MCS Certification for UK Solar Installers: How to Get Certified

To get MCS certified, choose an MCS-approved certification body, a company that assesses installers. Pass the MCS business checks. Pass an assessment of your processes and one finished installation per technology. Fix any problems it finds. Then sign the MCS Installer Agreement. Solar PV work follows the MIS 3002 standard. The new scheme no longer requires Consumer Code membership.

MCS stands for Microgeneration Certification Scheme. It is the UK quality mark for small renewable energy systems such as solar panels. This guide is for solar businesses that want to certify, and for customers who want to check an installer. Every fee, date and rule comes from MCS or the certification body named next to it.

How to Get MCS Certified: Step by Step

MCS explains the route in its becoming-certified guide. Your business gets the certificate, not your staff. It covers technologies such as solar PV (solar panels) and battery storage. For electrical systems the limit is 50 kW.

1. Learn the scheme documents. Read the Installer Operating Requirements and the Customer Commitment. Read the MIS 3002 solar PV installation standard. Read the MCS 032 standard for sales information and performance estimates. The standards table below lists them.
2. Name your people. You need a Main Contact for scheme questions. You need a Licensee, who signs the Installer Agreement. You need a Technical Supervisor, who signs off every installation. In a small business, one person can hold several roles.
3. Write down your processes and controls. These are the steps that make every installation meet the rules. Size them to your business. Appendix A of the Installer Operating Requirements shows the scenarios.
4. Choose a certification body for solar PV. This is the company that assesses you. MCS lists the approved ones in the next section. Fees and assessment dates differ.
5. Apply and pass the scheme checks. You apply to the certification body only. It sends your application to MCS. MCS checks your finances, business history, complaints, and public information such as your online presence. You get an MCS Account Manager and a 15-minute call about the Customer Commitment and the Installer Operating Requirements.
6. Pass the assessment. The body reviews your processes. It also assesses an installation on site. For each technology you need at least one fully compliant installation to show, so finish one first.
7. Fix any non-conformities. A non-conformity is a problem the assessor finds. For each one, explain the root cause and what you did to fix it and stop it coming back. The body closes it when it is satisfied.
8. Sign the Installer Agreement. The Licensee signs this contract with MCS. MCS calls it the final step. MCS then sets you up on the MCS Installations Database (MID), where you register each job.

After you are certified, raise an MCS certificate for each installation within 30 calendar days of commissioning (the day the system starts running). Record the Technical Supervisor on it. This comes from the Installer Operating Requirements, Issue 2.0, 8 September 2026. The same document says you pay the certification body’s fees even if you do not get certified.

Which Certification Bodies Cover Solar PV?

MCS does not assess installers itself. It lists certification bodies. MCS’s list shows these five for solar PV and battery storage:

• Amtivo Group (trading as British Assessment Bureau)
• Certsure LLP (trading as NICEIC)
• NAPIT Certification Ltd
• Simply Certification
• The IAA (Installation Assurance Authority)

HETAS, OFTEC and APHC are on the list for other technologies, not solar PV. MCS notes that UKAS has suspended APHC’s accreditation. UKAS is the UK’s national accreditation body.

People often search for “MCS accredited”. MCS says “certified” for installers. Accreditation applies to the certification bodies. NICEIC says UKAS accredits it to run its MCS Installer Scheme.

Which MCS Standards Apply to Solar PV?

People mix up the document numbers. This table shows what each one is. It gives the issue and date printed on the document or in MCS’s Standards and Tools Library.

MIS 3002 is the installation standard. MCS 012 is a product standard. Under MIS 3002 clause 3.5.2, a system on a pitched roof must use kits certified to MCS 012. Clause 3.5.5 allows another mounting system only if MCS 012 does not apply, or no suitable certified system exists. Then the installation must still keep the building compliant with current building regulations, among other conditions.

Modules must be listed on the MCS website (clause 3.5.1). That includes products certified to MCS 005 or MCS 017. It also includes products certified by schemes MCS treats as equivalent.

