First Time Central Heating Grants Under ECO4
First time central heating grants (FTCH) under ECO4 fund a central heating system for a home that has never had one, so they are not a simple like-for-like boiler swap. Eligibility and a property survey are required, and funding is not guaranteed.
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ECO4 runs to 31 December 2026. ApplyFreeBoiler is run by Reliant Energy Solutions Ltd, an ECO4 installer, not Ofgem or the government.
- May Be Fully Funded If Eligible
- Gas Boiler or Heat Pump
- Works Without Mains Gas
- ECO4 Runs to Dec 2026
| Cost to you (if eligible) | Often £0 upfront — contributions may apply |
|---|---|
| What FTCH covers | System for homes without central heating |
| System you get | Gas boiler or air source heat pump |
| Scheme deadline | 31 December 2026 |
What Is the First Time Central Heating Grant?
The First Time Central Heating (FTCH) grant is part of ECO4, the UK's Energy Company Obligation scheme. It's aimed at households whose homes have never had a proper central heating system — no boiler, no radiators, no pipework — and who are currently relying on things like electric storage heaters, gas fires, or no heating at all.
Ofgem defines first time central heating as a wet central heating system (a boiler or other heat source feeding radiators) installed in a home that does not have, and has never had, one, and that has not had a working, efficient electric storage heater since 1 April 2022. The owner or landlord is asked to sign a declaration to that effect before the work goes ahead. You can read the rules in Ofgem's ECO4 delivery guidance.
ApplyFreeBoiler.uk is run by Reliant Energy Solutions Ltd, a heating and insulation installer. We check whether your household and property qualify under ECO4, handle the paperwork, and our team carries out the work. The funding itself comes from energy suppliers under their ECO4 obligations, not from us or from the government directly.
Am I Eligible?
You could qualify if you meet all of the following:
- No heating system at all
- Electric room heaters, or inefficient older electric storage heaters
- Gas fires with a back boiler that heats one radiator at most, or solid fuel fires with a back boiler
- Bottled LPG, oil, or solid-fuel room heaters
- Electric underfloor or ceiling heating (not linked to a boiler)
If your home previously had a working central heating system — even if it's now old, broken, or inefficient — you won't qualify under this specific route, but you may still be eligible for a boiler replacement grant instead. Ofgem's guidance says a home with a gas back boiler and only one radiator is not treated as having central heating, so it can still qualify; our back boiler replacement guide explains the difference.
Your property has an EPC rating of D, E, F or G (private tenants typically need E, F or G). You can look up your home's EPC rating for free on gov.uk if you don't already know it.
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Child Benefit (subject to income caps and household make-up)
Not on benefits? You may still qualify through LA Flex (Local Authority Flexible Eligibility), where your council can confirm you as eligible based on low household income — typically around £31,000 or below, though the exact threshold is set locally — or other vulnerability criteria such as a health condition made worse by cold housing.
This is the detail most guides skip. Since ECO4 began on 1 April 2022, a new mains gas central heating system is only available if your property was connected to the mains gas network on 31 March 2022. If your home doesn't have mains gas, or it was connected after that date, you may still qualify for the First Time Central Heating grant, but the funded system would be an air source heat pump with radiators rather than a gas boiler. Our eligibility check tells you which route applies to your property.
- Homes that have ever had a working central heating system, even if it's since broken or been removed
- Council and housing association tenants, and shared ownership properties, are covered by separate ECO4 rules for social housing, which go through the landlord, so ask your landlord or housing provider
- Homes that have had a working, efficient electric storage heater (or one that could be economically repaired) at any point since 1 April 2022
- Second homes and holiday lets
What's Included in a First-Time Boiler Installation
If your application is approved, the funded system typically includes:
- A new A-rated gas boiler, or an air source heat pump if you're off the gas grid
- A full set of radiators sized for your property
- All necessary pipework
- Heating controls, as the Building Regulations require
- Installation to the relevant Building Regulations standards (and MCS standards for heat pumps)
Exactly what you receive depends on what a qualified surveyor finds during your free home assessment — every property is different, so the survey is what determines the final specification, not a fixed package.
