The Green Deal Scheme: What Happened and What Replaced It

No. The Green Deal scheme is closed to new applicants, so you cannot take out a new Green Deal plan or loan. Plans taken out before the government stopped funding the Green Deal Finance Company on 23 July 2015 were unaffected: they stay with the property and are still repaid through the electricity bill. For help with insulation or heating now, the main route is ECO4, a government scheme set in law, regulated by Ofgem and paid for by the larger energy suppliers, which ends on 31 December 2026.

The Green Deal at a glance

• What it was: a loan for energy-saving improvements such as insulation, boilers and glazing, repaid through the electricity bill.
• Launched: 28 January 2013 in England and Wales, and 25 February 2013 in Scotland.
• Status: closed to new applicants. You cannot take out a new plan.
• Existing plans: still repaid through the electricity bill, and they stay with the property.

Sources: GOV.UK Green Deal and the GOV.UK announcement that Green Deal Finance Company funding would end .

How did the Green Deal work?

The Green Deal let you pay for improvements such as insulation, a boiler or glazing with a loan instead of cash up front. You then repaid it through your electricity bill.

The idea behind it was known as the “Golden Rule”: the repayments were meant to be covered by the savings the improvements were expected to make on your energy bills. That makes it very different from ECO4, where an energy supplier pays for the work.

What happened to the Green Deal?

On 23 July 2015 the government stopped funding the Green Deal Finance Company, citing low take-up and concerns about industry standards. Existing plans were unaffected. The key dates are below.

The Home Improvement Fund was a separate cashback grant, not the Green Deal loan itself.

Is the Green Deal still running? Can you get a Green Deal loan?

No. GOV.UK says the scheme is closed to new applicants, so there is no way to start a new Green Deal plan. Check the GOV.UK Green Deal page if you want to confirm it for yourself.

If a caller or advert offers you a new Green Deal plan, be careful. Our guide on whether the free boiler grant is a scam lists the warning signs.

What if you already have a Green Deal plan?

• Who pays: repayments are a charge on the electricity bill of whoever pays the bill at the property.
• Moving home: the plan stays with the property. The new occupier takes over the repayments.
• Repaying early: you can, but there may be extra costs, so ask before you do.
• Provider gone out of business: contact the government’s Green Deal team through the GOV.UK Green Deal page .

To check whether a home has a plan, look at its EPC, which records it. You can find it on the GOV.UK find an energy certificate service .

Green Deal plans when selling or letting a home

If you sell or let a home with a Green Deal plan, you must tell the buyer or tenant about it and show them the EPC, which records the plan. This is a legal requirement under the Energy Act 2011.

If you are buying or renting, ask for the EPC early. The plan stays with the property, so the repayments become yours as the person paying the electricity bill.

What replaced the Green Deal?

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) ran alongside the Green Deal from 2013 and delivered most measures. ECO4 is its current phase. It started in 2022 and now ends on 31 December 2026 after a nine-month extension (it was originally due to end on 31 March 2026). ECO4 is a government scheme set in law, regulated by Ofgem and paid for by the larger energy suppliers (Ofgem ).

The Great British Insulation Scheme ended on 31 March 2026 (Ofgem ). The Warm Homes Plan is the government’s replacement, with the Warm Homes: Local Grant in England. Our Warm Homes Plan guide covers the wider picture. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards a heat pump (see our heat pump grant guide).

For how the local grant and ECO4 compare in detail, read our Warm Homes: Local Grant vs ECO4 guide.

Can you get free insulation or a boiler now instead?

Possibly, through ECO4, if your household qualifies through a means-tested benefit or LA Flex. A survey decides what is funded, so nothing is guaranteed in advance, and ECO4 ends on 31 December 2026. See our guide to what the ECO4 deadline means.

Our guides cover the free boiler grant, cavity wall insulation and external wall insulation, and our LA Flex page explains the route for households without a qualifying benefit.

Who runs this site (and what we are not)

ApplyFreeBoiler.uk is run by Reliant Energy Solutions Ltd, an ECO4 heating and insulation installer that surveys, installs and submits the work itself. We are paid by the energy supplier for each installation we complete under ECO4. We are not paid by households. Read our funding policy for the detail.

Because we install under ECO4, we have an interest in ECO4 and you should weigh what we say accordingly. We do not run the Green Deal, and we are not the UK Government, your council, Ofgem or an energy supplier.

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