MCS 032 matters if you make yield estimates. Its standard method is: Annual AC output (kWh) = kWp x Kk x SF. Here kWp is the size of the array. Kk is the kWh per kWp for the postcode region, roof pitch and direction. SF is the shading factor. MCS 032 says you must follow it before a contract is awarded. It is mandatory for MCS contractors certified to MCS: 2025.

How Much Does MCS Certification Cost?

MCS publishes no single price, because each body sets its own fees. The MCS FAQ says the total varies. It names one ongoing cost: a £30 fee for every installation you register. The table shows first-year fees for one technology, as two bodies print them.

Sources: NICEIC MCS Installer Scheme fees (the page says fees are “correct for 2026/2027”), IAA MCS fees (no year printed), and the MCS becoming-certified FAQ for the £30 installation fee.

Two checks on the numbers. NICEIC’s items add up to £855 without VAT (95 + 705 + 55), which matches its total. With VAT they add up to £1,026 (114 + 846 + 66). But the page prints £1,044. Ask NICEIC to confirm the VAT-inclusive total. The IAA’s “from £805” is £750 + £55.

Here is a year-two example with NICEIC, one technology and 30 registered installations: 640 + 55 + (30 x 30) = £1,595 without VAT. It leaves out extra assessments, your own time, and VAT on the MCS fees (the MCS page does not say).

Other costs sit outside these tables. NAPIT, for example, requires public liability insurance of at least £2 million for all businesses. It requires professional indemnity insurance of at least £250,000 for businesses that design MCS installations (NAPIT transition guidance). For training, NICEIC lists the EAL Level 3 Award in the Installation of Small Scale Solar Photovoltaic Systems as MCS approved. MCS also has a Find a Training Course tool.

How Long Does MCS Certification Take?

MCS, NICEIC and the IAA do not publish a standard time on the pages read for this guide. The time depends on four things:

• how fast the scheme checks move
• the body’s next assessment date
• whether you already have a compliant installation to show
• how fast you close any findings

Ask the body for its next free assessment date before you apply.

What Changed in 2026?

MCS has redeveloped (rebuilt) the installer scheme. Its overview lists these key changes:

• Consumer Code membership is no longer mandatory.
• Assessment is risk-based.
• Certificate windows are 30 days instead of 14.
• MCS manages complaints centrally.
• Installers hold a new Installer Agreement directly with MCS.
• Each installer gets a dedicated MCS Account Manager.

Certification bodies move installers over in phases. MCS says most will move during 2026. Your body contacts you when it is your turn. Until then, NICEIC says you must keep your Consumer Code membership.

Financial protection is changing too. MCS says every installer will need to buy an MCS-approved financial protection product for their customer. It gives at least six years of cover from installation. The excess is capped at £250.

Product standards changed as well. On 30 July 2026, MCS announced that MCS 005 Issue 4.0 (the solar PV product standard) took effect on 1 August 2026. Products that did not move to the new standard lost their certification. MCS set a grace period to 1 February 2027 for stock already in the supply chain. These products carry a “GRACE PERIOD” label in the MID and the Product Directory.

How Do I Find an MCS-Certified Solar Installer?

Use MCS’s Find an Installer tool. Select Solar PV, then search by address or region. The tool also checks whether a named business is MCS certified for the technology you are buying. Match the business name to the name on your contract, because the certificate belongs to that legal entity.

Check before the work starts. MCS states that you cannot certify an installation after the fact. It also says many insurance companies require MCS for renewable installations. Finance companies may require it for their best lending rates. To compare quotes, see our guide to UK solar panel installers. For a short customer summary, see MCS vs non-MCS installations.

MCS data shows how big the market is. There were 267,032 certified solar PV installations in 2025. That is 31% above the 2011 record (MCS, The 2025 Low Carbon Landscape). From January to June 2026 there were 148,531 (MCS, The 2026 Low Carbon Landscape).

Do Customers Need MCS to Get Smart Export Guarantee Payments?

