Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether eligibility under the health route of the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022 is intended to provide support for medically vulnerable households that do not meet the standard benefits criteria.

ECO4 Flex Route 3 supports medically vulnerable households not meeting standard benefits criteria, but does not disapply the property requirements. Article 19(1)(e) cross-refers to articles 13 and 14 while omitting only their household-eligibility requirement. Accordingly, owner-occupied homes must have a pre-project SAP band D to G and private-rented homes E to G. Band C homes are outside the scheme. This targets finite support at the least energy-efficient homes, where improvements can deliver the greatest heating-cost reductions and benefits. Equality impacts were considered in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty when ECO4 was designed. Eligibility for the scheme, which closes on 31 December 2026, does not guarantee installation of measures.