ECO4 Eligibility: Do You Qualify?

ECO4 requires larger energy suppliers to fund energy efficiency improvements for lower-income and vulnerable households in Great Britain. It ends on 31 December 2026, and there will be no successor. If your home is hard to heat and someone in it gets certain benefits, or your council refers you, you may be able to get insulation or heating upgrades fully or partly funded.

What is the ECO4 Scheme?

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) covers measures installed from 1 April 2022 and runs until 31 December 2026. It requires larger energy suppliers to fund improvements for low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households, focusing on homes with poor Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of D, E, F or G.

ECO4 takes a "whole house", fabric-first approach: your home is assessed as a whole to find the combination of improvements that suits it, starting with insulation. It is not a grant scheme, and there is no published maximum amount per home.

ECO4 Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for ECO4, your household and your property both have to meet the rules. Your energy supplier, council or installer checks the evidence; we cannot confirm it for you.

Route 1: Benefits-Based Eligibility

You may be eligible if someone in your household receives one of these benefits:

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit or Savings Credit)
• Housing Benefit
• Child Benefit (only below an income cap that depends on who lives in your home)

Tax credits and the Warm Home Discount are not qualifying benefits for ECO4.

Route 2: Council Referral (ECO4 Flex)

ECO4 Flex lets councils refer households that don't receive these benefits. There are four routes:

• Flex Route 1: gross annual household income under £31,000, whatever the size, make-up or location of your household
• Flex Route 2: meeting at least two of seven indicators, such as living in a highly deprived area, getting a low-income Council Tax reduction or free school meals, or being referred because you are struggling with bills
• Flex Route 3: a medical referral for certain cardiovascular, respiratory, mobility or immune conditions
• Flex Route 4: local targeting approved by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Not every council takes part, so check with yours. Routes 1, 3 and 4 need an EPC of D to G for homeowners and E to G for private tenants; Route 2 needs E to G.

Property Requirements

Your property must meet these essential criteria:

• EPC Rating: D, E, F or G if you own your home; E, F or G if you rent from a private landlord
• Ownership: You can own your home or rent privately (with the owner's permission). Social housing rated E, F or G can get a narrower set of measures, such as insulation or a first heating system
• Location: Property must be in England, Scotland or Wales
• Improvement: ECO4 aims to lift D and E homes to at least band C, and F and G homes to at least band D

What Improvements Does ECO4 Cover?

The improvements you are offered depend on your property's current condition and what a retrofit assessment recommends. Not every measure is available to every home.

Insulation Measures

• Cavity Wall Insulation: Filling the gap between the outer and inner leaves of the wall
• Solid Wall Insulation: External or internal wall insulation for properties without cavities
• Loft Insulation: Topping up or installing loft insulation
• Room-in-Roof Insulation: Insulating converted loft spaces
• Floor Insulation: Insulating suspended timber or solid floors

Heating System Upgrades

• First Time Central Heating: Installing a heating system for homes without one
• Heating Upgrades: Replacing an inefficient system (non-condensing boilers count as inefficient)
• Broken Boiler Replacement: Only where an efficient boiler has broken down and cannot be economically repaired, and subject to a cap
• Heat Pumps and Storage Heaters: Air or ground source heat pumps, or high heat retention storage heaters
• Heating Controls: Thermostats, smart controls and thermostatic radiator valves

All heating measures come with insulation pre-conditions, so a new boiler is not guaranteed.

Additional Measures

• Draught proofing, replacement glazing and better external doors
• Solar panels, only where the home is heated by a heat pump or suitable electric heating

What Is the Work Worth?

ECO4 support can cover some or all of the cost of work that would otherwise be expensive. Savings depend on your home and the measures installed.

These are estimates, not guarantees. A detached house usually costs more to insulate and saves more; a mid-terrace costs less and saves less.

How to Apply for ECO4 Funding

You can apply through any obligated energy supplier, even if it is not your own, or through your local council. Installers delivering ECO4 must be registered with TrustMark.

