Government Backed Scheme | Free Boiler Grants
If you live in Leicestershire and your boiler is more than 20 years old, unreliable, or costing too much to run, you may qualify for a fully funded A rated boiler replacement through the ECO4 Free Boiler Grant. Homeowners and tenants across the county are discovering they can replace their outdated boilers at no cost, as long as their home and circumstances meet the ECO4 criteria.
The process is very straightforward. We will connect you with a Leicestershire-based installer. They will then book a free survey to assess your boiler and your property’s energy needs. You will then have a brand-new, A-rated condensing boiler installed, completely free of charge.
You do not need to be receiving benefits to qualify. ECO4 has three qualification routes. The Health Route, Low Income Route, and Benefit Route. Many Leicestershire households qualify through health or income criteria alone.
Your boiler must be at least 20 years old or be a non condensing model.
Let’s go through each qualification route clearly.
This is the most flexible route. It supports households where someone has a health condition that becomes worse in cold homes. Leicestershire has many older properties with poor insulation, which can make health issues more challenging during winter.
Common qualifying conditions include:
Local authorities including Leicester City Council, Charnwood, Hinckley and Bosworth, Harborough, Melton, North West Leicestershire, Blaby, and Oadby and Wigston participate in LA Flex. This means they can approve applications locally even if the applicant does not meet the standard national criteria. For households dealing with cold related health issues, LA Flex can make a significant difference.
A resident in Melton Mowbray recently shared an experience that is quite common. Their heating system kept cutting out during winter and one of the occupants had asthma that worsened when the house became too cold. Their boiler was more than 23 years old and the EPC was low. They qualified under the Health Route and mentioned that after installation, the home felt noticeably warmer and far easier to manage.
If someone in your home has a health condition affected by cold or damp, there is a strong chance you can qualify even without benefits.
This route is for households not receiving benefits but struggling with heating costs. Many Leicestershire properties have low EPC ratings and high heat loss, which means the heating has to work harder and cost more.
Qualification factors include:
This route applies widely across the county. Older terraces in Leicester and Loughborough, village homes with stone walls in Harborough, and mid century semis in Coalville and Hinckley all qualify strongly.
A homeowner in Coalville recently applied through the Low Income Route. She had a 20 year old boiler and had spent several winters trying to keep the home warm without overspending. She did not receive benefits and assumed she would not qualify. Once she applied, she was approved due to the boiler age and EPC rating. She shared that the difference after installation was immediate. The heating came on faster and the home no longer felt cold in the mornings.
Thousands of households qualify through the Low Income Route alone. You do not need benefits to apply.
This route is the simplest. If someone in the home receives one of the following, qualification is usually straightforward:
Private tenants can qualify as long as the landlord approves the upgrade.
There are multiple ways for Leicestershire households to qualify. Many people assume they are not eligible because they do not receive benefits, but that is not the case. Homes with older boilers, low EPC ratings, high heating costs, or cold related health concerns often qualify through at least one of the three routes.
The Free Boiler Grant is part of ECO4, the current phase of the UK Government’s Energy Company Obligation. ECO4 runs until 2026 and is designed to help households reduce heating costs, improve energy efficiency, and access safe, modern heating systems without financial burden.
For Leicestershire residents, ECO4 covers the entire cost of replacing an old boiler with a modern A rated condensing unit. This includes the home survey, installation, removal of the existing boiler, materials, labour, and certification. There are no fees, no loans, and no repayments.
ECO4 aims to upgrade:
Older boilers typically run at 60 to 70 percent efficiency. Modern A rated boilers run at 90 to 94 percent efficiency. That difference alone can reduce heating bills by around £300 to £400 per year depending on usage and property type.
ECO4 is especially important in Leicestershire because the county has significant pockets of older housing. Victorian terraces in Leicester, terraced homes in Loughborough, larger rural homes in Market Harborough, and pre 1930 or mid century semis across Coalville, Melton Mowbray, and Hinckley often struggle with heat retention. Many of these homes still rely on older boilers that are far less efficient than today’s systems.
The ECO4 boiler grant covers everything from survey to installation. If your home qualifies, the entire upgrade is free.
Leicestershire has a diverse housing landscape, but large numbers of properties fall into the category of older, harder to heat homes. From Victorian terraces in Leicester and older semis in Loughborough to larger rural homes in Market Harborough and Coalville, a lot of the region’s housing stock was built before modern insulation standards.
Homes built before 1930 or during the post war period often lose heat faster than modern properties. Heating these homes requires more energy, especially if they rely on boilers that are more than 20 years old. As gas prices rise, the cost of running older boilers becomes even more noticeable.
The ECO4 scheme was designed to target homes just like these. Many Leicestershire households have boilers fitted in the late 1990s or early 2000s that are now beyond their efficient years. Replacing them helps reduce bills, improves comfort, and supports environmental targets across the county.
