ECO4: the Energy Company Obligation explained

What ECO4 actually is

The obligation is on the supplier, split between them based on their share of the domestic gas and electricity market, not on any individual household. GOV.UK’s own guidance backs this up: it tells you to contact your local council or an energy supplier directly, rather than pointing to a GOV.UK application form or online portal — because the government does not hand out the money directly. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sets the policy; Ofgem administers and audits it; and TrustMark, the government-endorsed quality scheme for retrofits, oversees installation standards.

Who can benefit

Ofgem lists the qualifying means-tested benefits for the main route into ECO4:

• Child Benefit
• Pension Guarantee Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Pension Credit Savings Credit

You must own your home, or have your landlord’s permission if you rent, including where the property is owned by a social housing provider or management company. A retrofit assessment, not you or an installer, decides which specific measures would benefit your property.

There is also a second route, ECO4 Flex, for households that do not receive a qualifying benefit. Local authorities, and the Scottish and Welsh governments, can refer low-income or vulnerable residents who meet locally set criteria, including a household income below a threshold set out in the scheme rules, or where someone in the household has a serious health condition made worse by a cold home. Ofgem names cardiovascular conditions, respiratory disease, limited mobility and immunosuppression as examples. Contact your own council to ask whether it takes part in ECO4 Flex and whether it allows residents to refer themselves.

How to actually use ECO4

1. Contact one of the energy suppliers obligated under ECO4 — you can do this even if they are not your own supplier — or an installer that works with an obligated supplier.
2. Ask for a retrofit assessment of your home to find out which measures, if any, the supplier is willing to fund.
3. Get everything in writing before agreeing to any work, including exactly what is being installed, who is paying for what, and whether you are being asked to contribute anything yourself.
4. Check the installer is certified by TrustMark or MCS, which oversee quality standards for ECO retrofit work.
5. If your council runs ECO4 Flex and you do not receive a qualifying benefit, ask your council whether you can be referred, or whether it accepts self-referrals.

That last point matters: some households are asked to contribute towards the cost, and Ofgem says it does not comment on or set the level of any such contribution. If you are asked to pay something, it is reasonable to ask other obligated suppliers or installers what they would charge before agreeing.

Why "free ECO grants" calls are a scam warning sign

Genuine ECO4 work happens because you contacted a supplier or installer, or because your council referred you under ECO4 Flex — not because someone rang you claiming to represent "the government energy scheme". Ofgem itself warns that consumers "should only agree to receiving ECO measures upon receipt of a contract", and notes that you may be approached by more than one company, none of which you are obliged to sign up with.

• Do not agree to any work, or sign anything, before you have a written contract setting out exactly what will be installed and any cost to you.
• Check the installer is TrustMark or MCS certified — a legitimate installer will not object to you checking.
• You can approach any obligated supplier yourself, so there is no need to rely on someone who contacted you unprompted.
• If you are unsure whether a caller is genuine, hang up and contact an obligated supplier or your council directly using contact details you have found yourself, not ones given to you by the caller.

Complaints, and what ECO4 will not do

Ofgem sets suppliers’ targets, audits their notifications and investigates suspected fraud, but it is not a party to the contract between you and an installer, so its ability to resolve an individual dispute is limited. Ofgem directs complaints about installed measures to its published ECO complaints process, which starts with your energy supplier or installer.

ECO4 funding cannot be combined with funding from other named schemes, including the Warm Home Discount, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and the Home Upgrade Grant, at the same property for the same project. And being eligible for a measure does not guarantee an obligated supplier will choose to fund it at your address — suppliers decide which measures, and how much support, to offer.

Related guides

• Warm Home Discount Scheme: the electricity bill rebate explained
• Boiler Upgrade Scheme: grants for heat pumps and biomass boilers
• Great British Insulation Scheme: what it was and where to look now
• Warm Homes: Local Grant: council-funded insulation and heat pumps
• Home Upgrade Grant: what it was and where to go instead