MCS ensures a quality installation which meets the industry design and installation standards, giving customers confidence in a quality installation and after-sales service.

Becoming MCS certified provides your customers access to Government financial support, including interest-free loans and cash-back incentives. You and your customers will also have ‘peace of mind’ that you are technically competent to carry out the installation.

You will also get a marketing presence on the MCS Find a Contractor search tool and Energy Saving Trust’s Renewable Installer Finder (RIF) tool. Home Energy Scotland advisors signpost to the RIF tool as a place for customers to search for renewable energy contractors. Customers can also leave reviews of work done by installers to help others find businesses.

There are four essential elements to becoming an MCS certified contractor. These are:

• A commitment to quality workmanship
• A commitment to customer care
• Demonstration of competency.

As an MCS contractor, you will need to:

• demonstrate compliance with the MCS Installation Standard relevant to the technology. For heat pumps it will be MIS 3005 (D & I).
• demonstrate compliance with the Pre-sale Information and System Performance Estimate Standard relevant to each technology that you wish to design and/or install, to be used in conjunction with MIS 3005 (D & I).
• adhere to the Installer Operating Requirements, which include implementing the necessary processes and controls within your business, to consistently deliver quality installations for your customers.
• abide by the Customer Commitment, ensuring that you provide the highest levels of customer care and protection.
• sign and operate under your Installer Agreement, which places contractual obligations on you to adhere to scheme requirements.’

A heat pump installation must be designed and installed following MCS Standards, specifically The Heat Pump Standard – Design (MIS3005-D) and The Heat Pump Standard – Installation (MIS3005-I). 

MCS covers the requirements for contractors undertaking the supply, design, installation, set to work, commissioning and handover of the following microgeneration technologies:

• heat pumps (including air source and ground/water source heat pumps)
• battery storage
• biomass
• micro CHP
• solar photovoltaic
• solar heating
• small wind turbine

The Installer Operating Requirements describe the requirements that MCS contractors need to meet at an organisational level. The Customer Commitment outlines an installer’s responsibility to protect consumers and adhere to consumer protection laws, ensuring customers are treated fairly. Conformity Assessment Guidelines defines how certification bodies conduct compliance assessments to ensure the compliance of MCS contractors with the scheme requirements.

(MCS 001‑1 and MCS 001‑2 have been replaced by Installer Operating Requirements – how installers gain and maintain certification, Customer Commitment – consumer protection requirements and Conformity Assessment Guidelines – defining how Certification Bodies conduct compliance assessments under the redeveloped scheme).

Find out more about becoming MCS certified and if you have any questions, please contact the MCS Helpdesk on 0333 103 8130 or mcshelpdesk@mcscertified.com