The Great British Insulation Scheme is a new government energy efficiency scheme (formerly known as ECO+) administered by Ofgem. It is designed to deliver improvements to the least energy-efficient homes in Great Britain to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce energy bills.
The scheme complements the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme, yet unlike ECO4’s ‘whole house’ approach, this scheme will mostly deliver single insulation measures.
As well as supporting low-income and vulnerable households, it is also available to those living in homes with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D-G, and within Council Tax bands A-D in England and A-E in Scotland and Wales.
The scheme works by placing an obligation on medium and large energy companies to deliver measures that result in reduced energy usage. The scheme began in April 2023 and is scheduled to end in April 2026.
More details about the Great British Insulation Scheme can be found in the Government Response issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government energy efficiency scheme in Great Britain designed to tackle fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions.
The ECO scheme works by placing a Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO) on medium and large energy suppliers. Under HHCRO, obligated suppliers must promote measures that improve the ability of low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households to heat their homes. This includes actions that result in reduced energy usage, such as installing insulation or upgrading a heating system. The overall target for these measures is divided between suppliers based on their relative share of the domestic gas and electricity market.
The ECO scheme supports energy efficiency measures in the home of those considered to be in fuel poverty. If you’re a homeowner or tenant you can find out more in the homeowners and tenants section.