MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) published the outcome of its consultation on 5 October 2023 and confirmed it will redevelop the scheme, with new Standards and associated documents to be published before the end of 2023 and the redeveloped scheme launching in summer 20241.
The six-week consultation ran from 5 June until 17 July and received hundreds of responses from across the sector, of which over 50 per cent came from installers of renewable energy and heating technologies1. MCS said the majority of its proposals gained support, including restructuring the scheme to place consumer protection at its heart, simplifying scheme documents to make MCS more accessible to contractors, refining MCS Installation Standards to become solely technical requirements, and removing the mandatory requirement to purchase insurance-backed guarantees (IBGs)1.
Assessment of contractors is to change. MCS said it will determine how often each contractor is assessed based on a number of indicators of risk, and that assessments will in future focus on the delivered quality of systems as installed, rather than the quality of back-office paperwork as seen historically1. MCS also said it will take ownership of complaints and dispute management for the sector, and will launch what it describes as an industry first project, proactively contacting every consumer with an MCS certified installation to measure satisfaction1.
MCS chief executive Ian Rippin said some proposals would not be taken forward:
"Some proposals won't be taken forward as the sector has made it clear they don't fully address the challenges we had highlighted in the consultation, but we will now work to find different solutions to better address these issues."
The consultation covered nine proposals in total, and MCS said the outcome of all nine is available alongside the scheme documentation1. The published announcement does not set out which individual proposals were dropped, nor the reasons given by respondents; those details have not been reported in the announcement itself1.
Why it matters for households
MCS certification is the route by which small-scale renewable installations, such as solar panels and heat pumps, are certified and, in practice, the route by which many households access government support schemes and installer warranties. The MCS Installation Standards: MIS 3001, MIS 3002 and the Rest sit at the centre of what an installer is required to do, and the proposal to make them solely technical requirements would change what those documents cover.
Two changes bear directly on a household's position after an installation. Removing the mandatory requirement to purchase insurance-backed guarantees would alter the consumer protection that has historically accompanied a certified job, and MCS taking ownership of complaints and dispute management would move the handling of disputes away from the individual contractor. The plan to contact every consumer with an MCS certified installation to measure satisfaction would create, for the first time, a systematic record of how installed systems perform in homes rather than how contractors keep their paperwork.
The wider context is set out in the regulation and policy coverage, and the practical effect on the firms doing the work is covered under installers and retailers.
What happens next
MCS said the new scheme, Standards and associated documents and processes will be published before the end of 20231. Following a period of transition, the redeveloped scheme will launch in summer 20241. The announcement does not give dates within that transition period, and no further timetable has been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- MCS announces plans for future redevelopment - MCS, mcscertified.com