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 have a process in place to ensure and demonstrate that you meet the requirements as stated in MCS 001-1 4.1 Quality Management systems: “Contractor shall operate a Quality Management System (QMS) which ensures every installation meets MCS requirements as described in the relevant MCS Installation Standard. This system shall be proportionate with the needs of the contractor’s MCS business size and activities.”

Your QMS doesn’t need to be paper based or electronic as long as you can demonstrate you meet the above requirements. If you opt for the paper/electronic option, a template is available in Section 7 – Resources for installers to help you build your own.

Whether your Quality Management System is paper based or electronic, it should include details of how it is updated. A template Quality Management System is available in Section 7 – Resources for installers.

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 MCS 001-1 Standard document describes the requirements that MCS contractors need to meet at an organisational level.

The MCS 001-2 Standard document describes the process that certification bodies must follow to ensure the compliance of MCS contractors with the scheme requirements.

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