Energy Company Obligation (ECO)

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government scheme that places legal obligation on energy suppliers to fund the installation of energy efficiency and heating measures to domestic properties. Its aim is to reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty by assisting low income and vulnerable households to improve energy efficiency. The funds are passed directly to a private installer who must be a PAS2030/TrustMark accredited company to be able to install energy efficiency measures in your home. 

This scheme is available to homeowners and private tenants who receive benefits.

The current scheme is named ECO4 and is the fourth phase of ECO. It is intended to run from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2026.

ECO Flex is an extension of the ECO scheme, but the criteria for who qualifies for help are wider than the normal scheme. For more information on the ECO4 Flex scheme, visit the Ofgem website (Opens in a new window).

Am I eligible?

The role of Broxtowe Borough Council is to assess a household's eligibility. The Council is not involved or responsible for issuing the funding, appointing contractors, or installing the works.

Low-income households who are in fuel poverty qualify for ECO. If you receive benefits and live in a property with a low energy efficiency rating you can apply directly through an energy supplier. Funding is only available for private owner occupiers and private rented tenants.

You may qualify if you receive one of the following benefits:

• Child Benefit
• Pension Guarantee Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Tax Credits (Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits)
• Universal Credit
• Housing benefit
• Pension credit saving credit.

Your property must also have an EPC rating of D-G for owner occupied properties and an EPC rating of E-F for privately rented properties. If you do not receive any of the above benefits, you may still qualify through the ECO4 Flex scheme.

ECO Flex is run by private companies (installers). The energy suppliers award the funding for the improvements. 

To be assessed for ECO Flex you must complete and sign a short application form that is then submitted to Broxtowe Borough Council along with supporting documents, such as proof of income, for determining eligibility. The ECO Flex eligibility criteria are detailed in our Statement of Intent (.pdf)(202KB)(Opens in a new window).

You cannot send the application form directly to the Council. The Council will only accept applications from the household’s chosen installer.

Once the Council have confirmed eligibility, we will provide a written declaration that a household qualifies to the installer, who will then pass this on to an energy supplier along with supporting evidence requested by the supplier, such as proof of occupancy/ownership (utility bills, etc.). A signed declaration of eligibility from the Council does not guarantee the installation of any improvements, as the final decision considers the suitability of the improvement for your house and whether the improvement will increase your home's levels of energy efficiency.

Broxtowe Borough Council charge an administration fee of £50 for each address an installer asks us to assess. This charge covers our checking, processing, and approval procedures and is paid by the installer. An installer should not charge you as a household.

What improvements could I qualify for?

Your chosen installer will carry out a survey and identify a package of improvements suitable for your property.

If eligible, you could qualify for a variety of improvements. Decisions on which measures can or will be installed are affected by property suitability, available funding, predicted energy efficiency rating improvements and other factors.

Possible improvements include those listed below. This is not the full list and other improvements may be available depending on the installer.

• Loft insulation
• Pitched roof insulation
• Flat roof insulation
• Room in roof insulation
• Cavity wall insulation
• External wall insulation
• Internal wall insulation
• Floor insulation (solid or suspended floors)
• Air source heat pumps
• Ground source heat pumps
• Gas boilers
• Electric boilers
• Biomass boilers
• Heating controls
• Electric storage heaters
• Solar PV panels
• High-performance external doors
• Window glazing
• Draught proofing

How can I find an installer?

You are responsible for choosing an installer and carrying out checks to ensure you are satisfied with the installation company. Your chosen installer must be TrustMark registered.

You can find a registered installer on the TrustMark website (Opens in a new window).

What else should I check?

It is your responsibility to carry out the following checks:

• Check if you need planning permission or building regulations approval. Certain types of insulation such as external wall insulation may need planning permission and building regulations approval. As a homeowner/landlord, it would be your responsibility to apply for this.
• Find out if the installer is a member of a competent person scheme related to electrics or insulation work, like the MCS, NICEIC, CIGA, or Stroma schemes. If they are, then they will be able to self-certify their work, rather than needing to get building regulations approval from your local Council.
• Make sure the installer is Gas Safe registered. By law, all engineers installing gas boilers must be on the Gas Safe Register.
• Check if the installer provides any guarantees or warranties on the installation and make sure you are provided with these and any other associated paperwork upon completion of an install.

Be aware

Several installers are operating in Broxtowe Borough and are contacting households using a variety of methods such as cold calling or leaflet drops.

We can’t endorse or recommend any particular installer, but if you choose to engage with one of these installers, we recommend you check they are TrustMark registered, using the TrustMark website.

We recommend you request to see their company ID when they visit your property. Make sure they leave you with their contact details in case you want to check on the status of your application after they leave as we will not have access to this information.

What happens if I am not happy with the installation?

In the first instance, you should complain to the installer directly. If you don't know who your installer was, you can email the ECO team at OFGEM to request this information. You can email them at ECO.SAR@ofgem.gov.uk

If the installer fails to remedy the issues then you should follow OFGEM's complaints procedure on their website (Opens in a new window).

Alternatively, you could try contacting Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline, especially if it is a trading standards issue, on 08454 04 05 06.

All ECO4 (including ECO4 Flex) installers must be TrustMark registered and accredited by a scheme provider.

TrustMark is a government-endorsed quality scheme. They have some guidance around resolving disputes, including how the installers accreditation scheme provider might also be able to help resolve any issues on their website (Opens in a new window).

Broxtowe Borough Council cannot help resolve disputes around poor quality ECO4 installations because the installers are not contracted by the Council.​

Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

The Great British Insulation Scheme is a new government energy efficiency scheme that is administered by Ofgem. The scheme complements the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme but unlike ECO4’s ‘whole house’ approach, this scheme will primarily deliver single insulation measures. It is available to those living in homes whose Council Tax bands are A to D and have an EPC rating of D to G. If you meet this criteria, you can apply on the UK Government website (Opens in a new window).

Households not meeting this criterion can still benefit from the GBIS scheme by applying through the same flexible eligibility routes as ECO4.

All GBIS (including GBIS Flex) installers must be TrustMark registered and accredited by a scheme provider.