Insulation flyers collapse three different things into one sentence: a legal supplier obligation, a closed scheme, and a contractor’s quote. Your job is to keep them apart. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is still described on GOV.UK as help that may be available if you claim certain benefits or live in social housing that meets the rating rules. The Great British Insulation Scheme is described on GOV.UK as closed for new eligibility checks.
This page is the rule briefing. For what EWI usually costs when nobody else is paying, use external wall insulation costs. For a heat-pump discount, stay on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme notes — that is a different pot and a different mark (MCS).
What is open, and what is not
GOV.UK’s Great British Insulation Scheme page says the service to check if you are eligible for free or cheaper insulation has closed. Some suppliers may still be finishing applications that already started. Installations under that scheme had to be complete by 31 March 2026. If you have an existing application, GOV.UK tells you to contact the supplier you applied to — not a directory.
ECO4 is the fourth Energy Company Obligation. Ofgem’s public scheme page describes a supplier duty to deliver bill-saving measures by 31 December 2026. Local-authority Flex guidance issued in 2026 repeats that GBIS closed on 31 March 2026 and that ECO4 was extended to 31 December 2026. Those dates are scheme administration facts. They are not a promise that your house will be insulated this winter.
| Scheme | Status on official pages | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Great British Insulation Scheme | Eligibility checker closed; installs were to finish by 31 March 2026 | GOV.UK GBIS page |
| ECO4 | Supplier obligation; measures to be completed by 31 December 2026 | GOV.UK ECO page and Ofgem |
| Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Separate heat-pump grant, MCS installer, not an insulation obligation | GOV.UK BUS pages |
GOV.UK warns about quality issues with some solid-wall insulation fitted through government schemes. A scheme name is not a guarantee of detailing. Ask what system, what guarantee, and who signs the work off.
Who ECO4 is aimed at
GOV.UK’s Energy Company Obligation page says you might get help if you claim certain benefits and live in private housing, or if you live in social housing. Private owner-occupiers are described as needing an energy-efficiency rating of D, E, F or G. Private tenants are described as needing E, F or G and the owner’s permission. Social-housing tenants are described as needing E, F or G for insulation or a first-time heating system on that page.
The benefits list on that GOV.UK page includes Universal Credit, Pension Guarantee Credit, Pension Savings Credit, Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Child Benefit and Housing Benefit. That list can change. Read the live page, not a screenshot of this paragraph.
ECO4 Flex is a local-authority route for some households that do not sit on the main benefits list. Ofgem’s 2026 Flex guidance still describes a Route 1 income threshold of less than £31,000 gross, plus other routes for health and proxy combinations. Flex only works if your council is participating and will sign a declaration. This site cannot file that declaration.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are not run as a single GB flyer. England and Wales cities on this directory sit inside the GOV.UK ECO framing; Glasgow and Edinburgh need their own official pages. Do not import an English leaflet into a Scottish address.
Why applications stall
- The EPC band is too high for the route you were sold.
- You are a private tenant and the landlord will not consent.
- The measure does not meet the supplier’s remaining obligation or cost cap.
- Someone promised GBIS after the checker closed.
- The “survey” was a sales visit with no supplier or council behind it.
A common refusal is not a moral judgement. It is a mismatch between the house, the tenure and the obligation the supplier still has to fill before 31 December 2026.
What this directory can and cannot show
No profile here shows TrustMark or an ECO installer badge. Three cards mention heat pumps; none show MCS. Ten show Gas Safe. Those marks do not enrol you on ECO4. A builder who can price external wall insulation is still not “your ECO installer” until a supplier or a managing agent has a measure to deliver.
If you already know you will pay a private quote, use the EWI cost notes and a building list. If you think you may qualify, start with GOV.UK and your council or a participating supplier listed by Ofgem — then, if you still need a private number, come back to the list.
What to do next
Read Help from your energy supplier: the Energy Company Obligation. Find your EPC on the official register if you have one. Ask your council whether they are issuing ECO4 Flex declarations. If a caller says the work is free, ask which supplier obligation they are delivering and what you will sign. Do not pay an “admin fee” to unlock a government scheme.
This site does not email a contractor or a supplier. Open building in Manchester or Birmingham only when you want a private quote beside the official check.
Questions before you treat a flyer as an approval
Is the Great British Insulation Scheme still open?
GOV.UK says the eligibility checker has closed and installations had to be complete by 31 March 2026. Some suppliers may still be finishing applications that already started. This site does not reopen the scheme.
Is ECO4 still open?
Ofgem describes ECO4 as a supplier obligation with measures to be completed by 31 December 2026. Whether your house qualifies is a GOV.UK, supplier or council question, not a decision this site can make.
Does a listing here mean the firm can claim ECO4?
No. A listing is a name and a number. None of the cards show an ECO or TrustMark badge. Ask the supplier or council who is actually delivering the measure.
Where do I go for a private insulation quote?
Open a building city list and use the phone number on the profile. Use the EWI cost page for published private bands.
Still need a private quote?
Open building and conversions and contact the business yourself. Official eligibility stays on GOV.UK.