Ofgem published a call for input on 16 September 2024 seeking views and evidence on the methods used to prove eligibility for the ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). The regulator, which administers the schemes, said the exercise covers data-matching and benefit letter evidencing routes1.
The call concerns two distinct eligibility tests. Under ECO4, applicants must show membership of the Help to Heat Group. Under GBIS, the test is membership of the low-income group1. Ofgem said it was calling for views from all interested parties to help shape its thinking on how those memberships are evidenced1.
"We are calling on views and evidence from all interested parties to help us shape our thinking on methods of evidencing Help to Heat Group membership under ECO4 and low-income group membership under the Great British Insulation Scheme."
The document is classed as a call for input and carries a closed date of 12 November 2024. Ofgem asked for written comments by 11.59pm on Monday 11 November 2024, sent to ECO@ofgem.gov.uk1. The page now records the status as closed1. A main document, a PDF of 134.77KB, sits alongside the call1.
Ofgem has not set out in the call what changes, if any, it intends to make. It said it would consider all responses once the call closed and would ensure any changes resulting from it are appropriately communicated1. No timetable for a decision or for any revised evidencing process has been reported.
Why it matters for households
Eligibility for both schemes turns on proof, not just circumstance. A household that meets the income or benefit criteria on paper still has to demonstrate it through an accepted route, whether that is a data match against records or a benefit letter. The routes under review are the practical step between being eligible and being able to access GBIS eligibility or ECO4 support.
For a home, the difference between the two schemes is material. GBIS versus ECO4 sets out how the schemes differ in scope and in who qualifies. Anything that changes how membership of the Help to Heat Group or the low-income group is evidenced affects which households can proceed and how quickly, and it affects the paperwork an installer or adviser must assemble before work can be signed off.
The Ofgem role here is administrative: it runs the schemes and sets the evidencing rules that suppliers and installers follow. The call is a consultation on process rather than a change to the schemes themselves, and no outcome has been reported.
What happens next
The call closed on 12 November 2024, with comments due by 11.59pm on 11 November 20241. Ofgem has said it will consider all responses and communicate any resulting changes1. No date has been given for that communication, and no decision has been reported.