MCS closed a consultation on proposed changes to financial protection on 19 May 2025, following a four-week window that opened on 25 April 20251. The subject of the consultation was "Requirements for Appropriate Financial Protection", a document that will set the MCS requirements for consumer financial protection in the small-scale renewables sector1.
MCS invited comments from financial protection providers, installers and consumer groups, with a deadline of 10.00am on Monday 19 May 2025 for submitting feedback forms1. The new document is informed by findings from MCS's Consumer Protection in Small-scale Renewables report in 2022 and from the Redeveloped Installer Scheme consultation1.
The consultation forms part of a wider overhaul of MCS consumer protection requirements. Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS, said the response would be released soon:
"This is why, as part of the redeveloped MCS, we are overhauling our requirements for consumer protection. This includes proposed changes to financial protections, which was the subject of a consultation that closed in May. The response to this consultation will be released soon, collating our findings."
The consultation sits alongside wider government policy on solar deployment. On Monday 30 June 2025, the UK government published its Solar Roadmap, which sets out a plan to deliver 45-47GW of solar by 20302. The roadmap was developed through industry collaboration led by the Solar Taskforce, of which Rippin was a member2. It calls for a "rooftop revolution" throughout the UK, driven by initiatives such as the Future Homes Standard and Warm Homes Plan2.
MCS reported that the solar sector could support up to 35,000 jobs by 2030, double the current number2. Its data shows that in the five years from June 2020 to June 2025, the number of MCS certified solar PV contractors increased by more than 250% to reach 4,222 in total, with the start of 2025 showing the best opening quarter for certified solar installations in more than a decade2.
Why it matters for households
Financial protection requirements determine what recourse a household has if an installer ceases trading or work is left incomplete. The consultation covers the rules that MCS certified installers must meet on this front, and the outcome will shape the protections available to households buying small-scale renewables through the scheme1. The installer schemes and consumer codes landscape includes several bodies, and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code and the HIES Consumer Code set their own deposit and guarantee protections. For households in Scotland and Northern Ireland, separate registration and protection arrangements apply.
The Solar Roadmap's target of 45-47GW by 2030 implies a substantial increase in domestic installations, which raises the number of households exposed to installer risk2. MCS has stated that adequate protections are critical as the industry scales2. The detail of what the new requirements will contain has not been reported beyond the consultation document itself.
What happens next
MCS has said the response to the consultation will be released soon, collating its findings2. No date for publication has been given.
Sources2 cited
- MCS launches financial protection consultation - MCS, mcscertified.com
- MCS responds to the government’s Solar Roadmap announcement - MCS, mcscertified.com