How to Become MCS Certified

Ways to Become MCS Certified

There are three main pathways into MCS, each suited to a different stage of your renewables journey.​

1. Employment with an MCS-certified company
2. Sub-contracting under an MCS Umbrella Scheme
3. Applying for your own MCS certification

The route you choose will depend on your experience, confidence with design and compliance paperwork, and how quickly you want to scale your renewables work.​

1. Employment with an MCS installer

Seeking employment with an existing MCS-certified business is often the lowest-risk way to get started, especially if you are newly qualified. As an employed engineer, you work under the company’s MCS procedures and quality management system, with senior staff taking responsibility for design sign-off, documentation and audits.​

To be attractive to employers, you will usually need a recognised Level 3 renewables qualification in your chosen technology plus the right core trade background (for example, plumbing and heating with a Level 3 heat pump qualification, or electrician with solar PV and battery training). Our Level 3 air source heat pump training is a typical entry point for heating engineers looking to work for an MCS installer and gain hands-on experience before stepping out on their own.​

2. Working under an MCS Umbrella Scheme

Sub-contracting through an MCS Umbrella Scheme lets you install systems that qualify for grants like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, without having to hold company MCS certification yourself. This route suits experienced installers who are confident with the physical installation but want support with design, compliance and commissioning while they build up a renewables portfolio.​

Umbrella partners such as Alto Energy typically take care of MCS-compliant system design, heat loss calculations, paperwork (including DNO notifications), commissioning and issuing the MCS certificate to the customer. You focus on installation on site, but you still need appropriate qualifications and experience, because you will not have the same day-to-day supervision that comes with direct employment.​

3. Holding your own MCS certification

Applying for MCS certification directly is the natural step for sole traders and small heating, plumbing or electrical businesses that want full control over their projects and the ability to market themselves as “MCS certified”. This route involves more responsibility. You must demonstrate the right technical qualifications, implement a compliant quality management system, document customer care and workmanship processes, and pass an external assessment on at least one live installation.​

Support tools such as MCS Made Easy and similar consultancy packages provide templates, guidance and one-to-one help with setting up documentation, preparing for audits and staying compliant with evolving MCS standards. For established businesses with a steady flow of work, owning MCS status can be a strong differentiator, helping you access funding schemes and appear on the official MCS “Find an Installer” search, which can drive high-quality enquiries.​

Choosing the right path

If you are new to renewables and want a structured learning environment, working for an MCS-certified company is usually the safest starting point. If you are already established in heating or electrical work and want to “test the water” with heat pumps or solar while minimising admin, an umbrella scheme can bridge the gap.​

Experienced installers or growing businesses that want to build a long‑term renewables brand, manage design in house and maximise margins will often aim for their own MCS certification, using support tools to streamline the process. Whichever route you choose, investing in the right Level 3 qualifications and keeping up to date with changing MCS standards will put you in the best position to succeed.​

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MCS Certification Overview

MCS is a quality assurance scheme which certifies the quality and reliability of:

• Renewable products: air source and ground source heat pumps, solar, biomass, wind and battery storage
• Installation companies: MCS is a mark of quality and competence.

Over 260,000 MCS-certified installations were completed in houses and small businesses in the UK in 2024, which included heat pumps, solar and battery storage, representing a 7% increase on the number of installations completed in 2023, taking the overall total to over 2 million. Heat pumps had a record-breaking surge, with nearly 60,000 units installed, a 43% increase over 2023, bringing the total to over 275,000. Government schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England and Wales and the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan, which provide grants of up to £9,000, have played a key role in making heat pumps more accessible and driving this growth.

Is MCS a legal requirement?

Unlike a Gas Safe Registration, MCS is not a legal requirement.

However, to be issued with an MCS certificate, a renewables installation such, sucha as heat pump or solar panels, must have been carried out by and MCS certified company using MCS certified products.

Do I need an MCS certificate?

An MCS certificate is issued to consumers following commissioning.

It is required if consumers want to claim funding under any government scheme; for example, the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) for solar PV and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) for heat pumps.

If you are an unregistered heat pump installer, your installation quotes are going to be £5,000 – £6,000 more than an MCS certified installer who can claim BUS vouchers, therefore knocking down the cost for their customers.

Who is MCS for?

MCS certifies contractors rather than individual installers, unless of course you are a sole trader.

For example, you may be employed as a heat pump installer by an MCS accredited company, you do not need to be MCS certified yourself.

However, if you are a sole trader carrying out renewable installations, you will need to undertake the certification process, unless you are sub-contracting under an MCS Umbrella Scheme – a great alternative for qualified heat pump installers who want to test the waters of their local market before fully committing to MCS.

Read our blog about MCS Umbrella Schemes

How much does MCS cost and how long does certification take?

The initial application for one technology would cost £700 plus VAT, including initial application fee £130, annual renewal £515 and MCS Licence £55. Certification must be renewed every year at a cost of £570 plus VAT.

