MCS, the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, is transitioning to the Redeveloped Installer Scheme over the next 18 months, the scheme body said on 5 March 2025. MCS describes the change as making certification more accessible and helping more installers meet industry standards1.
The announcement came with figures showing MCS now has over 5,250 contractors certified under the Scheme, the highest number since it began in 20081. MCS said contractor numbers had dropped from nearly 5,000 in 2012 to just 1,700 in 2019 following the closure of the Feed-in Tariff, and that it has since been certifying around 700 new businesses each year1.
In 2024, 1,443 installers gained certification across a range of renewable technologies1. Solar PV saw the largest rise, with 718 contractors certified during the year, bringing the total to over 4,000. Heat pump certification grew by 387 contractors, taking the total to over 2,000, while battery storage added 332 contractors, also taking that total to over 2,000. Three contractors gained certification in the small wind sector1.
Installation figures for 2024 and early 2025 were also given. Heat pump installations reached a record 60,000 last year, a 43% jump from 2023. For battery storage, January 2025 was a record month, exceeding 2,600 installations, a 176% increase compared to January 20241. Ryse Energy's G-11 wind turbine became the first MCS certified wind product on the Scheme in three years1.
"MCS is transitioning to the Redeveloped Installer Scheme over the next 18 months, making certification more accessible and helping more installers meet industry standards"
Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, said the year-on-year growth in certified contractors reflected the continued expansion of the UK's small-scale renewables sector and increasing confidence in MCS certification1. Craig Haycock, founder of certified contractor Craig Michael Renewables, said the business became certified for both solar PV and battery storage knowing that MCS certification, as a mark of quality, would give customers confidence in its installations1.
Why it matters for households
MCS certification is the quality mark that sits behind much of the UK's household renewable installation market, and it is the route by which installers can register work for government-backed schemes. For a household weighing up solar panels, a heat pump or battery storage, the number of certified contractors in each technology is a rough measure of how much choice exists locally, and the totals reported here show solar PV and battery storage each passing 4,000 and 2,000 certified contractors respectively, with heat pumps also above 2,0001. The MCS scheme explained page sets out what certification covers, and MCS certification for solar PV covers the solar route specifically. Households comparing certification routes for home renewables can read MCS vs Flexi-Orb, and those in Wales can read using an installer in Wales. The transition to the Redeveloped Installer Scheme is intended to widen the pool of certified installers, which bears on how easy it is to find one and how quickly work can be booked. MCS has not reported what the new scheme will require of installers, what it will cost them, or whether existing certificates carry over unchanged.
What happens next
The transition to the Redeveloped Installer Scheme is set to run over the next 18 months from the 5 March 2025 announcement, which places its completion in late 20261. No further dates, eligibility details or fee information have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- MCS Hits Record Number of Certified Contractors - MCS, mcscertified.com