MCS, the standards organisation for small-scale domestic renewable energy and heating across the UK, has announced a second phase of its Data Dashboard, one year after the platform launched in November 2022. The updates are set to be released in early 20241.
The dashboard draws on the MCS Installations Database (MID), which MCS says holds the details of every MCS certified, small-scale renewable energy installation in the UK since 20081. Data is updated every 24 hours, and there are now almost 3,500 registered users, described by MCS as predominantly researchers, consumers and installers1. The MCS Data Dashboard is free to use.
Phase 2 will add three things. Users will be able to view changes to the overall base of MCS certified contractors over time since 2008; they will be able to view uptake of battery storage technologies, which will be added to the scope of the dashboard; and timeline sliders, currently used to view changes in installation volumes and uptake for each certified technology, will be updated so that all data can be viewed by both month and year1. MCS says the phase will also include improvements to user experience and aesthetics, and an expansion of the data provided and how it can be filtered1.
Adam Padilla, MCS Scheme Analyst, said:
"The MCS Data Dashboard remains the most comprehensive repository of data on small-scale renewables in the UK and we are proud to share our data with the public completely free of charge."
The announcement follows a survey of the dashboard's user base, which MCS says informed the planned updates1. MCS describes Phase 2 as the first of a planned series of iterative updates1. No figures for installation volumes, contractor numbers or battery storage uptake were given in the announcement, and no specific release date within early 2024 has been reported1.
Why it matters for households
The dashboard is one of the few public, free sources of installation-level data on small-scale renewables in UK homes, and it is updated daily1. For a household weighing up a heat pump, solar panels or a battery, the practical value lies in what the data shows about how many installations of each type are happening, and where. The MCS installation statistics drawn from the same database underpin much of the public picture of domestic renewable uptake, and the local authority breakdown shows how that activity is distributed across the country.
Two of the Phase 2 additions bear directly on household decisions. Battery storage has not previously been within the dashboard's scope, so the home battery storage installation statistics available through it will be new1. Contractor numbers over time since 2008 speak to the supply side of the market, which affects how easy it is to find a certified installer. Month-level granularity, rather than year alone, will make short-term shifts in uptake visible1.
The dashboard sits alongside other public data on domestic energy upgrades, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics covering vouchers and applications. The wider market data set is published by MCS and other bodies; the installers and retailers side of the site covers how certification works in practice.
What happens next
Phase 2 is set to be released in early 2024, described by MCS as Q1 next year1. Registration for the dashboard is free and open ahead of the updates1. No further dates have been announced.
Sources1 cited
- The MCS Data Dashboard - One year on! - MCS, mcscertified.com