Closes 31 December 2026 — 73 days left
Closes 31 December 2026. Installs must be complete and notified before the deadline.
What it is
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) requires the larger energy suppliers to fund energy-saving work in the homes of low-income and vulnerable households. Suppliers pay per measure installed, through approved installers.
The government extended ECO4 by nine months to 31 December 2026, with no extra targets. After that, the Warm Homes Plan takes over, so this is the last window to apply.
Who qualifies
- Someone in the home receives a qualifying means-tested benefit (the Help to Heat group), or
- Your council declares the household eligible through ECO4 Flex, for example on income or a health condition made worse by the cold.
- Owner-occupied homes rated EPC D to G, privately rented homes rated E to G, or social housing rated E to G (some D).
- Private tenants need their landlord's permission; social tenants should speak to their landlord, who arranges the work.
What it pays for
- Loft insulation
- Cavity wall insulation
- Room-in-roof
- Internal wall insulation
- External wall insulation
- Floor insulation
- Heat pumps
- First-time central heating
- Solar PV with electric heating
- Smart controls
How much
Up to fully funded, depending on eligibility. Energy suppliers pay per measure.
ECO4 eligibility routes
A household qualifies through the benefits route or the council route, and the home must meet the property rules.
Benefits route (Help to Heat group)
Someone in the home receives a means-tested benefit, for example Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, or Child Benefit within the income limits.
Council route (ECO4 Flex)
Your local council declares the household eligible, for example on household income (councils typically look for under about £31,000), a health condition made worse by the cold, or other vulnerability criteria in the council's statement of intent.
Property
Owner-occupied homes rated EPC D to G; privately rented homes rated E to G; social housing rated E to G (and some D).
Minimum improvement
The funded works must lift the home by set bands — broadly F or G to at least D, and D or E to at least C — so a package of measures is usually needed, not one item.
Fabric first
Loft and cavity insulation are installed before, or with, any heating measure, so new heating isn't sized for a leaky home.
What an ECO4 job involves
ECO4 work is checked at every step, which protects you and is why it takes a little time to arrange.
TrustMark and PAS 2030
Each measure is installed by a TrustMark-registered business certified to PAS 2030 for that measure.
PAS 2035 retrofit assessment
A retrofit assessor surveys the home, and a retrofit coordinator agrees a medium-term improvement plan.
MCS and Gas Safe
Heat pumps and solar need MCS certification; any boiler work needs a Gas Safe engineer.
Guarantees
Insulation comes with guarantee cover, such as CIGA for cavity walls and SWIGA or equivalent for solid walls.
Evidence pack
Proof of eligibility (benefit letter or council declaration), EPCs before and after, photos, data matching, signed declarations and TrustMark lodgement.
Funder audit
An energy supplier or its managing agent buys the carbon savings and pays per measure once the job is notified and passes audit.
How LINX handles it
- 1
Check in 60 seconds
The checker tells you which route fits, if any, and what ECO4 could fund for your type of home.
- 2
Send your evidence
We send a secure link to upload a benefit letter, council declaration or EPC. Nothing is shared without your agreement.
- 3
Assessment and plan
A PAS 2035 retrofit assessment and a coordinator's improvement plan set out the package that meets ECO4's minimum improvement.
- 4
Install before the deadline
Insulation first, then heating, with everything complete and notified before 31 December 2026.
Where LINX isn't certified for a funded measure, the work is delivered through an approved ECO installer or funder partner, and we'll tell you who before anything starts. We'll never ask you to pay upfront for funded work.