gate — anyone replacing gas, oil, or LPG with an MCS-certified heat pump can apply via their installer.
Is ECO5 coming?
There is no announced ECO5 successor in the previous ECO form. The policy direction is towards direct Treasury funding via the Warm Homes Plan rather than continued energy-supplier obligation. Watch DESNZ announcements.
What if I don't qualify for the new schemes?
ECO 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. Worth checking even if you previously did not qualify for ECO4.
Did ECO4 include solar panels?
Occasionally, as part of broader measure packages — not a primary supported measure. For solar funding now, the routes are 0% VAT (universal), Warm Homes: Local Grant (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 historical context and scheme-mechanics summary on this page still apply to applications lodged before March 2026 and to anyone trying to understand what work was done under ECO4 — for example when buying a property where ECO4 measures were installed.
Live UK energy grants
Whole-home
Warm Homes Plan
The umbrella programme that includes WH:LG (up to £30,000 whole-home retrofit). Closest direct successor to ECO4.
Read WHP guide →Heat pump
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
£7,500 for heat pump replacement. No income gate. Runs until 2028.
Read BUS guide →Insulation
GBIS
The Great British Insulation Scheme — insulation-only successor with broader eligibility.
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
Welsh Government's energy efficiency programme across 22 local authorities.
Read Wales guide →Find your live route
ECO4 is closed, but the successor schemes are bigger in scope and broader in eligibility. Start with the grants hub.