Free Boiler Grants in Walsall (WS1–WS10)ECO4 Eligibility 2026

Walsall homeowners (EPC band D–G) and private tenants (EPC band E–G, with landlord consent) whose household either claims a qualifying benefit (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, PIP, ESA, Income Support, Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit) or has gross income under £31,000 via Walsall Council's LA Flex referral. A cold-sensitive health condition can substitute for the income test.

Yes. Walsall Council publishes its ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme Statement of Intent at V3 (August 2024) and runs a referral pathway via the council's home-energy team. The council also publishes separate installer and canvasser guidance to keep doorstep selling honest.

Cadent Gas's West Midlands network operates the gas mains across all WS postcodes. ECO4 covers the new boiler, internal pipework, meter installation and removal of the old system at no cost. The connection from your meter back to the Cadent main is separate — Cadent has an indicative pricing tool for households needing a new connection.

These pre-1919 inner-Walsall terraces typically combine a solid-brick front wall with a cavity rear extension. The strongest scoring package is an A-rated condensing combi replacement plus loft top-up to 270mm and rear-extension cavity-wall fill. Solid-wall insulation on the front is in scope where the property is not in a Conservation Area, and is funded under ECO4 alongside the boiler swap.

Often yes — this is First-Time Central Heating (FTCH), and it is one of the highest-scoring measures under ECO4 because moving from Economy 7 storage heaters to a gas combi typically jumps the EPC two bands. Walsall's ex-council blocks at Beechdale, Goscote, Blakenall Heath and parts of Pelsall are connected to the Cadent mains even where individual flats are not yet hooked up.

Those carry the oldest stock in the borough — late-Victorian coalfield-era terraces with solid-wall construction, often EPC band F or worse. They are a primary catchment for ECO4 because the SAP-uplift potential from a boiler-replacement-plus-insulation package is the highest in Walsall. The PAS 2035 assessment normally identifies a phased package: boiler and loft first, then cavity or solid-wall insulation, then heating controls.

ECO4 closes 31 December 2026. After that, the £15 billion Warm Homes Plan takes over from April 2027 — funded by public investment rather than energy-bill levies, and delivered by the new Warm Homes Agency rather than Ofgem (gov.uk Warm Homes Plan, updated 18 March 2026). You may have seen the successor scheme called 'ECO5' online — that name is not used by government and no scheme by that title exists. For Walsall households, the practical effect is straightforward: if you apply under ECO4 before the 31 December 2026 close, the install is funded under ECO4 even if the engineer's visit happens in early 2027; if you start a fresh application after 1 January 2027, you'll be routed through the Warm Homes Local Grant (WHLG), the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund, or the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme depending on your tenure and property. Your local council's energy team continues to handle the referral throughout the transition.