Ofgem published its response to the price cap aspects of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) consultation on plans to extend the ECO4 scheme on 25 September 20251. The document is listed as a transparency document under the topic of energy pricing rules, with the subtopic given as the energy price cap1.
The regulator describes the publication in a single line: "Our response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's consultation on plans to extend the ECO4 scheme."1
"Our response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's consultation on plans to extend the ECO4 scheme."
The response is published as a PDF titled "DESNZ Extending the ECO4 end date consultation response on price cap aspects, 25 September 2025", sized 110.55KB1. Ofgem's page does not set out the content of that response, the number of price cap aspects addressed, or any figures, and none of these have been reported in the material published alongside it1. The consultation itself, and the proposed new end date for ECO4, are referred to only by name; no dates, eligibility rules or funding totals for the extension appear in Ofgem's publication1.
ECO4 is the fourth phase of the Energy Company Obligation, the scheme that places energy efficiency obligations on larger energy suppliers. Ofgem administers the scheme and the price cap, and its role in both is set out in its guidance on what the energy regulator does and what it covers. The wider framework of regulation and policy governs how supplier obligations and the cap interact.
Why it matters for households
ECO4 funding reaches homes through supplier obligations rather than through direct grants, and the price cap is the mechanism that determines what households pay per unit of gas and electricity. Where a scheme end date and the price cap are considered together, the practical question for a household is whether obligation costs continue to be recovered through bills, and for how long. Ofgem's response concerns the price cap aspects of the extension, which is the part of the proposal that touches household bills directly1.
An extension of the end date would keep the scheme open for a further period, which affects whether homes that have not yet had measures installed remain within scope. Ofgem's publication does not state which measures, which homes or which suppliers would be affected, and no such detail has been reported1. Households looking at what support exists across grants and schemes will find no new eligibility information in this document.
What happens next
No next steps, timetable or decision date are given in Ofgem's publication1. The document records only that the response was published on 25 September 2025 and provides the PDF for download1. Whether DESNZ will confirm the extension, and on what terms, has not been reported1.