A resident in Market Harborough recently mentioned that their older stone built home always felt cold, even with the heating on. Their boiler was 21 years old and struggled during winter. Once replaced through ECO4, they noticed the home stayed warm for longer and heated up much faster.
For many households, replacing a failing 20 year old boiler simply is not financially possible. ECO4 grants make that upgrade achievable at no cost.
Free Energy Savings is an approved ECO4 partner with years of experience helping households across Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands. Our approach is simple. We remove the confusion, explain everything clearly, and handle the process from start to finish.
We work with trusted Gas Safe installers across every district of Leicestershire including, Loughborough, Hinckley, Coalville, Wigston, Market Harborough, Melton Mowbray, and Ashby de la Zouch. Homeowners often say they appreciate having installers who understand the quirks of older local properties.
Our process is completely transparent. There are no hidden fees, contracts, or obligations. You complete a quick eligibility check and, if your home qualifies, we take care of the rest. Many residents mention how relieved they felt once they realised the process was not as complicated as they first feared.
A couple in Hinckley recently shared that they had been paying for boiler repairs for years because they assumed a replacement would be expensive or difficult to arrange. Once they applied, they were surprised at how quickly they qualified and how smooth the installation was. They said the home finally felt warm without constant worrying about gas usage.
We specialise in helping households that are unsure whether they qualify. Our experience shows that many do.
Our team is here to make ECO4 simple, stress free, and trustworthy.
The process is designed to be quick and easy. There are four main steps.
This takes less than a minute. You provide a few details about your boiler, household circumstances, and property. There is no obligation to continue.
We look at:
If you do not know your EPC rating, we can check it for you or arrange a new assessment if needed.
A certified surveyor visits your home to inspect:
Surveys usually take between 40 and 60 minutes.
If the survey is approved, installation is arranged. This includes:
Installations typically take one day. You do not need to pay anything if your home qualifies.
We cover every town, village, and rural location across Leicestershire. This includes:
Whether you live in a busy Leicestershire town or a quiet village on the outskirts, our ECO4 installers can reach you quickly and schedule your survey efficiently.
Replacing an old boiler through ECO4 provides immediate and long term benefits for Leicestershire households.
Key benefits include:
Modern boilers also provide more consistent heat throughout the home. Older systems often create cold spots or take too long to warm the house. A homeowner in Oadby recently mentioned that after upgrading their boiler, mornings were far more comfortable and they no longer needed to keep the heating running throughout the night.
If your boiler is older than 20 years, replacing it could significantly reduce your bills and improve your home environment.
If your boiler is older than 20 years or your home struggles to stay warm, you may qualify for a fully funded boiler replacement through ECO4. The eligibility check is quick, free, and without obligation. Many Leicestershire households qualify without realising it.
To start your application process you can fill in our application form above. We will then get in touch to check your eligibility and move your application forward.
Yes, ECO4 is a government scheme. Energy companies are obligated to fund the cost and installation of boilers and loft insulation in eligible homes. This service is free for you. The energy companies, like British Gas and EON, cover all costs.
You will receive a modern A rated gas boiler installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The exact model depends on your home layout and needs.
Application approval can take between 6 to 12 weeks. Once approved, the work can be done within a week. It includes the loft insulation and the boiler installation.
Yes, all the installers we connect you with are registered with Gas Safe & Trustmark.
Any household with a boiler over 20 years old may qualify through the Health, Low Income, or Benefit Route. Older homes with low EPC ratings often qualify strongly. Many residents who assume they are not eligible find that they are.
No. Many households qualify through the Health Route or Low Income Route without receiving Universal Credit or similar support. LA Flex allows councils to approve additional households.
Your boiler should be 20 years old or older or be a non condensing model. The surveyor can confirm the age if you are unsure.
If your home does not meet the criteria, we explain why. Many households become eligible later due to changes in income, EPC status, or boiler condition. You can reapply anytime.
Read More Of Our Reviews On Trust Pilot
We’ve had some bad experiences with installers in the past, but Free Energy Savings was a breath of fresh air. They were helpful and patient, answering all of our questions about the ECO4 scheme and making sure we understood how it worked. The installation was done quickly and professionally, and the team was extremely respectful of our home.
We were a bit unsure about how the ECO4 grant worked, but Free Energy Savings made everything so simple. The team explained every detail of the grant and the benefits from a new boiler installation. When it came time for the installation, they arrived right on schedule and worked hard to get everything set up. What impressed me most was the attention to detail….
Free Energy Savings exceeded all of our expectations. From the moment we contacted them, they were responsive and informative. The team helped us through the paperwork for the ECO4 grant, which was a big help since we had no idea where to start. The installation crew was friendly, professional, and fast. It’s been a couple of months now, and we’re already…
