A change to a European standard that took effect in September 2023 meant fire test laboratories could no longer issue a fire classification for roof integrated solar systems, MCS has said1. The certification body reported that its Solar Mounting Working Group became aware of the change in late 20231.
MCS said the issue affects both its installer and manufacturer base and is potentially damaging to the industry1. It convened meetings with representatives from the Building Safety Regulator, the Northern Irish, Welsh and Scottish governments, fire test laboratories and BSI, and sent a letter to Alex Norris MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)1. The letter had the support of 25 signatories from across industry, including trade bodies, distributors, manufacturers, installers, certification bodies, testing facilities and members of the MCS Technical Working Groups1.
"This change meant that fire test laboratories were no longer in a position to issue a fire classification for roof integrated solar systems."
The MCS team and the chair of the FSH 22/8 committee, BSI's committee for fire resistance tests for external fire exposure for roofs, met MHCLG and the Health and Safety Executive in January1. That meeting discussed changes to Approved Document B and BS EN 17825 and the impact on industry1. MCS said the regulatory and standards changes are already set, and that the group highlighted the need for a dedicated testing standard for solar products to complete a fire test and gain a fire classification1. MCS described this as a long-term aim and said developing a standard is not a quick solution1.
As an interim measure, MCS said it will develop a guidance document for industry use, intended to give testing laboratories a means of applying the TS 1187:2012 test to solar products and subsequently gain a fire classification1. MCS said it expects the information in the guidance document to help inform the dedicated standard1.
Why it matters for households
A fire classification is part of how a roof integrated system is shown to meet building requirements, so a gap in the route to that classification affects what can be specified and signed off on a roof. For a householder, the practical effect sits with roof-integrated solar rather than panels mounted on top of an existing roof covering, and it is separate from the electrical side of a system covered by solar PV fire and electrical safety. The distinction between the two mounting approaches is set out in roof-integrated vs on-roof solar.
The wider effect is on the pace at which roof integrated products can be certified and installed, which MCS linked to the UK's deployment of solar PV1. Nothing in the MCS update states that existing installations are affected, and no product has been named as losing a classification. The update does not report which specific European standard changed, nor which products or manufacturers hold classifications issued before September 2023.
What happens next
On 12 March, MCS is meeting face-to-face with the chair of the FSH 22/8 committee and various testing laboratories to start development of the guidance document1. A follow-up meeting with MHCLG and HSE has been scheduled for early April to discuss progress on the guidance document and to continue work on the proposed solutions1. MCS invited additional fire testing laboratories interested in joining the 12 March meeting to email meetings@mcscertified.com1. MCS said it will continue to provide updates to industry1. The update does not give a date for publication of the guidance document or for any dedicated testing standard.
Sources1 cited
- MCS update on solar PV module fire classification challenges - MCS, mcscertified.com