Simply Certification has been appointed as a contractor certification body (CB) by MCS, the standards organisation for small-scale domestic renewable energy and heating across the UK, the scheme announced on 19 June 2023. The company became UKAS (UK Accreditation Service) accredited in April to assess contractors to MCS standards1.
It is the second CB appointed by MCS since 2022, and now offers MCS certification alongside APHC, NICEIC, HETAS, OFTEC, NAPIT and the IAA1. Simply Certification is licensed under MCS to deliver assessments for air source heat pumps (ASHP), ground and water source heat pumps (G/WSHP), solar PV and solar heating technologies1. Its client base of more than 200 construction organisations, and new clients it attracts, can now gain MCS certification to install low-carbon technologies1.
Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, said:
Alexandra Gates, managing director at Simply Certification, said the company had put in place an MCS assessor infrastructure with "a wide-reaching base of assessors stretching from Scotland down to the Isle of Wight"1. Richard Wiffen, scheme manager at Simply Certification, said the business delivers a range of ISO standards as well as PAS 2030 and now MCS certification1.
MCS certification is the route by which installers of solar PV and heat pumps demonstrate compliance with recognised standards, and it sits within the wider framework of heating appliance standards and certification and the work of standards and certification bodies.
Why it matters for households
MCS certification is the scheme under which domestic renewable installations are assessed against published standards, and it is the certification that sits behind installer listings and warranty and grant eligibility routes. A household choosing an installer is, in practice, relying on that certification chain: the installer is assessed by a certification body, and the certification body is itself accredited by UKAS to carry out those assessments1.
The practical effect of a new entrant is on the supply side rather than the technical standard. MCS describes the appointment as broadening its selection of certification bodies and increasing choice for contractors seeking certification1. More certification capacity does not by itself change what is installed in a home, but it affects how many contractors can hold the certification that households and grant schemes look for.
Simply Certification states that its assessors cover an area from Scotland to the Isle of Wight, and that it works with more than 200 construction organisations1. The announcement does not set out any change to the standards themselves, to assessment requirements, or to the cost of certification for contractors. No figures on fees, assessment timescales or installer numbers have been reported1.
What happens next
MCS said Simply Certification joins as it launches its Scheme Redevelopment Consultation, which invites views on proposals to transform the way the scheme operates1. The announcement does not give a closing date for that consultation, nor a date for when any changes would take effect. Those details have not been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- Simply Certification becomes the newest MCS certification body - MCS, mcscertified.com