How to Get MCS Certified

Written by James Walker · Last reviewed 16 August 2026

James Walker has 2 degrees in construction (BSc (Hons) Building Surveying · MSc Environmental Design of Buildings) and an extensive background in issue resolution, resolving over £4 billion of consumer issues.

The short answer

MCS certifies renewable installations: solar, heat pumps, battery storage.
Your customers cannot claim the Smart Export Guarantee without it, so it effectively gates the market.
It is also required for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and most grant support.
Certification requires a quality management system, competency evidence, and consumer code membership.
You certify through an approved certification body, not MCS directly.

On this page

Why it gates the market
What certification requires
How to apply
What it costs
Per technology

Why it gates the market

A customer installing solar wants export payments. Suppliers will not pay without a valid MCS installation certificate from an MCS-certified installer.

So an uncertified installer is not offering a cheaper version of the same thing, they are offering a system that cannot access the income the customer is buying it for. Most informed customers will not proceed.

What certification requires

A quality management system. Documented procedures for how you design, install, commission and handle complaints. This is the part applicants find hardest, it is business process work, not technical.

Competency evidence. Qualifications and demonstrated experience in the technology you are certifying for.

Consumer code membership, RECC or HIES. Required, and it carries its own obligations.

Assessment, including review of your documentation and inspection of installed work.

How to apply

Through an approved certification body rather than MCS itself. Several operate, and they differ on cost, timescale and support.

What it costs

Certification body fees, consumer code membership, and the time to build the quality management system. Budget for the last one properly, most delays come from documentation, not technical assessment.

Per technology

Certification is technology-specific. Solar PV, heat pumps and battery storage are certified separately, each with its own competency requirements.

Trusted Payments

We help every project succeed

Trusted Payments sits alongside you for the whole project, not just the payments.
Checked trades. Every tradesperson is vetted before they can be paid through the platform.
Payments tied to real work. You agree the stages before anything starts, and money is only released once you've signed a stage off.
The last payment comes at the end. 10% of the price isn't paid until the whole job is finished properly, snagging included.
A warranty behind the work. Three months while the work is going on, and 24 months after it finishes, underwritten by a fully authorised, A-rated insurer.
An independent ombudsman. If something goes wrong, you have 45 days to sort it out directly — then an independent decision that binds both sides.

See how it works What happens if there's a dispute?