Novation Statement

26th April 2018

Establishing the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as independent of government is aligned with the government’s strategy of enabling the renewables market to be sustainable in the long-term.

We are pleased to announce that this process is now complete. The MCS has been made independent of government. This took place on 25th April 2018.

The MCS was set up by the government in 2007 to certify small scale renewable electricity and heat products and installers to provide assurance to consumers about the quality and standard of their installations. They are also provided with consumer protection. It covers technologies such as solar PV, biomass, heat pumps, and wind.

MCS exists to support quality assurance in microgeneration in order to grow the market for these solutions. The standards are developed by technical working groups, with members from industry who contribute their valuable time and expertise on a voluntary basis.

MCS has certified over a million installations since it was launched in 2007 and has nearly 2,000 installers currently registered. The scheme has played an important part in the growth of the installation of renewables in homes and small businesses in the UK.

The MCS has been transferred to the MCS Service Company Limited, and the MCS Charitable Foundation.
Statement from The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
The Department wishes to thank all parties who have contributed to the development and success of the MCS.
The MCS Scheme has helped to drive up standards and to pave the way for the growth in low carbon electricity and heating in people’s homes.

Transfer of the MCS to the MCS Charity and MCS Service Company is an important step towards ensuring the sustainability of renewables and energy efficiency consumer markets in the long-term. The Department is proud of the contribution the scheme has made in the renewables sector and is confident of its continuing influence now that it is independent of government.

BEIS remains committed to the Scheme and will continue to engage in the activities of the MCS on an arm’s length basis through its role in the Stakeholder Advisory Group, which also includes a range of industry and consumer stakeholders. The Stakeholder Advisory Group’s role is to offer advice to the Company regarding the running of the MCS. It will not have the capacity for decision-making, however. The directors of the Company will be responsible for decisions made.

In line with the recommendation published on the Each Home Counts website, MCS and Trustmark are working together to deliver the Quality Mark, which is part of the quality and standards framework planned through this review.