BOILERS GUIDE
Free Boiler Scheme UK 2026: ECO4 Eligibility, Application & What Actually Happens
The "free boiler scheme" you've seen advertised is ECO4, the Energy Company Obligation.
Check eligibilityLast updated May 2026
The "free boiler scheme" you've seen advertised is ECO4, the Energy Company Obligation.
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Eligibility at a glance
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The free boiler scheme is ECO4, the government-backed Energy Company Obligation running until December 2026.
ECO4 has paid for around 875,000 home energy measures since its launch in 2022, including thousands of full boiler replacements. The scheme is regulated by Ofgem and delivered by the major UK energy suppliers, who are legally required to fund energy efficiency upgrades in lower-income households. Eligible households pay nothing for the boiler, the installation, or the removal of the old unit.
The "free boiler scheme" name is a marketing term, not an official one. When you see Facebook ads, leaflets, or door-to-door installers promising free boilers, they're almost always referring to ECO4. The actual policy framework is defined in Ofgem's Energy Company Obligation regulations. Legitimate? Yes. Heavily advertised by middlemen looking for a referral fee? Also yes, which is where most of the confusion and the scam ads come from.
The scheme is separate from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which funds heat pumps, not gas boilers. People often confuse the two.
You qualify if you receive certain benefits, your home is rated EPC D to G, and your existing boiler is inefficient.
Qualifying benefits
Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income Support, Income-based JSA, Income-related ESA or Housing Benefit. Only one household member needs to claim.
EPC band D, E, F or G
Homes already at band C or above don’t qualify. An assessor can issue a new EPC if your last one expired.
An inefficient existing boiler
Generally non-condensing models, anything over 15 years old, or broken units. Modern condensing boilers under 10 years old usually don’t qualify.
Owner-occupied or privately rented
Landlord consent is required for rentals, but tenants on benefits can trigger the eligibility for their landlord’s property.
Property suitable for the works
The installer’s survey confirms whether the boiler can be safely installed and whether other measures (insulation, controls) are needed alongside.
The eligibility checker runs your details against ECO4, ECO4 Flex and local Warm Homes schemes in 2 minutes.
If you don't claim benefits but your household income is genuinely low, you may still qualify through ECO4 Flex, the council-administered route. Each local authority sets its own threshold, typically around £31,000-£35,000 combined household income, often with additional qualifying factors like a child under five or a household member with a long-term health condition. Our ECO4 scheme guide covers Flex in detail.
For pensioners specifically, ECO4 plus the Warm Home Discount and Pension Credit cohort often qualify even where income looks middle-band on paper.
Your situation
On qualifying benefits and your home has EPC D-G
Best route
ECO4Your situation
Low household income but not on benefits
Best route
ECO4 FlexYour situation
Want a heat pump instead of a gas boiler
Best route
Boiler Upgrade SchemeYour situation
Pensioner with Pension Credit
Best route
ECO4 + Warm Home DiscountYour situation
None of the above
Best route
Manufacturer finance or paid replacementAll of them. ECO4 is administered by every major UK energy supplier with over 150,000 domestic customers, but you don't choose which one handles your installation.
The supplier you end up with depends on which one has capacity in your area at the time you apply. You can't request "the British Gas free boiler scheme". There is no such thing as a separate scheme per supplier.
The participating suppliers include British Gas, EDF, OVO Energy, E.ON Next, Octopus Energy, Scottish Power, Shell Energy and Utilita. Each supplier has its own annual ECO4 obligation set by Ofgem, and they meet it by funding upgrades through approved installer networks. When you apply through an installer or comparison service, your details are matched to whichever supplier has remaining capacity in your area.
This is why the "British Gas free boiler scheme" search query gets 1,300 monthly searches, people assume it's a British Gas product. It isn't. British Gas administers ECO4, the same as Octopus and E.ON administer ECO4. Same scheme, same eligibility, different administrators.
What this means practically: don't waste time calling individual suppliers. Apply once through the eligibility checker or an MCS-certified installer, and the matching happens behind the scenes.