Gas Central Heating Installation Grants: Which Systems Qualify?
Ofgem's non-exhaustive list of heating systems that can be installed as first time central heating includes:
- A condensing gas boiler (on-gas homes only)
- A gas hybrid air source heat pump (on-gas homes only)
- An air source heat pump
- A ground source heat pump
- A biomass boiler (rural areas only)
- A fuel cell micro-CHP
A gas system can only go into a home that counts as on-gas under the rule above. Which system is used is decided at survey, so we can't promise a particular one. See our air source heat pump grant page for the heat pump route.
What This Actually Saves You
Installing central heating from scratch means a heat source, pipework, radiators and controls throughout the home — a cost most households simply can't absorb, which is exactly why this scheme exists. Switching from electric heaters or solid fuel to an efficient central heating system can also lower running costs, depending on your previous heating type and property size. We can't promise a specific saving for your home. It depends on usage, property size and your current heating type — but a warmer, more evenly heated home with lower bills is the typical outcome.
How the Process Works
Check your eligibility in a short online form, which takes about 60 seconds.
A qualified assessor visits to check your current heating, EPC rating, and what system would suit your property.
We handle the ECO4 paperwork on your behalf; approval depends on the energy supplier confirming funding.
Your new system is fitted, typically over a few days depending on property size and complexity.
Landlords and Private Tenants
Private landlords can apply for a First Time Central Heating grant on behalf of a tenant, provided the property has never had central heating, meets the EPC criteria, and the tenant (or the landlord, depending on the route) meets the qualifying-benefit or LA Flex criteria. Landlords will need to give written consent before any work goes ahead. This is a genuine opportunity to bring a rental property up to modern heating standards — and toward upcoming EPC requirements for the private rented sector — at no cost.
ECO4 was originally due to end on 31 March 2026, but the government extended it to 31 December 2026 to give energy suppliers time to complete existing obligations. After that date, there will be no replacement supplier obligation — instead, further support for low-income households will come through the government's Warm Homes Plan, primarily via the Warm Homes: Local Grant, delivered through local councils rather than private installers. That's likely to mean a different application process and longer timelines once it's fully rolled out.
In practice, this means ECO4 — including the First Time Central Heating route — is currently the fastest way to get a fully funded system, but funding is finite and suppliers can meet their targets before the official end date. If you think you might qualify, it's worth checking sooner rather than later.
Free Central Heating: Is It Really Free? What We Can and Can't Promise
Yes, for eligible households the installation itself costs nothing upfront. It's funded by energy suppliers under their legal ECO4 obligations, regulated by Ofgem — not paid for by ApplyFreeBoiler.uk — and we don't ask households for payment to check or process an application.
- We can check your eligibility, handle your ECO4 application, and carry out the installation ourselves.
- We can't guarantee approval — funding depends on your property survey and the energy supplier's remaining ECO4 allocation, not on us.
- We can't guarantee a specific boiler brand, heat pump model, or installation date before a surveyor has assessed your property.
- We are not the UK government, DESNZ, Ofgem, or an energy supplier. We are run by Reliant Energy Solutions Ltd, a heating and insulation installer.
ApplyFreeBoiler.uk is a registered UK company (Company No. 16100301, verifiable on Companies House). You can independently verify Gas Safe registration for any engineer at gassaferegister.co.uk, and check Ofgem's role in regulating ECO4 at ofgem.gov.uk. For more on what we can and can't guarantee, see our disclaimer.
What Central Heating Grants Are Available?
ECO4 is the main route for first time central heating, but it is not the only support around. Here are direct answers to the questions we hear most.
Who qualifies for a heating grant?
