Find out what changed in retrofit funding during 2026, from the end of ECO4 to new Boiler Upgrade Scheme rules, so you can spot outdated advice before it reaches a customer.
This 15-minute microlearning explains how retrofit funding changed during 2026, as support moved from energy supplier obligations to government grants under the Warm Homes Plan. It is for anyone who talks to customers about funding or checks paperwork on funded jobs. Learners work through two realistic mistakes, a homeowner asking about a scheme that does not exist and an installer's incorrect heat pump quote, and learn to spot them before they reach a customer.
You'll learn why ECO4 is the last supplier obligation in England, Scotland and Wales, and how grant funding through the Warm Homes Plan takes its place. A timeline sets out the key dates from the closure of GBIS in March 2026 to the MCS transition deadline in March 2027.
You'll understand what changed for ECO4, GBIS and the Warm Home Discount: ECO4's extension to 31 December 2026 with no ECO5, GBIS's closure, and the Warm Home Discount continuing as a £150 bill discount to 2030 to 2031. You'll then use this to correct a homeowner who believes ECO5 has just opened.
You'll compare the scheme before and after the 2026 changes, including its extension to 2030, the higher grant for off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG, the new air-to-air heat pump grant, and the removal of the EPC requirement. You'll then check an installer's quote and see why the grant must be deducted before the application, not refunded afterwards.
You'll learn what the 2026 guidance addendum changed for social landlords in England, including extra funding, co-funded delivery to March 2030, the return of domestic batteries alongside solar PV, and why air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries are not yet eligible. You'll then apply the addendum to a housing association's draft plan.
You'll understand why both BUS and WH:SHF now accept only MCS-certified installers, why checking MCS status is the first step on any funded job, and why the 31 March 2027 deadline for the redeveloped MCS scheme matters.
