Citizens Advice published its response to a government consultation on extending the end date of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme on 25 September 2025. The charity said it supports the proposal to move the scheme's end date beyond March 2026, and called for a consultation on a successor scheme plus stronger consumer protections during any extension1.
ECO4 is the current phase of the Energy Company Obligation, the grant scheme that funds home energy efficiency measures. The consultation concerns the scheme's end date only. Citizens Advice said extending the timeframe without extending the obligation itself carries a risk that delivery levels will fall, which it said could create supply chain instability and make it harder to meet 2030 fuel poverty targets and fulfil the aims of the Warm Homes Plan1.
"We support the Government's proposal to extend the ECO4 scheme end date beyond March 2026 to avoid a cliff edge for consumers."
The charity also asked for the successor scheme to be consulted on during the extension, and said that consultation should take place as soon as possible to give industry and households enough time to prepare1. On protections, it said it welcomes stronger interim consumer protections during the extension but that more detail is needed, and that the next iteration of the scheme must embed a stronger consumer protections framework1.
The response does not set out the length of any extension, the size of the obligation, or which measures would be eligible under a successor scheme. Those details have not been reported in the response1.
Why it matters for households
ECO4 funding is delivered through energy suppliers and installed by accredited businesses, so the scheme's end date shapes what work can be commissioned and when. A gap between the current scheme closing and a successor opening would leave households that qualify for support, including those on qualifying benefits, with no route to funded insulation or heating upgrades in the interim. Citizens Advice's warning about delivery levels falling points to a practical risk: installers and suppliers plan work months ahead, and uncertainty about the obligation's size can slow the pipeline of jobs.
For a household, the difference between an extension of the end date and an extension of the obligation itself is the difference between the scheme remaining open and the scheme remaining funded at its current level. The response does not say what funding level would be needed to avoid the fall in delivery it describes1.
Consumer protection during the scheme is handled through routes including complaints and redress, and Citizens Advice is one of the energy consumer bodies that advises households on ECO4 and related schemes. Its call for a stronger protections framework in the next iteration indicates it expects the current arrangements to change rather than simply continue1.
What happens next
Citizens Advice has asked for the successor scheme consultation to take place as soon as possible during the ECO4 extension, so that industry and households have time to prepare1. No date for that consultation, and no decision on the extension itself, has been reported in the response1.