If you’re an ECO4 installer, you don’t need anyone to tell you the market is shifting, you’re already feeling it.
Between upcoming ECO4 phase changes, Warm Homes rollout, and tighter quality expectations, many installers are asking the same question:
“How do we build a business that doesn’t rely only on subsidy work?”
Moving into able-to-pay isn’t about abandoning ECO. It’s about resilience.
Below are the five most important things to consider if you want to grow the able-to-pay demand alongside ECO4, with a specific focus on BUS, certification, competition, regional opportunity and what homeowners are actually looking for.
Treat BUS as your “bridge” into the able-to-pay but know how the scheme really behaves
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is still the most important stepping-stone market between full grant reliance and pure homeowner-funded work.
What’s confirmed about BUS right now:
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£7,500 grants for air-source and ground-source heat pumps
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£5,000 for biomass (eligible rural/off-gas cases)
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Scheme extended to 2028, with budgets rising as demand grows
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Installers must be MCS certified to participate.
What installers should understand from 2024/25 demand data:
Ofgem’s BUS Annual Report shows:
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38,412 stage-1 applications
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32,996 vouchers issued
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25,712 stage-2 redemptions
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2,295 rejected at checks
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2,943 withdrawn
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voucher expiry is still a factor
Meaning: interest is high, but conversion is messy.
DESNZ’s BUS evaluation research (built on surveys/interviews with over 1,300 property owners and 247 installers) found that drop-off often happens because homeowners struggle with:
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upfront affordability even after grant
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uncertainty about suitability
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lack of clarity on running costs
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decision delays once disruption feels real
Installer takeaway:
BUS gives you volume and a way into homeowner-led sales, but it’s not a guaranteed pipeline. Winning here depends on confidence-building and good customer journeys, not just being listed.
Compliance and certification aren’t a “tick-box” they’re how you win trust
Able-to-pay customers shop differently from ECO referrals. They don’t assume you’re approved. They look for proof.
And the market is tightening.
Key certifications that matter now:
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MCS certification (mandatory for BUS, and increasingly expected for heat pumps, PV and batteries)
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MIS 3005 heat pump standards (design + install rules installers are audited against)
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Customer protection and installer operating requirements are now much more explicit under MCS 2025 frameworks.
Ofgem also confirms its compliance posture is rising:
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1,200+ audits carried out in scheme year 2024/25
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935 investigations closed
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more targeted compliance activity planned
Installer takeaway:
In the able-to-pay, your compliance system is part of your product. The installers who communicate certification clearly and explain “why it protects you as a homeowner” are the ones who close at higher ticket prices.
Competition is intensifying, so narrow your positioning before you scale
The able-to-pay market feels exciting, but it is not a level playing field.
You’re competing against:
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incumbent heating firms pivoting into heat pumps
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national “one-stop retrofit” brands
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EPC/solar lead-gen giants
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new MCS entrants chasing BUS budgets
And Ofgem shows the market concentration is real:
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Top 10 BUS installers account for 31% of all applications
Installer takeaway:
If you step into the able-to-pay with the same “we do everything for everyone” offer, you’ll get drowned out. Positioning matters more than ever.
Examples of strong, able-to-pay positioning we’re seeing work:
“Heat pump upgrades for off-gas rural homes”
“Solar + battery packages for high-use families”
“End-to-end retrofit for self-builders”
“Heat pumps for PRS landlords and blocks”
Follow the demand hotspots; some regions are miles ahead
Your sales strategy should be tailored to where installs are already scaling and scoping out gaps in the market.
Ofgem’s BUS regional breakdown shows the strongest regions for BUS installs are:
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South East England – 20.0% of BUS installs
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South West England – 17.9%
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East of England – 13.6%
This lines up with known stock patterns: higher owner-occupancy, more detached/off-gas properties, and faster retrofit adoption in the South and rural areas.
Installer takeaway:
Able-to-pay growth is regional first, national second.
If you operate in high-uptake areas, double down on conversion.
If you’re in low-uptake areas, you’ll need education-led marketing to unlock demand.
Homeowners don’t buy “tech.” They buy reassurance, so fix your user journey
Nesta’s research into heat pump adoption is a goldmine here.
Across homeowner surveys and community insight, the same themes keep coming up:
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People want simple, trusted explanations
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Clear answers on cost and bill impact
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Confidence about noise, disruption space, and suitability
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Proof that installers are reputable and accountable
Meanwhile, Nesta’s installer survey points to the friction on your side:
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certification complexity
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lead quality issues
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time lost educating unready customers
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need for better tools and smoother pathways
Installer takeaway:
Able-to-pay isn’t just a pricing change; it’s a journey change.
You’re moving from “referral install” to a consultative sale.
That requires:
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A website that answers homeowner fears upfront
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A sales process that filters curiosity vs readiness
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Proof, case studies and finance clarity early
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Follow-up systems that keep people moving
What changes in able-to-pay: Website standards & sales process
Your website stops being a brochure and starts being a salesperson
Able-to-pay customers need:
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clear pricing anchors (even ranges)
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“Is my home suitable?” explainers
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running cost guidance
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noise/disruption myth-busting
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MCS and TrustMark credibility signposting
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strong proof (reviews, case studies, before/after)
If you don’t answer those questions, they won’t enquire, or they’ll enquire and stall.
Sales shifts from quoting to guiding
ECO workflows are often:
lead to survey to install
Able-to-pay is more like:
interest to education to qualification to trust-building to deal
That means:
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Qualification calls
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Nurturing sequences
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Finance conversations
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CRM pipelines that track intent
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Consistency across the team
The installers who win here feel less like a trades business and more like a trusted advisor.
How Elcap helps ECO installers transition without losing momentum
At Elcap, we’re strategists, UX designers, website specialists, brand strategists and creatives and we’re also HubSpot CRM partners.
We’ve supported renewable and wider energy installers through these transitions before, especially moving from subsidy-led pipelines into confident, able-to-pay growth.
We help with:
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Positioning and offer strategy for homeowner markets
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High converting websites and UX journeys
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Brand trust systems for high-ticket installs
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HubSpot CRM setup, pipelines and automation
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Sales enablement: scripts, templates, sequences, training
If your business is thinking, “we need to evolve but don’t want to risk the pipeline,” that’s exactly the moment to start.
Book a chat with us here:
https://www.elcap.agency/meetings/madeline-o-brien
