MCS invests in new roles to improve quality outcomes in the small-scale renewables sector

February 23, 2026

In preparation for its redeveloped installer Scheme, MCS has invested in key areas over the last two years to ensure a greater focus on quality outcomes for both installers and consumers, with this expansion continuing throughout 2026 and beyond.

MCS, the UK’s quality mark for small-scale renewables like solar panels and heat pumps, will be rolling out its redeveloped installer Scheme over the next 12 months, to make certification simpler and more rewarding for installers, while reforming consumer protection in the industry.

Over the past two years, MCS has made significant investment into building and expanding its Customer Experience function by over 50% – to strengthen consumer protection, enhance installer oversight, and improve support for households across the UK investing in renewable technologies.

This function now brings together five specialist teams:

Complaints – The new centralised MCS complaints system will provide a clear, accessible route for resolving and managing complaints through a structured and transparent process. The team reinforces trust and accountability across the sector.
Quality – With 13 new Quality Verifiers joining MCS in 2025 alone, this team is well-placed to provide independent oversight and strengthen consumer protection by conducting on-site compliance checks across the UK. On average, they deliver 500 site visits per month.
Customer Relations – A function acting as both onboarding specialists for new installers and dedicated Account Managers – managing application, certification, ongoing compliance, and beyond. Their robust Scheme checks minimise consumer detriment, while focusing on building close working relationships with the MCS installer base.
Outreach – Under the redeveloped Scheme, the MCS Outreach team will contact every household with a certified installation to ensure consumers understand their documents and protections and to identify issues early. Their ongoing outreach programme to BUS customers on behalf of Ofgem has found an overwhelming satisfaction rate of 95%.
Customer Support Helpdesk – A team that supports a wide range of stakeholders with queries, providing clear, timely guidance.

As well as this, MCS welcomed Jim Johnson as Certification Body Partnership Manager this month, who brings experience from a renewable energy installer and the ECA. This role was created to strengthen how MCS works with and supports its installer certification bodies (CBs).

These expansions will support the MCS Scheme at all levels, across onboarding, certification, compliance, monitoring, and maintaining strong long-lasting partnerships with stakeholders. The company will continue to grow as the industry evolves, ensuring consumer confidence remains at its heart.

Industry collaboration and performance monitoring is more crucial than ever, as MCS reflects on a record-breaking year for small-scale renewables – which saw 369,000 certified installations – and looks ahead to the launch of the Government’s £15 billion Warm Homes Plan.

As more MCS certification bodies achieve UKAS accreditation to offer the redeveloped Scheme, the transition phase for installers will begin soon. The latest updates on this can be found on the MCS website.

Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS, said:

“2026 is set to be a defining year for MCS and the small-scale renewables industry, building on the momentum of a record-breaking 2025. It has been great to welcome so many new people to the team, and I look forward to working with them to deliver a redeveloped Scheme that works for everyone.

“The redeveloped installer Scheme has been designed to adapt to the accelerating demand we are seeing in the UK, putting consumer protection and quality first to give people the confidence they need to invest in home-grown energy.

“As the sole certification scheme for clean heat measures and as the sector prepares for the Warm Homes Plan, this confidence is more important than ever.”

mcscertified.com