HETAS Registration for Stove, Biomass and Solid Fuel Installers

A HETAS registered installer is a tradesperson enrolled in the only competent person scheme specialising in the installation of solid fuel and biomass appliances¹. Registration lets them self-certify that their own work meets the building regulations, which means the householder does not have to make a separate building control application for a stove, a solid fuel boiler or a biomass appliance. HETAS describes itself as the only specialist organisation approving biomass and solid fuel heating appliances, fuels and services².

The scheme is voluntary. Installers sign up because it lets them certify their own work; those who do not join must route every notifiable job through a building control body instead². For a household, the practical effect is simple: a registered installer handles the paperwork and the notification, and issues a certificate at the end. An unregistered fitter leaves all of that with you.

The competent person scheme for solid fuel and biomass

HETAS, the Heating Equipment Testing and Approvals Scheme, is the only competent person scheme specialising in the installation of solid fuel and biomass appliances¹. Competent person schemes exist across the building trades as a way for tradespeople to prove their ability to carry out certain work to required standards, instead of the householder applying for building regulations approval⁴. HETAS sits alongside schemes such as APHC, BESCA, Certsure, NAPIT and OFTEC, which cover renewable technologies including heat pumps⁶.

Registration is not a licence to trade. Membership of a competent person scheme is voluntary, and installers who do not join can still use local council or private inspectors for their jobs³. What registration buys is the right to self-certify: an installer registered with a scheme can confirm that their own work complies with building standards, and the scheme operator handles the notification to the local authority⁴. Schemes have different application processes and fees, and an installer's work is assessed to check they meet the level of competence required before approval, with ongoing inspections yearly for the first two years³.

For solid fuel and biomass work specifically, HETAS is the specialist route. HETAS also operates approval of the appliances, fuels and services themselves, so the name appears both on products and on installers, a distinction covered on our page on what the different HETAS logos mean. A household hiring for a wood burning stove, a multifuel appliance or a biomass boiler is dealing with a scheme whose entire scope is this trade¹.

Building regulations and why they cover stove and biomass fitting

Installing a biomass appliance is work to which the building regulations apply⁷. The same is true of stove work more broadly: the regulations probably apply if you want to provide services or fittings in a building, including fuel burning appliances of any type⁵. The installation or extension of a service or fitting controlled under the regulations amounts to building work as defined in regulation 3 of the building regulations⁸.

The reason is safety and performance. A solid fuel appliance involves combustion, a flue and carbon monoxide risk, so the work touches on fire safety, air supply and ventilation. The regulations also require that works must not make other fabric, services and fittings less compliant than they were before, or dangerous⁸. A stove installation is therefore not a like-for-like DIY job in the eyes of the law: it is controlled work that must be shown to comply.

In Northern Ireland the position is stated in similar terms: the installation of wood burning and multifuel stoves, or any solid fuel appliance, is work that is "controlled" under the Building Regulations, as is the relining or installation of flues and chimneys associated with such heat producing appliances⁹.

Where a biomass stove was installed under the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive, the scheme's own rules added requirements on top: the appliance had to be designed and installed to burn wood pellets only, with a liquid-filled heat exchanger enclosed within it¹⁰. That is an example of how a grant scheme can tighten what counts as a compliant installation beyond the building regulations alone.

Self-certification by registered installers: its scope and limits

The principle of self-certification is set out in official guidance: if you employ a registered installer with the relevant competencies to carry out the work, they should be able to self-certify the work without the need for close involvement of building control¹¹. For boiler work, the guidance is specific about who should be registered: for a solid fuel fired boiler, an installer should be registered with one of the relevant Competent Person Schemes, and the same applies to oil fired boilers¹².

The limit is equally specific. A HETAS registered installer can only notify work they have carried out themselves². This closes off two shortcuts that householders sometimes hope for: a registered installer cannot certify a job that someone else did, and registration does not let an installer vouch for work outside their own competencies.

Where the installer is not registered, the burden shifts to the householder or the firm. The installer cannot self-certify, and the firm or the householder must give notice to the local authority of the intention to carry out the boiler work in advance and pay a notification fee¹². Comparable guidance for heat pump work makes the same point: before work begins the installer must either notify the local authority or arrange for a registered building control approver to oversee the work¹³.

The two routes sit side by side, and the table below shows what each involves for the householder.

