ECO4 funding can be used for energy-saving improvements that reduce energy costs while increasing home comfort, such as insulation for loft and cavity walls, gas boiler replacement or upgrade, heating control upgrades, etc. ECO 4 grant eligibility measures & solar panels Scotland grants can help lower monthly utility costs and enhance home comfort.
To qualify, you must be either a homeowner or a private tenant receiving certain benefits and have a property with an EPC rating of D or lower.
Eligibility criteria
The UK government’s ECO scheme offers free insulation to eligible households and grants of up to £2,400 towards boiler grants, helping you improve the energy efficiency of your home while simultaneously cutting energy consumption and costs, all while contributing towards maintaining an ecologically sound environment. Phase 4 (ECO4) of this initiative began in July 2022 and will run until March 2026 (or earlier if energy companies meet their obligations).
ECO 4 grant eligibility funding will depend on several factors, including your home’s existing EPC band, income rules, and benefit eligibility rules. To qualify for this funding option, an approved ECO Flex provider or installer must conduct a valid energy assessment as well as sign a declaration declaring eligibility, something Ofgem requires. For verification of your eligibility with them, contact an organisation that works closely with energy suppliers and Ofgem.
Benefits
ECO4 addresses fuel poverty by helping those on low incomes improve their energy efficiency ratings and providing new paths of funding to households that do not currently receive means-tested benefits. Furthermore, it focuses on vulnerable and cold homes, an issue that poses great concern across the UK, and promotes healthier homes while remaining ecologically sustainable.
While ECO3 relied heavily on income data, ECO4 takes a property-centric approach, which offers more flexibility. Eligibility criteria have changed to allow greater choice, such as whether a roof can benefit from loft insulation and whether walls can benefit from cavity wall insulation. Councils may use part of their obligation through local authority flexible energy rules, which help homes that don’t claim benefits access funding.
Councils interested in joining the ECO4 Flex scheme must first publish their statement of intent and collect household information from approved ECO4 Flex providers and installers.
Application process
If you meet certain income criteria and qualify for free insulation through ECO4, the fourth stage of the Government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO), you could qualify for free insulation through this scheme. Energy providers take on responsibility for supporting homes that need it through this obligation.
This new scheme incorporates some changes from ECO3 that will affect who qualifies, such as receiving Disability Living Allowance or Income Support benefits and receiving Housing Benefits & Pension Credit Savings Credit funding.
ECO4 funding covers measures including cavity wall insulation, gas boiler replacement or upgrade, first-time central heating installation, loft or room-in-the-roof insulation, and smart heating controls. There are additional requirements for minimum increases in energy-efficiency ratings after installing measures as part of reaching the government’s aim of carbon neutrality in all homes by 2050.
Cost
Eco 4 grants can range in cost depending on the energy efficiency measures you install, covering such things as new gas boilers, heating system upgrades, insulation upgrades, air-source heat pumps, solar panels Scotland grants, & smart control systems. Funding may be available to homeowners or landlords and could result in thousands of pounds worth of savings! It is available both to homeowners and landlords.