If the upfront cost of solar panels is putting you off, the government’s ECO4 scheme is one of the best solar panel grants there is and may offer a route to support.
ECO4 is a government-backed scheme designed to help low-income and vulnerable households cover some or all of the cost of making their homes more energy efficient. The scheme can fund improvements including insulation and heating upgrades and, in some cases, solar panels. However, it is due to end on 31 December 2026.
Eligibility depends on both your household circumstances and your home. You may qualify if you receive certain benefits, while ECO4 Flex can also help some households that don’t receive qualifying benefits, including those with a gross household income below £31,000 or where someone has certain health conditions made worse by living in a cold home. Your property must also require energy-efficiency improvements.
With ECO4 now approaching its end date, keep reading to find out more about who may qualify, whether solar panels can be funded, what other improvements are covered and how to find out whether support is available in your area.
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Is ECO4 still available in 2026?
ECO4 officially runs until 31 December 2026, and Ofgem still advises households to contact participating energy suppliers to ask whether support is available. However, the nine-month extension didn’t create additional funding targets, but rather it gave suppliers longer to fulfil their existing obligations. This means the availability of new ECO4 projects can vary between suppliers and areas as the scheme approaches its end.
If one supplier cannot help, you can contact another participating supplier even if you aren’t already their energy customer.
What is the ECO4 scheme and how does it work?
ECO4 is the fourth phase of the Energy Company Obligation, a government energy-efficiency scheme funded by medium and large energy suppliers and regulated by Ofgem. It is designed to help low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households improve their homes through measures such as insulation, heating upgrades and, in some cases, renewable technologies. ECO4 now runs until 31 December 2026.
Despite commonly being called an ECO4 grant, it isn’t a traditional government grant that you apply for and receive as cash. Energy suppliers decide which homes and improvements they’re willing to fund, how much they’ll contribute and which installers will carry out the work. So qualifying for ECO4 doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll receive free solar panels or any other particular measure. Nor can you simply choose which upgrade you want.
The ECO4, therefore, is not a traditional government grant; rather, it is an obligation from the government on energy suppliers to fund energy efficiency upgrades in eligible households.
ECO4 eligibility: who qualifies for the ECO4 grant?
Your situation | Typical EPC requirement |
Homeowner | D, E, F or G |
Private tenant | E, F or G, plus landlord permission |
Social housing | Different restrictions apply depending on EPC and measure |
Eligibility usually depends on a combination of your benefits, income, property type, housing tenure and EPC rating. Some households may qualify through ECO4 Flex if they are on a low income or are considered vulnerable by their local authority. You may be eligible if you live in private housing and receive one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Guarantee Credit
- Pension Savings Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Housing Benefit
If you own your house, it must be rated D or worse and if you rent, E or worse for energy efficiency.
You can find out what energy rating your home has on the government website. It covers properties in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. This includes homes, business properties and public buildings.
What does the ECO4 grant cover and what’s not included?
ECO4 funding varies by property and is not offered as a fixed cash grant. If your home qualifies, a supplier or installer will assess which package of energy-efficiency measures may be suitable and whether they can be fully or partly funded.
The scheme is for broad energy efficiency, so you might find that insulation and a smart thermostat are better uses of the funding for your energy use.
What the ECO4 scheme covers
- Insulation upgrades, including for your loft, cavity wall, and solid wall
- Heating system upgrades, including for efficient boilers and heat pumps
- Renewable energy installations, including free solar panels
Solar isn’t merely theoretically eligible under ECO4. Ofgem figures show that 65,777 solar PV measures had been delivered and notified under ECO4 by 7 July 2026. However, a supplier decides whether solar is appropriate and whether it will fund it as part of your home’s retrofit package.
What the ECO4 scheme does not cover
- New doors or secondary glazing, or window replacements that do not meet ECO4 eligibility rules or are not approved by a supplier as part of a funded package
- Homes that already meet the relevant EPC threshold. In general, owner-occupied private homes must be rated D, E, F or G, while private rented and social housing properties usually need to be rated E, F or G
- Projects that combine ECO4 with other funding sources (In some cases, ECO4 Flex may allow complementary funding with strict conditions, but usually it cannot be combined)
Does ECO4 cover windows?
Some window glazing improvements can qualify under ECO4, including replacing single glazing with double glazing, but funding isn’t guaranteed and windows will usually form part of a wider energy-efficiency package rather than being something households can simply request on their own.
Pros and cons of the ECO4 scheme
Pros
- Can fully or partly fund energy-saving upgrades for eligible households, reducing upfront costs.
- May cover a range of improvements, including insulation, heating upgrades and some renewable measures.
- Aims to help low-income and vulnerable households cut energy use and improve home warmth.
- Runs until 31 December 2026, although the extension gives suppliers longer to fulfil existing targets rather than increasing the amount of support available.
Cons
- Eligibility is limited, so many households will not qualify.
- Not every measure is guaranteed, even if it is technically covered by the scheme.
- The application process can be confusing, especially if you need to apply via a supplier, installer or local authority.
- ECO4 is now a short-term scheme, with no direct successor planned after it ends.
How to apply for the ECO4 scheme
You can contact your local council to check if they are participating in ECO4 Flex, or you can go directly to an energy supplier. You don’t have to apply through the company that currently supplies your gas or electricity. Ofgem says you can approach any obligated ECO4 supplier.
Ofgem maintains a list of companies taking part:
- British Gas
- E (Gas & Electricity) Ltd
- E.ON UK Solutions
- Ecotricity
- EDF
- Octopus Energy
- Outfox the Market
- OVO
- Scottish Power
- So Energy (Including ESB Energy)
- The Utility Warehouse
- Utilita Energy Ltd
Be cautious of third-party websites claiming to offer access to ECO4. Many are not affiliated with the scheme. Some may charge fees for services you can access for free; others may be scams. You can read Ofgem’s scam advice to learn more.
What will replace ECO4 after December 2026?
There won’t be an ECO5 scheme operating in the same way as ECO4. Instead, the government says future support will be delivered through its Warm Homes Plan, which includes publicly-funded upgrades for low-income households alongside plans for low- and zero-interest finance for solar panels, batteries and other home improvements. More details of some parts of the programme are still being developed.
What to do if your ECO4 home upgrade goes wrong
If you aren’t happy with the work that’s done on your home, first contact the supplier. If that doesn’t work, Citizens Advice can offer support.
The ECO4 scheme is regulated by Ofgem, so any disputes around ECO4 eligibility, grant misuse, or poor workmanship may also fall under their oversight.
Before agreeing to work, check who is funding the measure, who will install it, what guarantees apply and who you should contact if something goes wrong. Be wary of cold callers or third-party websites asking for fees to access ECO4. If you are unsure whether an offer is genuine, contact your local council or the energy supplier the installer says they represent.
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