Completion certificates and their role in property sales

When work is complete you will receive a certificate showing the work was done by a registered installer¹⁵. Under the competent person scheme rules, the installer gives you a certificate within 8 weeks of completion, which can be used as evidence of compliance, and it will also show up in solicitors' searches if you come to sell your home⁴. Competent person schemes also carry insurance-backed warranties and complaints procedures if there is a problem with the work⁴.

The certificate matters at sale because conveyancing asks for it. Official guidance on registering energy devices advises that a Building Regulations Completion Certificate from the installation contractor for notifiable work should be provided upon selling the property¹⁶. A missing certificate for a stove installation is the kind of gap a buyer's solicitor will flag, and it can delay a sale until the work is regularised.

Before the appliance is even used, there is a shorter checklist.

• Notice Plate: the record of the appliance and flue, fixed near the installation²
• Carbon monoxide alarm: fitted as part of the installation²
• Manufacturer's instructions: the maker's own operating and maintenance documents²

The certificate may take weeks to arrive; these items are there on the day.

One further document rule applies where the installation involved electrical work: a qualified installer, regardless of whether they are registered or not, should give a signed BS 7671 electrical safety certificate for all types of electrical work¹⁷.

If the certificate received is incorrect, there is a correction route: if the installation is less than 6 months old and the installer is still HETAS registered, the installer is contacted to request a new certificate; otherwise the HETAS support team handles it².

Servicing and boiler notification under the Approved Biomass Maintenance Scheme

HETAS runs a second scheme aimed at maintenance rather than installation. The HETAS Approved Biomass Maintenance scheme recognises competent maintenance businesses and individuals who can carry out manufacturers' required appliance maintenance¹. HETAS has launched this registration scheme for engineers to demonstrate competency in the servicing and maintenance of domestic and commercial biomass appliances¹.

The purpose is partly about proof. Engineers registered on the scheme can meet the requirements placed on commercial, non-domestic RHI recipients to prove their appliance is properly maintained¹. Under the Domestic RHI, biomass participants faced metering and ongoing obligations administered by Ofgem, and the scheme name for biomass installer metering questions was the Domestic RHI¹⁸. The Domestic RHI essential guide set the same eligibility conditions for biomass stoves: designed and installed to burn wood pellets only, providing heat using a liquid-filled heat exchanger enclosed within it¹⁹.

For a household with a biomass boiler, the practical reading is this: installation registration and maintenance registration are separate things. An installer who fitted the boiler is not automatically the person registered to service it, and evidence of proper maintenance can matter both for warranty terms and for any incentive scheme conditions that apply to the appliance.

Verifying an installer's registration and obtaining quotes

Checking registration comes before any contract is signed. HETAS's own consumer guidance covers verification, and the correction route above shows HETAS can confirm an installer's status even after the event². More widely, official guidance on funded schemes suggests searching a competent person register, such as TrustMark, to find an installer who will assess your circumstances and property to identify suitable measures²⁰, and for renewable technologies, using the government-endorsed Microgeneration Certification Scheme to find certified installers²¹.

On quotes, HETAS is direct:

Three quotes let you compare the scope of the proposed work, not just the headline price. Our pages on getting installation quotes and comparing quotes cover what a quote must show.

One scheme rule worth knowing when checking: under the Green Homes Wales loan terms, the installer must be registered, meaning registered with TrustMark and the relevant body for the relevant type of measure, and must not be the borrower, a member of the borrower's household or immediate family²². Funded schemes can also require the installer to remain registered until the installation work has been completed²².

If an installer turns out never to have been registered, our guide on how to report an installer who is not HETAS registered sets out the steps.

Who bears responsibility for non-compliant work

The starting point is that ensuring home improvements comply with building regulations is the homeowner's responsibility²³. The Planning Portal states the position plainly for England: if you are the owner of the building, it is ultimately you who may be served with an enforcement notice if the work does not comply with the regulations⁵. The same wording applies in Wales²⁴. If you are employing a builder, the responsibility will usually be theirs, but this is confirmed at the very beginning⁵.

The division of duties is set out in official guidance for England and Wales: the installation contractor has a responsibility to ensure the work complies with building regulations, but the energy device owner may also have a responsibility and could be served with an enforcement notice in cases of non-compliance¹⁶. Installers registered with a competent person scheme both notify the local authority of the work and issue a certificate of compliance with Building Regulations, either directly or through their scheme operator²⁵. Where an installer does not adhere to building regulations, the local authority may serve an enforcement notice²⁶.

