ECO4 Extended to December 2026: What It Means

The headline: ECO4 is still open

A lot of the web will tell you ECO4 closed on 31 March 2026. That is wrong. On 23 January 2026 the government published its response to the consultation on extending the scheme and confirmed a nine-month extension. The Energy Company Obligation phase 4 (ECO4) now runs to 31 December 2026 rather than ending in March.

If you were told you had “missed it”, you have not. As at July 2026 the scheme is live, and eligible households across Great Britain can still be referred for fully or partly funded insulation and heating measures. This guide explains what the extension actually changed, what it did not, and why it still pays to move sooner rather than later.

For the full mechanics of the scheme, see our dedicated ECO4 guide. To find out in a couple of minutes whether you are likely to qualify, use the eligibility checker.

What the extension changed — and what it did not

The extension is narrow. It moved the end date and nothing else. That is worth spelling out, because a lot of coverage has muddled it:

• The end date moved from 31 March 2026 to 31 December 2026 — an extra nine months of delivery.
• The supplier targets did not increase. This is a deadline extension, not a bigger pot. Obligated suppliers have the same overall obligation and simply longer to meet it.
• The rules did not change. Eligibility, the fabric-first whole-house approach, the measures covered and the TrustMark/PAS quality requirements are all the same as before.
• There is no ECO5. The November 2025 Budget confirmed there is no successor supplier obligation after ECO4. When this phase ends, that particular funding route ends with it.

So the practical takeaway is simple: the door that many people thought had shut is open for a further nine months, but it is the last time this door will be open.

Why “closed” is the most common myth right now

The confusion is understandable, because a different scheme genuinely did close at the same time. The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS, formerly ECO+) closed on 31 March 2026 and has no successor. The gov.uk eligibility checker for it is shut. Many articles written before the ECO4 extension was confirmed lumped the two together and reported that “the insulation grants close in March 2026” — true for GBIS, false for ECO4.

Because the two are easy to mix up, we keep them separate: read our Great British Insulation Scheme explainer for the historical detail, and our ECO4 vs GBIS comparison to see exactly how they differed. Here is the current status at a glance:

Scheme	Status (July 2026)	End date	Successor
ECO4	Open	31 December 2026	None (no ECO5)
GBIS	Closed	31 March 2026	None

If anyone tells you about “new free grants from April 2026” or an “ECO5”, treat it as a warning sign — neither exists. Our insulation grant scams and myths page covers the tactics used by cold-callers who invent schemes to get a foot in the door.

Who ECO4 is for

ECO4 is a Great Britain scheme — it covers England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland has its own routes, which we cover on the Northern Ireland page). It is delivered by obligated energy suppliers under the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation, and it targets low-income and vulnerable households living in the least efficient homes.

There are two broad ways in:

1. The benefits route. If someone in the household receives a qualifying means-tested benefit, you may be eligible. Qualifying benefits include Universal Credit, Pension Guarantee Credit, Pension Savings Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Child Benefit (within income thresholds), Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

2. The ECO4 Flex (LA Flex) route. You do not have to be on benefits. Under ECO4 Flex, your local council can refer lower-income households that meet locally set criteria published in the council’s Statement of Intent. This route can account for up to half of a supplier’s target. If you are not on benefits, this is often the path — see our guide to insulation grants if you are not on benefits.

On top of a qualifying benefit or council referral, your home’s energy rating matters. Owner-occupiers generally need an EPC of D to G; private and social tenants generally need an EPC of E to G. Private tenants also need the owner’s permission before work goes ahead — our page for private tenants explains how that works. Because almost every insulation grant is gated on a poor EPC, it is worth checking your current EPC before you apply.

What ECO4 pays for

ECO4 takes a “fabric first, whole-house” approach: rather than fitting one measure in isolation, an assessor looks at the whole property and recommends a package to bring it up to standard. Commonly funded measures include:

• Loft insulation — the cheapest and most-funded measure. See loft insulation grants.
• Cavity wall insulation — where walls have suitable, unfilled cavities in good condition.
• Solid wall insulation — internal or external. This is the most expensive work (internal around £12,000, external around £18,000 unsubsidised), which is exactly why grant support matters most here. It is also the measure where a household contribution is most likely to be requested. See solid wall insulation grants.
• Underfloor insulation, room-in-roof insulation and heating measures where the assessment supports them.

An honest word on “free”: ECO4 work is often fully funded, but for high-cost measures — solid wall in particular — the supplier may request a contribution. It is not guaranteed to cost you nothing. We explain this properly on our is insulation really free? page, and typical unsubsidised prices are on the cost page so you can see what a grant is worth against.

Why the deadline still matters

Even with the extension, do not treat 31 December 2026 as a comfortable cushion. Two things work against last-minute applicants:

First, the targets were not raised. Once suppliers have met their obligation, the incentive to fund new work falls away — which is why suppliers may stop taking new referrals well before the official end date. The practical deadline is whenever your route to funding stops accepting people, not 31 December.

Second, a compliant ECO4 job is not instant. It starts with a proper retrofit assessment under PAS 2035, runs through a Retrofit Coordinator, and uses TrustMark-registered, PAS 2030 installers. That process takes time, so leaving it late risks missing the window even if you are eligible.

How to apply

You do not apply to Ofgem or to the government directly. There are two channels:

• Through an obligated energy supplier or an accredited installer, who will arrange the retrofit assessment.
• Through your local council for the ECO4 Flex route, if you are referred under their published criteria.

Our step-by-step how to apply guide walks through both. Whichever route you use, a genuine job always begins with an assessment — if an installer skips the assessment and just tries to sell you one measure, that is a red flag. Never pay upfront and never let work start before you have written grant approval.

Where you live also shapes your options, because Scotland and Wales run their own schemes alongside ECO4 — see England, Scotland and Wales for the full picture in each nation.

The bottom line

ECO4 did not close in March 2026 — GBIS did. ECO4 has a further nine months, to 31 December 2026, with the same rules and the same targets, and there is nothing coming after it. If you think you might qualify, the sensible move is to check now and start the process early, before suppliers close their books.

You can read the government’s own confirmation in the consultation response on extending the ECO4 end date{rel=“noopener” target=“_blank”}, background on the wider obligation from Ofgem{rel=“noopener” target=“_blank”}, and the now-closed Great British Insulation Scheme page{rel=“noopener” target=“_blank”} on gov.uk. To see where you stand, start with our eligibility checker or browse the full grants and funding hub.