Step-by-Step Application Process

1. Check Your Eligibility: Confirm you meet the benefits or Flex criteria. In England and Wales you can look up your EPC on the GOV.UK Find an energy certificate service.
2. Contact a Supplier or Your Council: Ask an obligated supplier or your council, or send an enquiry through our grant finder tool. We pass enquiries to Better Home Hub, which may introduce installers. Check any installer on the TrustMark register.
3. Home Survey: A retrofit assessment looks at your insulation, heating and the home as a whole to decide which measures suit it.
4. Get It in Writing: You should receive details of the recommended measures and whether you need to contribute. Ofgem advises agreeing to ECO work only once you have a contract.
5. Installation: A TrustMark-registered installer carries out the work. How long it takes depends on the measures, and ECO4 measures must be delivered by 31 December 2026.
6. Keep Your Paperwork: Keep your contract, guarantees and any updated EPC.

Required Documentation

When applying, you may be asked for:

• Proof of benefits (recent award letter or statement)
• Proof of income (for Flex route applicants)
• Proof of address (utility bill or council tax statement)
• Current EPC certificate (if available)
• Landlord permission letter (if you're a tenant)

ECO4 vs Other Grant Schemes

ECO4 is one of several schemes. Some funding cannot be combined for the same measure, so tell each scheme what you have already received.

Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

The Great British Insulation Scheme closed on 31 March 2026 and was not extended. It is no longer available.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 towards an air source or ground source heat pump in England and Wales, or £9,000 for off-gas-grid homes heated by oil or LPG until 31 March 2027. There is no income test and no EPC requirement. A property that has already had government funding for a heat pump cannot get a BUS grant.

Warm Homes: Local Grant

In England, the Warm Homes: Local Grant is run through councils until 31 March 2028. Homes must be privately owned and rated EPC D to G, and household income is usually £36,000 or less (or you qualify through benefits or your postcode). If your council has funding, owner-occupiers do not pay; landlords may need to contribute.

Common ECO4 Questions Answered

Do I have to pay anything?

Possibly. Ofgem says ECO is not a grant scheme, so different companies or installers may provide different levels of support. Work may be fully or partly funded, and you may be asked to contribute. If you are, Ofgem encourages you to shop around.

Can landlords apply?

Private tenants can be eligible if the home is rated E, F or G and the owner gives permission. Landlords in England and Wales already need at least an EPC E to let a property (unless exempt), and the government has confirmed plans for all private tenancies to meet a higher EPC C standard by 1 October 2030.

How long does the process take?

There is no set timescale. It depends on the supplier or council, the installer and the measures. Because ECO4 measures must be delivered by 31 December 2026, ask for an expected installation date in writing.

What if my EPC is out of date?

EPCs are valid for 10 years. If you don't have a valid one, ask the supplier, council or installer how your home's rating will be assessed as part of the survey.

Are there any guarantees?

ECO4 guarantee requirements are enforced through TrustMark, and approved 25-year guarantees are listed on TrustMark's website. Ask which guarantee covers each measure before work starts. The Energy Saving Trust reports that 98% of homes fitted with external wall insulation under ECO4 and GBIS have problems that need fixing; TrustMark runs free audits for those homes.

Avoiding ECO4 Scams

Unfortunately, scammers target government grant schemes. Protect yourself by following these guidelines:

• Never pay upfront fees for eligibility checks
• Ask to see the installer's TrustMark registration and check it on trustmark.org.uk
• Don't sign contracts under pressure or on the doorstep
• Be wary of cold calls or unsolicited visits
• Check company reviews and ask for references
• Get the details of any guarantee in writing

Legitimate ECO4 providers will not pressure you into quick decisions, and Ofgem advises agreeing to ECO work only once you have a contract.

Making the Most of ECO4

To get the most from ECO4 funding, consider these strategies:

1. Check other schemes: If ECO4 can't help, ask your council about the Warm Homes: Local Grant (England), or contact Home Energy Scotland or the Warm Homes Nest scheme in Wales.
2. Plan for the future: If you're considering solar panels or a heat pump, improving insulation first helps them work well.
3. Understand the package: Ask the assessor why each measure is recommended. Under a whole-house approach, measures are chosen to work together.
4. Maintain your improvements: Regular maintenance of your heating system and insulation helps them keep performing.

What Happens After ECO4?

ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026. The government has confirmed there will be no successor supplier obligation, and has instead committed an extra £1.5bn of grant funding for low-income households. The Warm Homes Plan says it intends to combine the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund into a single low-income scheme from 2027/28.

If you think you're eligible for ECO4, don't leave it late: measures must be delivered by 31 December 2026.

Next Steps

ECO4 can improve your home's energy efficiency and reduce your bills, with work fully or partly funded for eligible households.

Check the criteria above, then contact an energy supplier or your council, or send us an enquiry.