The consequence of non-compliance is not theoretical. You may have to correct the work or pay a fine if building regulations are not followed⁴. Many jobs in the home need to be notified to and approved as compliant by a Building Control Body, either your Local Authority Building Control or a private sector Approved Inspector, unless carried out by installers registered with a competent person scheme¹⁴. That is the whole reason registration matters to a householder: it moves the compliance machinery onto the installer's side of the table, but it never removes your ultimate exposure as owner.

HETAS versus TrustMark: distinct roles explained

HETAS and TrustMark are easily confused because both involve registration and both appear in grant rules, but they do different jobs. HETAS is a trade-specific competent person scheme for solid fuel and biomass work¹. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality framework that sits across many trades, and funded schemes increasingly require it. Under ECO4 guidance, measures should be installed by or under the responsibility of a TrustMark registered installer and have a relevant certificate of lodgement²⁷. The Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2026 require that a boiler or central heating system is installed by, or under the responsibility of, a person who is registered with TrustMark, with a certificate of lodgement issued by the operator of TrustMark²⁸. Earlier guidance made the same point for the Green Homes Grant: installation contractors had to be TrustMark registered to qualify¹⁶.

TrustMark itself has been under parliamentary scrutiny. A committee report records that neither TrustMark nor DESNZ have been able to provide minutes of meetings which took place between 2022 and 2024, and that as of November 2025, 22 installers had been fully reinstated after meeting requirements on TrustMark's robust six-point plan, including full remediation of the problems identified²⁹. That is context rather than a reason to avoid the framework, but it shows registration schemes are administered bodies, not guarantees.

For a stove installation, the practical position is that HETAS registration is what allows self-certification of the building regulations aspect, while TrustMark registration is what grant and loan schemes tend to demand. Our page on TrustMark registered businesses covers that scheme in full.

Rule variations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

In England and Wales, it is a legal requirement to notify any solid fuel installation to the relevant Local Authority Building Control, either via a competent person scheme such as HETAS or directly to the council². That notification duty is the same in both nations, and the owner liability wording is identical: in Wales as in England, it is ultimately the owner who may be served with an enforcement notice if the work does not comply²⁴.

In Northern Ireland, the framework is separate. The installation of wood burning and multifuel stoves, or any solid fuel appliance, is controlled work under the Northern Ireland Building Regulations, as is the relining or installation of flues and chimneys associated with such heat producing appliances⁹. Our page on using an installer in Northern Ireland covers that system.

Scotland runs its own building standards system with building warrants rather than the English and Welsh notification model; see using an installer in Scotland.

Two related rules also vary by place and circumstance. Electrical work in homes and gardens in England and Wales falls under the Building Regulations, with most work requiring either an installer registered with a competent person scheme or approval from a Building Control body³⁰. And in a conservation area or a World Heritage site, a flue should not be fitted on the principal or side elevation if it would be visible from a highway³¹. Neither is a HETAS rule, but both can affect a stove project.

The benefits and limits of registration for households

Registration buys a household three things. First, compliance without a separate application: a registered installer self-certifies, and you do not have to get a local council or a private approved building inspector to check the work³. Second, paperwork that travels: a certificate within 8 weeks of completion, usable as evidence and visible in solicitors' searches when you sell⁴. Third, recourse: insurance-backed warranties and complaints procedures if there is a problem with the work⁴.

What it does not buy is immunity. Registration is voluntary, so an unregistered fitter can lawfully do the work if it is properly notified to building control in advance, with a fee¹². A registered installer can only notify work they have carried out themselves². And if the work does not comply, it is ultimately the building owner who may be served with an enforcement notice, and you may have to correct the work or pay a fine⁵.

For energy independence, a solid fuel or biomass appliance is one of the few heating choices that reduces dependence on the gas grid and on a single energy supplier: fuel can be stocked in advance and burned regardless of power cuts to the grid. The dependence that remains is on the fuel supply chain, on the installer's competence, and on the manufacturer's appliance and warranty. Registration addresses the middle of those three. It says nothing about the fuel you burn or the maker's terms, and a household weighing a stove treats the certificate as one piece of a larger picture, alongside our guide to installers, retailers and household energy independence.