An update to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2035/2030:2023 standard came into force on 30 March 2025, according to the government's response to its consultation on extending the ECO4 end date1. The change introduced a requirement for Retrofit Coordinators to conduct site visits and raised qualification standards for Retrofit Designers1.
The PAS retrofit standard sets the framework under which retrofit work is assessed and delivered. The government response states the update as follows:
"An update of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2035/2030:2023 standard came into force on 30 March 2025 introducing a requirement for Retrofit Coordinators to conduct site visits as well as raising qualification standards for Retrofit Designers."
The same document sets out the wider funding landscape in which the standard operates. It states that, as announced in the November 2025 Budget, there will be no successor supplier obligation to ECO41. The government has instead committed additional grant funding of £1.5bn directed at upgrading low-income households, bringing the Warm Homes Plan to just under £15bn in capital investment1.
On scheme dates, the response confirms that the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) will end as planned on 31 March 2026, and that the final date for submitting Innovation Measure and Data Light Measure applications will also be 31 March 20261. ECO4 itself is extended by nine months, ending on 31 December 20261. The document states that no carry-over mechanism will be introduced because there will be no successor obligation after ECO4 to carry over into1.
The response also records that consumer protection during the ECO4 extension will rely on strengthened compliance measures already introduced, including stricter audits, independent inspections and enhanced supplier processes1. It states that no new applications for Innovation Measures or Data Light Measures will be accepted during the extension, but that existing uplifts will be honoured1.
Why it matters for households
The standard governs how retrofit work on a home is specified, coordinated and signed off, so changes to it affect what happens on site rather than only in paperwork. A requirement for Retrofit Coordinators to visit the property means the person responsible for overseeing a project is expected to see the home itself, which bears on how accurately measures are matched to the building. Raised qualification standards for Retrofit Designers bear on who is competent to design a package of measures.
For a household, the practical effect sits in the quality and traceability of work carried out under a recognised standard. The government response links the ECO4 extension explicitly to remediation of non-compliant installations, stating that the extension allows the supply chain to focus on remediation1. That places the standard's requirements alongside a period in which previously installed measures may be revisited.
The funding picture also matters. With no successor supplier obligation to ECO41, the route by which supplier-funded measures reach low-income households changes shape after the current schemes close. Households not eligible for ECO4 are directed by the response to other schemes, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Warm Homes: Local Grant1. The regulation and policy hub carries related coverage, including energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes in Scotland, the Future Homes Standard and housing quality standards for social and rented homes.
What happens next
GBIS ends on 31 March 2026, and the final date for submitting Innovation Measure and Data Light Measure applications is 31 March 20261. ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026 following a nine-month extension1. No successor supplier obligation to ECO4 has been announced1.