If you came here looking for an ECO4 grant, the short answer
is: ECO4 is no longer open to new applications. But the help
has not disappeared — it has moved into newer schemes that are open now.
This page explains exactly what has happened to ECO4, what to do if you
already had work approved, and which grants to apply for instead.

Has ECO4 closed?

ECO4 (the fourth phase of the Energy Company Obligation) is winding down and is not accepting new applications. The scheme’s funding is delivered through a limited number of approved installers, and that funding has already been allocated and committed — there is no more to give out, so there is no route to make a new application. Its obligation period was extended to 31 December 2026 only so installers can finish works that were already approved, not to take on new households. In practice, a household starting from scratch today cannot get a new ECO4 grant.

The related Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) also
closed to new applications on 31 March 2026.

What has replaced ECO4?

Government support for home energy improvements has moved into the
Warm Homes Plan. The schemes that now do the job ECO4 used to do are:

  • Warm Homes: Local Grant
    — free insulation and low-carbon heating for lower-income homeowners
    in England (household income of £36,000 or less, or on certain
    benefits, in an EPC D–G home). This is the closest replacement for
    ECO4 for most households.
  • Boiler Upgrade Scheme
    — up to £7,500 off a heat pump in England and Wales, with no
    income test.
  • Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund — funding for social
    landlords to upgrade council and housing-association homes.

See all of them side by side on our
home energy grants overview.

Which one should I apply for?

  • On a lower income and want insulation and/or heating? Start
    with the
    Warm Homes: Local Grant.
  • Want to replace a boiler with a heat pump regardless of
    income? Use the
    Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
  • Rent from a council or housing association? Ask your
    landlord about the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
  • In Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? See the devolved
    schemes on our grants overview.

I already had ECO4 work approved — what now?

If your ECO4 measures were approved before November 2025,
your installer can still complete them under the extended obligation period,
which runs until 31 December 2026. Contact the installer or
scheme manager who arranged your application to confirm the timeline and make
sure the work is booked in well before that deadline. If you are struggling to
get a response, keep written records and see our guidance on
complaints and disputes.

Watch out for ECO4 scams

Now that ECO4 is closing, be extra wary of anyone still advertising
“ECO4 grants” to new applicants by cold call, text or social
media. Legitimate schemes are applied for through GOV.UK,
your local council, or an
MCS-certified installer — never through an unsolicited
approach, and never by paying an up-front fee. If in doubt, read our guide to
scams and mis-selling.

For reference: what ECO4 was

ECO4 ran from April 2022 and was the fourth phase of the Energy Company
Obligation, a rule requiring larger energy suppliers to fund energy-efficiency
improvements in lower-income and vulnerable households. Under ECO4, eligible
homes could get insulation, heating upgrades and, in some cases, a full
heating system, either through means-tested benefits or through a local
council’s ECO Flex (LA Flex) route, which let councils
set their own local eligibility rules. Many of the improvements ECO4 delivered
— loft and wall insulation, first-time central heating, heat pumps
— are now available through the
Warm Homes: Local Grant and the
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
instead. We keep our detailed ECO4 guides online for anyone completing
approved work, but if you are starting fresh, use the current schemes.

Sources

Last reviewed: September 2026. Scheme dates and rules change —
confirm the current position on GOV.UK and Ofgem before acting. Next step:
find the grant that fits you on our
home energy grants overview.