ECO4 eligibility and current scheme status

Do this first

Your safe boundary

Limit your action to an official eligibility enquiry and document checks; a qualified retrofit team must assess and install any measure.

ECO4 remains within its obligation period on 13 August 2026 but is approaching its 31 December 2026 end date.

No verified cost range is available for this page.

Safety warnings

Warning

Owner permission is required

Do not authorise property work as a tenant when owner or landlord permission is required. Obtain written permission before the application or installation proceeds.

Permission and applicant roles differ by scheme. ECO work in rented homes requires the relevant owner or landlord permission. BUS is property-owner and installer led; the landlord must inform affected tenants, but tenant notification is not grant approval.

Do now

Identify the legal owner, landlord, management company and authorised scheme applicant.
Obtain and retain the required written permission or consent.
Check lease, tenancy, lender, planning and Building Regulations requirements separately where relevant.

Do not

Do not let a tenant claim ownership or sign an owner declaration.
Do not treat access, notification or informal agreement as the scheme's required consent.
Do not treat landlord permission as funding or technical approval.

Get help

Ask the landlord, social landlord or management company for the correct written consent route.
Ask the scheme administrator or installer which party must apply and sign.
Use housing or legal advice if authority to carry out the work is disputed.

Warning

Check every required credential

Verify the business and person on each required official register for the exact measure and task. Scheme participation does not replace trade-specific competence.

ECO measures generally use the scheme's TrustMark route, while BUS installations require an MCS-certified installer for the relevant technology and approved consumer-code membership. Gas, electrical, asbestos, refrigerant, structural and other regulated work may require additional credentials.

Do now

Check the official register entry, expiry, business identity and scope for the proposed measure.
Confirm who is responsible for assessment, design, installation, certification, warranty and complaints.
Check every stricter trade-specific credential before work starts.

Do not

Do not accept a logo, badge, lead-generator page or verbal claim as register verification.
Do not call an installer Ofgem-approved.
Do not treat TrustMark, MCS, grant approval or one trade credential as authority for unrelated regulated work.

Get help

Verify ECO and scheme requirements through Ofgem and the official TrustMark route.
Verify BUS technology scope through the official MCS and scheme route.
Use the relevant regulator, Building Control or official trade register for additional work categories.

Caution

Eligibility is not approval

This is not an approval or a promise of funding, free work or installation. The scheme, supplier or administrator must complete its checks.

Eligibility can still depend on assessment, measure suitability, supplier selection, budget, evidence, owner consent and current rules. A contribution may be requested where the scheme allows it, and the user may decline an offer.

Do now

Treat the result as an initial screen only.
Obtain the written offer, itemised costs, conditions and responsible organisation before agreeing.
Check that approval and any voucher have actually been issued before relying on funding.

Do not

Do not say guaranteed approval, guaranteed grant, guaranteed free installation or guaranteed funding.
Do not treat eligibility, referral, assessment, quote or consent as an award.
Do not hide a contribution, exclusion, expiry or rejection risk.

Get help

Ask the scheme administrator, supplier or installer for written case status.
Use independent advice where contract terms or requested contributions are unclear.
Do not proceed on an unsupported verbal promise.

Caution

Scheme rules can change

Scheme rules, dates, values and availability can change. Recheck the linked official source before relying on this result.

A dated statement is valid only for its recorded scope and review window. A consultation, announcement or residual web page is not proof that an application route is open. Once review_by passes, quarantine the claim until it is rechecked.

Do now

Check the official scheme administrator or government source and its update date.
Confirm the property, applicant, measure, jurisdiction and application date match the current rule.
Use the earliest review date from every policy record referenced by the page.

Do not

Do not publish a policy claim after review_by without a fresh official-source review.
Do not present a proposal, consultation or future announcement as a current entitlement.
Do not infer budget availability or an open application route from a scheme name alone.

Get help

Use the current GOV.UK or Ofgem scheme page for the relevant programme.
Ask the scheme administrator, obligated supplier or installer to confirm case-specific status in writing.
Suppress the claim if current status cannot be verified.