Start with the eligibility checker, it confirms which scheme applies and routes you to an approved installer.
Confirms benefits status, EPC band and postcode-level scheme availability.
Installer or assessor visits to verify your details and survey the property.
Your case is submitted to whichever energy supplier has ECO4 capacity in your area.
You can apply directly through your council (for ECO4 Flex) or through an MCS-certified installer. Either route channels you into the same scheme. The total timeline from initial enquiry to installed boiler is typically 4-8 weeks.
Approval typically takes 2-4 weeks, then a survey, then a one-day installation.
After your initial eligibility check, an installer or assessor will arrange a visit to confirm your details, verify your property's EPC and existing boiler condition, and check for any additional measures the property needs alongside the boiler (loft insulation top-up is common). Once they submit your case to an energy supplier and the supplier approves, the installation date is scheduled, usually 1-2 weeks later.
The actual swap takes a single day for most properties. The installer removes your old boiler, fits the new one, completes any associated pipework or system flushing, and commissions the new unit. You receive paperwork including the warranty, gas safety certificate, and benchmark commissioning record. There's no payment requested at any stage. ECO4 funds the entire job through the energy supplier.
If the survey identifies that your property also needs insulation upgrades to bring it up to EPC band C, those measures are usually funded alongside the boiler. This is one of the scheme's deliberate design features. Boilers and insulation together hit the energy efficiency target faster.
The scheme is legitimate. Many social media ads aren't.
Warning signs to watch for
Legitimate ECO4 installers don’t cold-call, charge upfront fees, or ask for payment before the work is done. If you encounter any of the following, walk away:
The volume of misleading ECO4 advertising has been significant enough that Reddit threads asking "is the free boiler scheme legitimate?" rank in the top 10 search results. Google hasn't been able to find a trustworthy editorial answer to put there instead. The scheme itself is run by Ofgem and the energy suppliers, the marketing layer around it is what's gone wrong.
Use a trusted comparison service or apply directly through your council to bypass the dodgy intermediaries.
ECO4 runs until December 2026, with possible extension under the Warm Homes Plan announced in 2024.
The Warm Homes Plan is the Labour government's successor policy framework for residential energy efficiency. The plan commits £13.2 billion over the parliament for home upgrades, and a successor scheme to ECO4 is expected to launch in 2027. The exact terms (eligibility, grant amounts, technology coverage) haven't been finalised at time of writing (May 2026).
If you're potentially eligible now, applying before December 2026 is sensible. The successor scheme is likely to have stricter eligibility criteria as the policy shifts toward heat pumps and away from gas boiler replacements.
Three options remain: ECO4 Flex via your council, manufacturer finance, or paying privately. Our Boiler Grants UK guide covers the full landscape.
Best for
Low-income households without qualifying benefits
What it pays
Full boiler replacement (same as ECO4)
Main catch
Each council sets its own income threshold; not all councils participate
Runs until
December 2026
Best for
Fuel-poor households where ECO4 doesn’t apply
What it pays
Up to £15,000 per property for heating and insulation
Main catch
Council-administered; varies by area
Runs until
31 March 2028
For homeowners who don't qualify for any grant, manufacturer finance is the most common route. Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Ideal Heating and Baxi all offer 0% finance over 24-60 months through their installer networks. It doesn't reduce the cost, but it avoids a single lump sum. Our new boiler cost guide covers the typical price ranges across boiler types and brands.
Boiler Grants UK 2026
Every scheme that funds a new boiler: ECO4, BUS, Warm Homes Local and the non-benefits route.
Read guideNew Boiler Cost UK 2026
What you’ll actually pay if no grant applies. Combi, system and regular pricing breakdown.
Read guideFree Boiler Grants for Pensioners
ECO4 and Pension Credit eligibility: how the over-66 cohort qualifies.
Read guideECO4 Scheme Guide
The full ECO4 scheme: what it funds, who administers it, and how it works.
Read guideCommon questions
Detailed installation survey, including any insulation or controls needed alongside.
Boiler swap completed in one day for typical properties.