MCS certification takes around 4-6 weeks following inspection. However, the preparation is what takes the most time. Installers must hold relevant qualifications to prove their competency, for example:

• LCL Awards Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Air Source Heat Pump Systems (non-refrigerant circuits); and/or
• LCL Awards Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Heat Pump Systems (non-refrigerant circuits) (Ground source)
• Level 3 RQF Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Installation Training
• Level 3 RQF Electrical Energy Battery Storage Training

Applicants must also have an effective quality management system (QMS) in place and gather documentation that satisfies MCS’s criteria in relation to customer care and workmanship.

Read more about MCS application criteria.

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The Role of MCS in Accessing the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)

The SEG is a government-backed initiative launched on 1 January 2020. Replacing the Feed-in-Tariff, the SEG ensures that small-scale electricity generators (i.e. homeowners with solar PV or wind turbine) get paid for the electricity they generate and export back to the National Grid. To access the SEG, the electricity generating system has to be MCS certified and registered with the District Network Operator (DNO).

While major energy suppliers are required to offer SEG tariffs, they are obligated to do so only for installations that possess MCS certification. This requirement helps maintain high industry standards and protects consumers by ensuring that only quality-assured systems are connected to the grid.

Octopus Energys’s Change in MCS Policy

As previously mentioned, an MCS certification has traditionally been a prerequisite for accessing SEG tariffs across most energy providers. However, in 2023, Octopus Energy made a change to its terms and conditions so that solar PV systems no longer have to be MCS certified in order for end users to access the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). 

Octopus offers extremely attractive SEG tariffs, however, paying out much more than any of the other energy companies, which means that many people switch to Octopus once they’ve installed renewable electricity generating technology. Octopus’ position in the marketplace is why this shift in their Ts & Cs is interesting.

As of January 2025, no other energy provider has removed the need for PV systems to be MCS certified in order to access the SEG. Whilst it may offer benefits, PV installers will need to think carefully as to whether they want to work without a MCS certification (or the means to certify under an umbrella scheme) as it has the potential of limiting themselves to only working with Octopus customers. 

How to help your customers access the SEG

Whether you’re MCS certified or not, it’s important that solar PV installers can help their customers access the SEG. Ideally, you should be able to do the DNO paperwork for them, a process that is covered in our solar PV training course.

Where possible, you should encourage your customers to install battery storage alongside their PV system. The more energy they can use themselves, the better the returns. Octopus’s most attractive tariffs are designed for people with a battery and savvy consumers can charge-up when energy’s cheapest, regardless of the solar PV.

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Conclusion

Obtaining Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation is a smart move for UK renewable installers who want to grow their business with heat pumps, solar PV and battery storage, enhance their credibility and give customers access to funding such as the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) and Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). By choosing the right route into MCS, employment with an MCS installer, working under an MCS Umbrella Scheme or gaining your own certification, you can match the level of responsibility and admin to your experience while still delivering MCS‑compliant installations. While Octopus Energy has relaxed its MCS requirements for SEG on solar PV, this remains unusual in the wider energy market, so holding MCS (or having a reliable umbrella partner like Alto Energy) is still the safest way to offer flexible tariffs from multiple suppliers. For most UK installers, investing in accredited Level 3 renewables training, building a robust quality management system and securing MCS certification is the best way to stand out locally, protect customers and future‑proof their renewables business. Find out more about MCS

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FAQs

What does it mean to be MCS certified as an installer?

Being MCS certified means your business and chosen renewable technologies (such as heat pumps, solar PV or battery storage) meet a recognised UK quality standard for design, installation and customer care. It shows customers and funders that your work is independently assessed, compliant with industry benchmarks and eligible for key government-backed schemes.

Is MCS certification a legal requirement in the UK?

MCS is not a legal requirement in the same way that Gas Safe registration is for gas work. However, most government incentives, many finance products and some insurers require an MCS certificate for the installation, so operating without it can significantly limit the support and funding options available to your customers.

How much does it cost to get MCS certified and how long does it take?

For one technology, typical headline costs are around £700 plus VAT in the first year, which covers the initial application, licence fee and annual registration. Allow around 4-6 weeks from your MCS inspection to certification being granted, but expect to spend longer preparing qualifications, your quality management system and documentation before assessment.

Do I need MCS to access the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)?

In most cases, yes. Energy suppliers usually require solar PV and other small-scale generators to be MCS certified to access SEG tariffs, because this gives assurance that systems are safe and grid‑compliant. Octopus Energy is currently an exception for solar PV, but relying on a single provider can restrict your customer base, so MCS (or using an umbrella scheme) remains the most flexible route.

What is the easiest way to start working on MCS‑eligible installations?

New entrants often start by working for an MCS-certified company or sub‑contracting via an MCS Umbrella Scheme, while gaining experience and building a renewables portfolio. Once you have the right Level 3 qualifications and systems in place, you can then apply for your own MCS certification to control design, maximise margins and appear on the official MCS “Find an Installer” search.