MCS announced on 26 January 2022 that it is making fundamental changes to its Heat Pump Standard, dividing the existing standard into two. The existing Heat Pump Standard, MIS 3005, will be split into one standard for heat pump design (MIS 3005-D) and one for heat pump installation (MIS 3005-I)1. The changes follow the closure of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (DRHI) on 31 st March 2022 and will be mandatory from 1 st April 20221.
MCS said the split is intended to make the market more accessible, letting installers focus on either heat pump design or heat pump installation according to their skillsets, and to facilitate a predicted increase in contractors who can install heat pumps and work alongside independent heat pump designers1. The scheme set out several consequences for its installers from 1 st April 20221:
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Companies certified for both design and installation | May remain as they are, or switch to certified designer (MIS 3005-D) or installer (MIS 3005-I) at their next certification surveillance assessment |
| Registration on the MCS Microgeneration Installation Database (MID) | Any contractor, design or installer, who holds the customer contract can register a system |
| Compliance certificates | Required as part of the DRHI; no longer required as it closes in March 2022 |
| Designers | Can work to the new standard straight away, even if installations are completed before the old standard is withdrawn |
Existing heat pump contractors are not affected by the new standards, as by default they are certified for both heat pump design and installation, and those certifications carry over until their next certification surveillance assessment, when installers can choose to be certified for design, installation, or both1.
Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, said:
"This is a positive outcome for installers as we approach the end of the DRHI. The diversification of the new Heat Pump Standards will enable the industry to deliver the best service for customers and accommodate contractors who wish to streamline their skillset."
He added that the change reflects the market and is a move in the right direction as MCS looks to encourage more installers into low-carbon heating and increase the adoption of heat pumps in UK homes and non-domestic buildings1. MCS is a quality assurance scheme supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), providing the framework for certification of microgeneration technologies that produce electricity and heat from low carbon sources1.
Why it matters for households
The standard behind a heat pump installation is what a householder relies on when checking that a system has been specified and fitted to a recognised benchmark. Splitting design from installation means the two stages can sit with different certified businesses, so a home's system may be designed by one MCS-certified designer and installed by another. The Heat Pump Standards, Testing and Certification route is how a householder can establish which standard a business holds, and the wider MCS Installation Standards set out how certification works across technologies.
The change lands at the same moment as the DRHI closes, and MCS states that compliance certificates, previously required under that scheme, will no longer be required1. For a household, that removes a document that once sat alongside a subsidised installation. The register of systems remains: any contractor holding the customer contract, whether designer or installer, can register a system on the MCS Microgeneration Installation Database1. A correctly sized and designed system is central to a home's energy independence, because performance depends on the design decisions made before any equipment is fitted. The UK heat pump policy and targets context sets out the wider rules in play.
What happens next
The new standards are mandatory from 1 st April 2022, the day after the DRHI closes on 31 st March 20221. Designers can work to the new standard straight away1. Existing certified contractors keep their dual certification until their next certification surveillance assessment, when they choose whether to be certified for design, installation, or both1. MCS has not reported a date by which the old standard is withdrawn beyond the 1 st April 2022 mandatory date.
Sources1 cited
- MCS announces key changes to its Heat Pump Standard - MCS, mcscertified.com