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) makes electricity suppliers pay customers for power they send to the grid. For PV up to 50 kW, Ofgem’s SEG guidance says applicants must show that the installation and the installer are suitably certified. That can be an MCS certificate. Ofgem says other schemes may be equivalent. Without an MCS certificate, the installation and installer should be accredited to EN 45011 or EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012. If you cannot show certification, a supplier does not have to pay under the SEG, but it can.

Certification is not the only rule. Ofgem’s guidance also lists an export meter that can take half-hourly readings, and an export MPAN (the number that identifies the export meter). Each SEG supplier sets its own rate, type and length of tariff. The rate must be above zero pence per kWh exported. So the SEG is not one fixed national price. The Ofgem SEG hub carries scheme updates. Our SEG guide covers tariffs.

In a customer proposal, keep three numbers apart: generation, self-consumption and exports. Only metered exports earn the export payment. So annual generation is not the export amount. MCS 032 defines self-consumption as generated power used in the property, including power stored in a battery first. It is not the same as grid independence.

Does MCS Replace Planning, Building Control or Grid Approval?

No. MCS covers installation quality. Planning permission, building regulations and grid notification are separate. The grid operator is called the DNO (distribution network operator). G98 and G99 are the engineering rules for connecting solar systems to that grid. The Installer Operating Requirements say that following an MCS installation standard includes following all relevant laws. That covers planning and building regulations. You must also notify the work.

GOV.UK explains that an installer who joins a competent person scheme can self-certify certain building work. Membership is voluntary. You can still use local council or private inspectors. NICEIC says you can bundle its MCS scheme with its Competent Person Scheme at no extra cost. For grid connection, see our G98 and G99 guide. For the full picture, see the UK MCS certification guide.

Where Does Design Software Fit?

MCS 032 sets the estimate method an MCS installer must follow before a contract is signed. Test any design tool’s yield result against that method before you use it in an MCS proposal. Good survey records also help at assessment. Our site-survey evidence guide shows how to link your inputs to your design decisions.

SurgePV is solar design software. It supports roof modeling, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling and proposals. It does not issue MCS certification. It does not replace an assessor’s decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get MCS certified as a solar installer?

Choose an MCS-approved certification body that covers solar PV. It sends your application to MCS for business checks. It then assesses your processes and at least one finished installation per technology. You fix any problems it finds. The last step is signing the MCS Installer Agreement.

How much does MCS certification cost?

NICEIC prints first-year fees for one technology of £95 for the application, £705 for certification and £55 for the MCS licence. That is £855 without VAT. The IAA prints £750 for certification plus the £55 MCS licence fee, from £805 without VAT. MCS also charges £30 for every installation you register.

How long does MCS certification take?

MCS, NICEIC and the IAA do not publish a standard time on the pages read for this guide. The time depends on four things. These are the scheme checks, the body’s assessment dates, whether you already have a compliant installation to show, and how fast you close problems. Ask the body for its next free assessment date.

Do customers need an MCS-certified installer to get Smart Export Guarantee payments?

For solar PV up to 50 kW, Ofgem says applicants must show that the installation and the installer are suitably certified. This can be an MCS certificate, and Ofgem says other schemes may be equivalent. If you cannot show certification, a supplier does not have to pay under the SEG, but it can.

What is the difference between MIS 3002, MCS 012 and MCS 032?

MIS 3002 is the solar PV installation standard for systems up to 50 kWp DC. MCS 012 is a product standard for solar mounting kits. MCS 032 says how to prepare sales information and performance estimates for solar PV and batteries. You must follow it before a contract is awarded.

How do I find an MCS-certified solar installer?

Use the Find an Installer tool on the MCS website. Choose Solar PV, then search by address or region. The same tool checks whether a named business is MCS certified for the technology you are buying. The business holds the certificate. MCS states that you cannot certify an installation after the fact.

Do I still need to join a consumer code to be MCS certified?

On the current scheme, you must keep your Consumer Code membership to stay certified. After you move to the redeveloped scheme, it is no longer a scheme rule. Membership then becomes your choice. MCS takes over complaints handling under the redeveloped scheme.