If you own your home and receive qualifying benefits, you could get insulation, heating upgrades, or solar panels installed at no cost. Fully funded by energy suppliers under a UK government obligation.
ECO4 is not a loan. Energy suppliers are legally required to fund these improvements. You pay nothing at any stage.
ECO4 covers the cost of energy upgrades to your home, paid by large energy suppliers under a UK government obligation. Typical work includes solar panels, insulation, a new boiler, storage heaters, heat pumps or first-time central heating, at no cost to you.
You qualify if you own your home (or rent privately with permission), receive income-related benefits, and have an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation, phase 4) is regulated by Ofgem, runs across England, Scotland and Wales, and closes 31 December 2026 with no successor confirmed.
You need to meet two criteria. Both must apply.
You are the homeowner, or a private tenant with your landlord's written permission. Social housing tenants may also qualify through their housing provider.
Someone in your household receives at least one of the income-related benefits listed below.
*Child Benefit income thresholds
| Children | Single claimant | Couple |
|---|---|---|
| 1 child | £19,900 | £27,500 |
| 2 children | £24,800 | £32,300 |
| 3 children | £29,600 | £37,200 |
| 4+ children | £34,500 | £42,000 |
No longer qualifying: PIP, Disability Living Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Attendance Allowance, and Armed Forces Independence Payment were removed from eligibility under ECO4. If you receive one of these alongside a qualifying benefit above, you may still be eligible.
Your property needs an Energy Performance Certificate rated D or below. If you don't know your EPC rating, don't worry. We check it for you as part of the application.
The exact measures depend on your property's assessment. Not every home qualifies for every upgrade, but the aim is to improve your EPC rating as much as possible.
Cavity wall, loft, room-in-roof, and internal wall insulation.
Boiler upgrades, storage heaters, and first-time central heating.
Solar panels and air source heat pumps.
Smart heating controls and thermostats.
From your first enquiry to completed installation. We handle everything.
Fill in a short form with your postcode, property type, and benefit details. Takes about two minutes. No commitment.
If you pass the initial check, one of our energy advisors arranges a property survey. The surveyor assesses which measures your home qualifies for and designs the best package to improve your EPC rating.
We schedule the work, carry out the installation with our certified engineers, and handle all the paperwork including your updated EPC certificate. You pay nothing.
UKEM has installed energy efficiency measures under every phase of the Energy Company Obligation, from ECO1 through to ECO4. With over 30,000 measures installed across the UK, we know how the scheme works, what surveyors look for, and how to get the most out of your property's potential.
We manage the full process: eligibility checks, DWP benefit verification through the Energy Saving Trust, property surveys, installation, and post-completion certification. You don't need to deal with energy suppliers or Ofgem directly.
Click any badge to verify our registration on the official register.
Straight answers on eligibility, costs, the application process, and what happens after the scheme ends.
You qualify for ECO4 if you meet two criteria. First, you own your home or you are a private tenant with your landlord's written permission. Second, someone in your household receives a qualifying income-related benefit such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, or Jobseeker's Allowance. Your property also needs an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. If you fall outside the standard route, your local council may still help through LA Flex (Flexible Eligibility), which extends ECO4 to households facing fuel poverty or vulnerable to cold-related illness. Use our on-page eligibility check to confirm in two minutes.
Your property needs an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rated D, E, F or G. ECO4 targets less efficient homes, so properties already rated A, B or C are not eligible. If you don't know your current rating, we look it up for you as part of the eligibility process and the surveyor confirms it on site.
ECO4 covers a wide range of energy efficiency measures, grouped into four areas:
The exact package depends on a property survey designed to lift your EPC rating as much as possible. Not every home qualifies for every measure. A property that is already insulated, for example, might receive renewables instead. The aim is the largest realistic improvement to your home's energy efficiency.
ECO4 covers the full cost of eligible measures. There is no fixed pound amount because the value depends on your property and the upgrades needed. Some homes receive insulation worth a few thousand pounds; others get a full heating system replacement worth considerably more. ECO4 is not a cash grant: energy suppliers pay the installer directly, with nothing for you to fund at any stage. Supplier quotas are filling up, so earlier applications complete more reliably before the December 2026 closing date.
Applying is a three-step process and we handle the paperwork at every stage.
1. Eligibility check. Fill in our short form with your postcode, property type, and benefit details. It takes around two minutes with no commitment.
2. Survey and verification. Our energy advisor arranges a property survey and verifies your benefits with the DWP through the Energy Saving Trust. The surveyor designs a measure package to lift your EPC rating.
3. Installation. We schedule and complete the work with certified engineers and submit your updated EPC certificate.
Start with our on-page eligibility check. You don't need to deal with energy suppliers or Ofgem directly.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) on its own does not qualify for ECO4, because the scheme is targeted at income-related benefits. If someone in your household also receives a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit, you remain eligible. PIP-only households can sometimes apply through LA Flex, a council-led extension to the standard eligibility criteria.
Yes. Private tenants can apply for ECO4 with their landlord's written permission, as both parties need to agree to the work before it can proceed. Landlords often welcome the upgrade since it improves the property's EPC rating. Social housing tenants should check first with their housing provider, who may have their own ECO arrangement in place.
Yes. ECO4 is a UK government obligation regulated by Ofgem, the energy regulator. Large energy suppliers are legally required to fund these improvements, which is why there is no cost to qualifying households. You can verify the scheme on the GOV.UK consultation page and confirm UKEM's certifications and registrations on the TrustMark register.
ECO4 closes on 31 December 2026 and the government has confirmed there will be no ECO5 successor scheme. After that date, applications close, the legal obligation on energy suppliers ends, and there is no guaranteed replacement programme in place. Any future government support for low-income households remains unconfirmed in scope, funding, and timing. If you qualify for ECO4 today, applying now is the only certain route to a fully funded upgrade. Supplier quotas are filling up as the deadline approaches, so leaving it later carries real risk of missing out.
