ECO4 closes December 2026

The biggest free energy upgrade scheme in the UK is winding down. If you qualify, you have roughly seven months to apply before the funding is gone — and there won't be a direct replacement.

What ECO4 actually covers

ECO4 is a supplier obligation — the government requires large energy suppliers (British Gas, EDF, E.On, OVO, Octopus, Scottish Power) to fund energy efficiency improvements in qualifying homes. The cost falls on the suppliers, not the homeowner. That's why it's free.

Measures typically funded under ECO4 include loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation (internal or external), underfloor insulation, first-time central heating, boiler replacements (for households on certain benefits), solar panels, and battery storage. The scheme takes a "whole house" approach — an assessor surveys your property and recommends whatever combination of measures would bring the most improvement.

The value of upgrades can be substantial. A full package of insulation plus a replacement boiler or heat pump can be worth £8,000–£15,000 or more, delivered at no cost to the householder.

Who qualifies

ECO4 eligibility has two main routes:

Route 1 — Benefits-based: you receive a qualifying benefit (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, or Housing Benefit) and your home has an EPC rating of D, E, F, or G.

Route 2 — LA Flex: your local authority has identified you as living in fuel poverty or on a low income, even if you don't receive qualifying benefits. Criteria vary by council but often include household income thresholds (typically under £31,000), health conditions made worse by cold homes, or living in an area with high fuel poverty rates. This route significantly widens eligibility — check with your local council's energy team or housing department.

Use our grants eligibility checker to see if you're likely to qualify.

Why you should apply now, not later

ECO4 is a fixed pot. Each energy supplier has a set obligation — a total tonnage of carbon savings they must deliver by December 2026. As that deadline approaches, remaining obligations shrink. Suppliers are becoming more selective about which properties they'll fund, favouring homes where they can deliver the most carbon savings per pound spent.

In practical terms, this means homes needing expensive measures (solid wall insulation, for example) may find it harder to get approved in the final months. And if you apply in October or November, there may simply not be enough time for the assessment, approval, and installation to complete before the scheme closes.

The safest approach is to apply as soon as possible. Lead times from application to completed installation typically run 8–16 weeks, depending on the measures involved and your region.

How to apply

You don't apply to ECO4 directly. Instead:

1. Contact your energy supplier — call the dedicated ECO team at your supplier (British Gas, EDF, E.On, OVO, Octopus, or Scottish Power). They'll run an initial eligibility check over the phone.
2. Get a home assessment — if eligible, the supplier arranges for a surveyor to visit your home, assess the EPC rating, and recommend measures.
3. Approve the work — you review the proposed measures and confirm you want to proceed. There's no cost to you.
4. Installation — approved installers carry out the work. This typically takes 1–5 days depending on the scope.

Alternatively, contact your local council's housing or energy department and ask about LA Flex eligibility. Some councils have partnership arrangements with installers who can handle the entire process.

A warning about cold callers: if someone phones you unsolicited offering "free insulation under a government scheme," be cautious. Legitimate ECO4 work is delivered through your energy supplier or council-approved installers, not through random phone calls. Check any company on the TrustMark register before agreeing to anything.

What replaces ECO4?

The government's Warm Homes Plan, announced in January 2026 with £15 billion in total funding, is the overarching replacement. However, it works differently from ECO4 in several important ways.

First, it's government-funded rather than supplier-funded. There will be no ECO5 — the model of forcing energy suppliers to pay for home upgrades is ending. Second, the specific scheme that most directly replaces ECO4 — the Warm Homes: Local Grant — is already running, with £500 million available until 2028 for low-income households (typically under £36,000 income) in homes with EPC D–G ratings. It's delivered through local councils.

The catch: detailed eligibility criteria for the broader Warm Homes Plan haven't been published. If you currently qualify for ECO4, you'll probably qualify for the Warm Homes Plan too — but "probably" is not a guarantee, and there may be a gap between ECO4 closing and the new scheme's full rollout.

The pragmatic advice is: if you qualify for ECO4 now, apply for ECO4 now. Don't gamble on a replacement scheme whose terms haven't been finalised.

Can you combine ECO4 with other grants?

Yes. ECO4 can be combined with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (£7,500 for heat pumps) and the 0% VAT relief on energy-saving materials. For example, a household could receive free insulation under ECO4 and then install a heat pump using the BUS grant — dramatically reducing total energy costs for minimal or zero out-of-pocket expense.

Check what you qualify for across all available schemes using our grants eligibility checker, and use the insulation savings calculator to model how much the upgrades would save you on bills.