ECO: Help to Heat Consultation

Overview

This consultation was carried out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In July 2016, the department merged with the Department for Business and Innovation and Skills to form the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a programme to deliver energy efficiency measures in homes across Great Britain in order to reduce carbon emissions and improve the ability of low income and vulnerable consumers to heat their homes to comfortable levels.

ECO was launched in January 2013 and is currently in its second obligation period, which is due to end on 31 March 2017. The Government’s Spending Review 2015 announced plans for a supplier obligation to run for 5 years from April 2017 at an estimated level of £640 million per year.

This consultation primarily relates to a proposed one-year period from April 2017 to March 2018, which will act as a transition towards a longer term scheme from 2018-2022.

Why your views matter

We are consulting on a suite of proposals designed to meet three core aims:

• to reduce the annual cost of the scheme from £870 million to £640 million;
• to make progress towards the Government's manifesto commitment to insulate 1 million homes during this Parliament; and
• to support Government efforts to tackle fuel poverty.

We are seeking views on both the proposed changes to ECO to take effect from April 2017, and aspects of the high level design for the longer term supplier obligation.