What is the ECO4 scheme?
ECO4 is a government-backed scheme to make homes in the UK use less energy and lower bills. It helps British families and individuals make their homes better at keeping heat in. This way, people can use less electricity and gas to keep warm.
If you join, you will save money on utility bills (and save the planet!). You can get better heating, loft and wall insulation, smart thermal controls, solar panels, or even an air source heat pump – all free and 100% funded by the ECO4 Scheme.
This is the 4th final stage of the ECO programme. So don’t wait – start your application today.
UK Energy Support is here to help you with the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) grants. These grants, paid for by your energy provider, mean you won’t be out of pocket when making your home more energy-efficient. With these grants, you can get heating improvements and insulation measures at no cost to you! This means less heat escapes from your home, you use less energy to keep warm, and your energy bills go down. Plus, it’s a step forward in cutting down carbon emissions.
What does ECO and ECO4 mean?
It is a policy that aims to make homes warmer and households’ emissions lower, as well as making large energy companies accountable for supporting income-restricted households. In other words, ECO is all about energy saving while offering hardship grants for single mothers, fathers, people with disabilities and families who struggle financialy in general.
The ECO initiative has been specifically crafted to assist households, particularly those most vulnerable, in enhancing their energy efficiency. Through local authority referrals, entities such as UK Energy Support collaborate diligently with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure the stringent standards of the Energy Company Obligation Scheme are met.
For those seeking a deeper understanding, the government website hosts the ECO4 final stage impact assessment. This document elucidates the recent modifications, the methodology for scoring, and the prerequisites for obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Such information empowers local authority referrals, through mechanisms like LA Flex – Flexible Eligibility, and energy efficiency specialists to effectively navigate the final phase of the ECO consultation, thereby enhancing a property’s energy efficiency rating.
ECO4 scheme eligibility check – It only takes 2 minutes and no commitment
Who is eligible for ECO4 scheme?
The ECO4 scheme offers a range of energy efficiency measures, and these are allocated based on specific eligibility criteria. If you receive qualifying benefits and are either a homeowner or a private tenant, you stand a good chance of securing support from energy suppliers through this scheme, which has been in effect since April of the previous year.
To determine your eligibility for the ECO4 Scheme, a DWP check is conducted to verify your benefits status. In certain situations, you might be asked to present a Child Benefit Award Notice or make a self-declaration about your household income. It’s essential that your income falls within the set thresholds to be considered.
If you’re a landlord and your tenant claims benefits, you may encourage them to apply for the grant. In doing so, you can enhance the energy efficiency of your property for the foreseeable future, whether by installing free electric storage heaters or availing of insulation grants such as free cavity wall insulation or loft insulation grant.
For those who don’t receive benefits but reside in the most energy inefficient properties, there’s still hope. You might qualify for the scheme through the flexible eligibility (LAFlex) programme, which certain councils endorse, paving the way for energy efficient upgrades to your home.
Check if you can apply for ECO4 grant today.
What benefits qualify for ECO4?
The ECO4 fund has updated its criteria, meaning the minimum requirement benefits that allow individuals to qualify have evolved from previous versions. This change aligns with the carbon saving obligation that every energy supplier must adhere to. The primary aim is to ensure that those on low incomes or in vulnerable situations can access funding and receive support and grants for their homes through energy efficiency installers.
Included in the Company Obligation ECO 4 2023 are:
ECO4 is available to:
Homeowners or Private Tenants
Individuals who get income-related benefits
Properties with low EPC Score
Properties with inefficient heating systems
ECO 4 scheme qualifying benefits
Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
Income Support (IS)
Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
Universal Credit (UC)
Warm Home Discount Rebate
Working Tax Credit (WTC)
Newly added with ECO4’s roll out are
Housing Benefit
Pension Credit Saving Credit
What benefits no longer meet the eligibility criteria?
Benefits which are no longer included in the energy company obligation ECO 4 criteria after being eligible under ECO3 include:
Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
Attendance Allowance
Carer's Allowance
Constant Attendance Allowance
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)*
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB)*
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Severe Disablement Allowance*
War Pensions Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
*Claiming the Disabled Facilities Grant or disability-related benefits previously doesn’t ensure ECO4 qualification. Yet, if you’re on Universal Credit now, the scheme might be accessible to you.
*Child Benefit income threshold to qualify to receive ECO 4 fund.
| Number of children | Single claimant | Member of a couple |
| 1 | £19,900 | £27,500 |
| 2 | £24,800 | £32,300 |
| 3 | £29,600 | £37,200 |
| 4 + | £34,500 | £42,000 |
The main changes in Energy Company Obligation ECO4:
The ECO3 Scheme concluded in March 2022, paving the way for the commencement of the ECO4 scheme. This shift symbolises a pivotal moment in the UK government’s dedication to enhancing energy efficiency and curbing carbon emissions (source: Energy Company Obligation, Wikipedia).
For properties with an energy performance certificate (EPC) in bands F or G, government energy grants are available. If certain criteria are met, an energy assessment is undertaken to pinpoint potential upgrades. These measures can range from the installation of energy efficient heaters, first-time central heating, air source heat pumps, replacing non condensing gas boilers with more efficient models, to addressing inefficient boilers with solid wall insulation or cavity wall extraction.