What is known — and what is not

What is known

Only the page's recorded observations, documents and stated scope are treated as known.

What remains uncertain

Household facts and an EPC letter cannot establish whether a supplier will accept the case or which measures suit the property. [3][1]

Possible explanations

the household and property may pass the current supplier checks [3][1]
the household may fit ECO4 Flex rather than the listed-benefit route [3][1]
the property, supplier capacity or assessment may prevent delivery [3][1]

Scheme status on 12 August 2026

ECO4 was extended to 31 December 2026 so suppliers can meet existing targets, complete an orderly closure and remediate non-compliant work; the extension did not increase targets or guarantee new delivery capacity. [1][5]

Initial eligibility checks

An owner-occupier can check for a currently listed qualifying benefit and an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. [2]
A private renter can check for a listed benefit, EPC E, F or G and the property owner's permission. [2]
A social-housing tenant with EPC E, F or G should ask the landlord about the limited ECO4 support described in the current official guidance. [2]
These are initial checks only; Ofgem states that eligibility does not necessarily result in measures being installed. [3]

What ECO4 may cover

A retrofit assessment decides which eligible energy-efficiency or heating measures may benefit the home; ECO4 is a supplier obligation rather than a fixed cash award to the householder. [3][4]

Supplier selection, survey results, funding and any requested contribution remain undecided until the household receives a written offer. [4]

Application route and next body

Check the current criteria on GOV.UK and Ofgem. [2][3]
Contact any Ofgem-listed obligated supplier, even if it is not your own energy supplier, or use a participating official Flex route. [3]
Provide accurate tenure, benefit, permission and property evidence through the verified channel. [2]
If the supplier proceeds, let its competent retrofit team assess the home and require the scope, funding and any contribution in writing. [3][4]

Fraud and pressure-sales checks

Verify an unsolicited offer with the named council or obligated supplier using contact details found independently. [2]
Check the proposed ECO installer in the TrustMark register before allowing work to start. [3]
Do not treat an eligibility match, referral, survey or deadline as approval, a no-contribution offer or a promised saving. [3][1]

Property, sale and letting relevance

Condition: the assessment must select measures that fit the construction, heating and ventilation rather than the household route alone. [3]
Sale: retain the assessment, design, permissions, TrustMark record, guarantees and completion evidence without claiming a particular bill or value outcome. [3]
Letting: a tenant needs the owner, social landlord or management company's permission before work, and scheme participation does not replace separate housing duties. [2][3]

Review triggers

Recheck immediately if Ofgem or GOV.UK changes eligibility, supplier access, delivery guidance or the 31 December 2026 end date. [1][5]
Review by 5 September 2026 and again before the final quarter of the obligation period. [1]

Evidence checkpoints

The current ECO4 obligation period ends on 31 December 2026. [1][5]
Evidence date: 2026-08-13
The nine-month ECO4 extension does not increase supplier targets or guarantee additional household capacity. [1]
Evidence date: 2026-08-13
Passing an ECO4 household screen does not require a supplier or installer to install measures. [3]
Evidence date: 2026-08-13
A household may contact any obligated ECO supplier, not only its current energy supplier. [3]
Evidence date: 2026-08-13

Scope and safety review

ECO4 applies in Great Britain and does not apply in Northern Ireland.

Jurisdiction: England, Wales, Scotland
Who this covers: household applicant or property owner
Tenure: owner-occupied, private rented, social rented
Reviewed: 2026-08-13

Sources

Extending the ECO4 end date: government responseDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero. Accessed 2026-08-13.
Help from your energy supplier: the Energy Company ObligationDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero. Accessed 2026-08-13.
Energy Company Obligation: homeowners and tenantsOfgem. Accessed 2026-08-13.
ECO4 and GBIS Flex Local Authority Guidance version 3.0Ofgem. Accessed 2026-08-12.
ECO4 Delivery guidance version 4.0Ofgem. Accessed 2026-08-12.