With the upfront cost of solar panels still running into thousands of pounds, ECO4 remains one of the main forms of support covered by our guide to solar panel grants that could help eligible households install them for less, or potentially for free.
The government-backed scheme helps low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households in England, Scotland and Wales pay for improvements that make their homes cheaper to heat and more energy efficient. Depending on your circumstances and your property, that can include insulation, heating upgrades and, in some cases, solar panels. However, qualifying for ECO4 doesn’t guarantee that you will receive solar panels or even that the work will be completely free.
Time is now running short. ECO4 closes on 31 December 2026, and its nine-month extension gave energy suppliers longer to meet their existing obligations rather than creating new targets. In this guide, we explain who can qualify, what ECO4 can cover and how to find out whether support is still 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; 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 for England, Scotland and Wales that places obligations on energy suppliers to deliver energy-saving improvements to eligible homes. It is regulated by Ofgem and is designed primarily to help low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households through measures such as insulation, heating upgrades and, in some cases, renewable technologies.
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.
Read more: Solar panel grants and funding explained
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, subject to household income limits
- Warm Home Discount Core Group rebate – households receiving the relevant rebate may also qualify
- 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. The latest Ofgem figures show that 66,878 solar PV measures had been submitted under the scheme by 11 August 2026. However, it is up to the supplier to decide whether solar is appropriate for your property 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 privately rented homes generally need to be rated E, F or G. Social housing rated D, E, F or G can qualify, although the measures available are more restricted for band D properties
- Measures whose costs are blended with funding from specified government schemes, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. Separately funded improvements can potentially be carried out before the ECO4 project begins or after it has been completed
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 will not be an ECO5 supplier obligation operating in the same way once ECO4 ends. Instead, the government is moving home energy support into its wider Warm Homes Plan, which includes publicly funded upgrades for low-income households as well as new forms of finance for homeowners who can afford repayments.
One of these is the Warm Homes Loan Scheme, designed to make borrowing for solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and other eligible improvements cheaper. The government is providing £300m of grant capital to participating lenders, which can use the support to reduce the interest rates they offer customers. The first lender application round has closed, with consumer products expected to begin rolling out as the scheme develops.
What to do if your ECO4 home upgrade goes wrong
If you’re unhappy with work carried out under ECO4, you can contact the installer and follow the TrustMark complaints process. Depending on the problem, you may also be able to contact the relevant scheme provider, guarantee provider or ombudsman.
Ofgem administers ECO4 but says it does not deal directly with complaints about installations. However, it can provide information that may help you raise or resolve a dispute, including details of the installer or energy company involved in an ECO measure.
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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