The ECO4 scheme is in operation throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, ensuring all regions benefit from optimised heating systems. For those pondering what grants are available, there are free grants for low income families that significantly mitigate heating costs. From April 2022, the public has the opportunity to provide feedback on government grant allocations, influencing energy supplier decisions. These grants not only diminish immediate energy costs but also promise lifetime savings for beneficiaries, especially for vulnerable households.
Energy company obligation ECO4 scheme explained
The ECO programme has evolved over the years, with the ECO4 grant being its latest iteration, designed to bolster the UK’s commitment to a greener future.
Overseen by Ofgem, this scheme focuses on minimum energy efficiency requirements that homes should meet. One of its standout features is the local authority flexible energy initiative, which seeks to address the needs of specific regions.
For homeowners still using a non condensing gas boiler, this scheme provides an opportunity to upgrade to energy efficient heaters or insulate their homes, among other heating measures. Those who claim benefits access funding can avail of this grant to improve energy efficiency in their homes, whether it’s through the installation of an electric storage heater or the implementation of ventilation measures to ensure optimal air quality and moisture control.
The overarching goal of the ECO4 scheme is not just to provide warmth but to significantly reduce carbon emissions, making homes more sustainable for the future.
There are many routes to apply for this grant. For example, checking your eligibility for the government grant through companies who work with energy suppliers and Ofgem such as UK Energy Support (UKES).
You can check ECO4 criteria for the grant below.
The government has stated that they are committed to supporting energy suppliers in reaching rural communities and fuel poor homes and communities in having better quality heating in their properties. Empowered with the government energy support initiatives, energy companies now aim to enable small suppliers to combat climate change through increasing the number of energy efficient homes and minimising fuel poverty across the country.
How is the ECO 4 scheme different from ECO3
The ECO4 and ECO3 schemes are similar in principles, but there are some significant improvements to the ECO 4 scheme implementation mostly through scoring methodology and other grant funding views for eligible households.
Take the first step to find out if you’re eligible for ECO4 energy efficient homes fund.
1
The ECO 3 scheme is one of the versions of the Energy Company Obligation ECO scheme from the government, which ran from 2018 to 2022.
2
While there have been many benefits to such grants that target low income households, and it is primarily considered a success, some complaints have been registered by homeowners and local authorities; these are aimed to be changed with the ECO4 consultation.
3
This version of the scheme focused on turning the least energy efficient homes into safe and warm houses to lower fuel poverty, much as the new iteration will, only on a larger scale.
4
During ECO3, it is believed that the cap of 35,000 homes may have allowed vulnerable and fuel poor individuals to fall through the gaps when they could benefit from the ECO funds.
5
The ECO4 fund aims to provide a larger range of funding for vulnerable households to improve the efficiency and heating of their home. With inflation taken into account, there will be £640 million available to target support to those in the largest need.
6
It also took four weeks to receive a consultation during this form of the scheme, whereas the newer form intends of having an assessment done within a week of the eligibility check.
ECO4 is a government backed scheme
Energy Efficiency Info
What is energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency simply means using less energy to get the same results when it comes to decreasing fuel poverty, while also attempting to reduce pollution and target low income homes to help with gas and electric bills. There are other grant funding views focusing on replacing gas boilers and installing heat pumps (learn more about air source heat pump grant or Boiler Upgrade Scheme) because ECO interacts and enable small suppliers from various groups to fulfil the obligation. However, here at UK Energy Support, we focus on measures.
Why is energy efficiency important?
Energy efficiency is important for all of us, as it benefits the planet and your lifetime savings. An example of this is a deeper retrofit on homes bringing more heat pumps and fulfilling the Energy Company Obligation ECO4. During the consultation sets for ECO4, it was stated that energy efficiency should be prioritised.
Energy efficiency priorities
The government has lain out how it intends to make homes more energy efficient by the end of ECO 4. Some of those intentions include prioritising repairs and removing inefficient boilers quickly.
Along with new heating systems, it is a priority of the ECO4 consultation to provide high-quality insulation for homes without it, increasing the energy efficiency of homes and lessening the fuel poverty in UK homes.
Is the Energy Funding Service legitimate?
It is a very good question asked by many when they find out that they can improve their home energy efficiency without spending a penny. Replacements of electric storage heaters or cavity wall insulation are not cheap, so how come they can be done for FREE?
The Energy Funding Serve is a non-profit scheme supported by the United Kingdom government and energy companies.
The aim of this fund is to offer greater support to low-income households and help to lower carbon emissions across the UK (excluding Northern Ireland).
By 2050, it is the aim of the government to lower these emissions by 78%.
Who are UKES & what do we do?
UK Energy Support is run by a trusted North East installation company called UK Energy Management NE Ltd based in Southwick, Sunderland, although we operate across the United Kingdom.
We are working in accordance with Ofgem regulations in a scheme initiated by the government. We offer either 100% free home energy efficiency upgrades from government funding or partially funded in cases where home improvements to your home do not qualify for the full grant. We work to minimise heat loss within homes while also helping you to lower your fuel bills.
The ECO4 grants were open from April last year. You can check if you’re eligible for the application today.
Don't wait! Apply Today
The ECO4 grant won’t include some benefits in eligibility criteria, so contact us now, so you don’t miss out on the best electric heating system installation. Upgrade your home energy efficiency before bad weather, cold temperatures and high bills catch you off guard.