The City of Edinburgh Council withdrew its 2024 Statement of Intent for ECO4 flexible eligibility Version 4 on 8 May 2025, according to the council's own scheme page1. The document set out the additional routes to eligibility that the council used to decide which households qualified under ECO4 Flex, the local authority route into the Energy Company Obligation, and under GBIS Flex1.
The council now points households and advisers to Version 5 of its Statement of Intent, which sets out the current eligibility criteria1. The withdrawal follows a pattern: Version 3 was withdrawn on 22 October 2024, Version 2 on 28 March 2023 and Version 1 in January 20201.
The council's page states that the scheme will close from April 2026, with updates on a replacement to be published on the same webpage1. No replacement scheme has been named.
"This scheme will close from April 2026, updates on a replacement scheme will be made available on this webpage."
Edinburgh currently supports three additional routes to eligibility under Flex1:
| Route | Households covered | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Route 1 | Owner-occupied, EPC D to G; private rented, EPC E to G | Gross annual household income under £31,000 |
| Route 2 | Owner-occupied and private rented, EPC E to G | At least two proxies listed in the current Statement of Intent |
| Route 3 | Owner-occupied, EPC D to G; private rented, EPC E to G | Household identified as vulnerable by a GP, a Scottish or Welsh Health Board, an NHS Foundation Trust or an NHS Trust, with a cold-related cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed or limited mobility condition |
The council says it is responsible for determining whether households are eligible for ECO4 Flex and GBIS Flex and for producing declarations for eligible households1. It also says it can help put households in contact with a supplier and will provide a list of approved installers on request1.
Why it matters for households
Flexible eligibility is the route by which a household that does not receive a qualifying benefit can still be treated as eligible for ECO4 measures, because the local authority declares it so. Withdrawing a Statement of Intent does not remove the route; it replaces the criteria the council applies. A household that qualified under the Version 4 routes may or may not qualify under Version 5, and the council's page does not set out what changed between the two versions1.
For a home in Edinburgh, the practical effect is that eligibility now rests on the current document rather than the 2024 one, and any declaration made under the older criteria is no longer the council's published basis for deciding. The council's stated income threshold of £31,000 and its EPC band requirements remain as listed above1. The wider ECO4 eligibility rules on benefits, tenure and property condition sit alongside these local routes, and the boiler grant element of ECO4 depends on the same eligibility framework.
The April 2026 closure date applies to the Flex scheme as the council describes it1. What replaces it, and whether the replacement keeps a local authority declaration route, has not been reported.
What happens next
The council says updates on a replacement scheme will be made available on its financial help page1. Households seeking a determination can email the council at the address given on that page, or contact Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 for advice on other government schemes1. The council is also accepting registrations for area-based insulation projects in Drylaw, Sighthill, West Mains and Edinburgh wide for cavity and internal wall insulation1.