Under ECO4 you generally need a home rated EPC band D to G and either a household that receives a qualifying benefit or a place on your council's LA Flex list. Ofgem's list of qualifying benefits is income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit), Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Child Benefit (subject to income caps and household make-up). For first time central heating the home must also never have had central heating. Check your eligibility to see which rules apply to you.
Can pensioners get a first-time central heating grant?
ECO4 has no separate pensioner route: pensioners are assessed under the same rules as everyone else. Pension Credit, both Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit, is on Ofgem's qualifying benefits list, so a household receiving it can qualify. The State Pension on its own is not on that list. Pensioners who don't receive a listed benefit may still qualify through LA Flex, where the council can refer a household on a low income or with a health condition made worse by a cold home.
Can I get free windows and doors?
Not as a guaranteed grant. Ofgem's ECO4 guidance lists window glazing (single to double glazing, or improved double glazing) and higher performance external doors among the measures ECO4 can deliver, but Ofgem says it is up to the energy companies which projects they choose to fund. Which measures are offered in your home depends on your survey, so ask the surveyor about windows and doors.
What home grants am I entitled to?
No grant is an automatic entitlement, and what you can get depends on where you live, your household and your home. In England, GOV.UK's home energy grants collection lists schemes including the Energy Company Obligation, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (for low carbon heating such as heat pumps) and Warm Homes: Local Grant (for lower-income households). ECO4 covers Great Britain and runs to 31 December 2026, and Ofgem regulates it but does not take applications from households. Our free boiler scheme guide explains how the schemes people call the free boiler scheme fit together, and our grants directory lists the boiler, insulation and heating grants we cover.
Ready to Get Central Heating for the First Time?
Check if you qualify for a fully funded central heating system — gas boiler or heat pump, radiators, pipework and heating controls included, at no cost to the household.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to common questions about the First Time Central Heating Grant.
Reviewed by the ApplyFreeBoiler.uk team. Page content last reviewed 3 October 2026.
It's part of the ECO4 scheme, an energy supplier obligation regulated by Ofgem, available to homeowners and private tenants whose property has never had central heating. You'll typically need an EPC rating of D–G and either a qualifying benefit or approval under your council's LA Flex rules.
Usually a new A-rated gas boiler (or an air source heat pump if you're off the gas grid), radiators, pipework, and heating controls — the exact specification depends on your home survey.
Possibly, yes. If your property wasn't connected to the mains gas network on 31 March 2022, you may still qualify for the grant, but the funded system would be an air source heat pump with radiators rather than a gas boiler.
Not necessarily. Most applicants qualify through a benefit like Universal Credit or Pension Credit, but if you're not on benefits you may still qualify through your local council's LA Flex scheme, usually based on household income or a health condition.
The First Time Central Heating route is only for homes that have never had a system installed. If yours previously had one, you'd instead be looking at a boiler replacement grant under ECO4.
It depends on the heaters. Ofgem's guidance treats inefficient storage heaters (a SAP responsiveness rating of 0.2 or less) as a heating source that can still qualify. A home that has had a working, efficient storage heater at any point since 1 April 2022 does not qualify. The survey checks which applies.
Yes. Private landlords can apply on behalf of a qualifying tenant, provided the property meets the EPC and no-previous-heating criteria, and the landlord gives written consent for the work.
Typically a few days, depending on your property's size and the complexity of the work — your installer will confirm a schedule after the home survey.
Yes, but it's due to close on 31 December 2026, after which funding moves to the government's Warm Homes Plan with a different, council-led application process. Checking your eligibility now avoids the wait.
For eligible households, the installation itself is funded by energy suppliers under ECO4 — there's no upfront cost. ApplyFreeBoiler.uk doesn't charge households to check eligibility or process an application.
Don't Miss Out on Your First Time Central Heating Grant
ECO4 closes on 31 December 2026, and a survey and install take time to arrange. Check your eligibility now.
No fee to apply. Run by an ECO4 installer.