Energy Company Obligation

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government energy efficiency scheme to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions in homes.

The scheme is available in Great Britain and is administered by Ofgem. It is funded by obligated Energy Suppliers and delivered by third-party installers.

The current version (ECO4) is running until March 2026.

You could get free energy saving improvements made to your home if:

you're getting certain benefits
you're on a low income
you have a certain medical condition

What you can get

If you’re eligible, the installer will arrange a home survey to see how your home could be made more energy efficient. Improvements could include:

loft insulation
cavity or solid wall insulation
air source heat pumps
boiler upgrades

If your home is suitable for improvements through the scheme, they will then organise the installation.

Visit the Ofgem website for more information about the ECO scheme.

Eligibility

To be eligible, your home must:

be privately owned (either by you or your landlord)
be currently occupied by you
have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G

If you don’t know your rating, you can find out when you apply.

Your household must meet one of the following:

getting certain benefits
have an income of less than £31,000 a year before tax
have a certain medical condition

Eligibility does not guarantee that an energy supplier or installer will decide to install energy efficiency measures in your home.

How to apply

Applications can be made through an installer or directly with an energy supplier if you get certain benefits.

We cannot take applications directly from residents.

If you have joined our Warm Homes Register then you will be notified if you meet the eligibility criteria and will be provided with information on how to apply.

Join the Warm Homes Register

A new online eligibility checker and expression of interest will be available soon.

If you're unhappy with the work

If you need to make a complaint about your installation, guidance on how to resolve complaints can be found on the Ofgem website.

Our role in the scheme is to verify the household eligibility on behalf of Ofgem, for households that are not receiving benefits. We have no oversight or control of the installations or funding and therefore will not be able to assist directly if you have a complaint.

Registered installers

We cannot recommend an installer or endorse the quality of their workmanship.

Installers registered with us have been verified as holding the correct certifications, accreditations, and insurances.

Only registered installers can submit applications to us under the ‘ECO4 Flex’ criteria set out in our ECO4 Flex Statement of Intent (for households that are not receiving benefits).

Cumberland ECO4 Flex List of Registered Installers (PDF, 140.47KB)