It reflects the growing demand for MCS-certified contractors across the nation.
In October, MCS certified its 4,000th contractor, as the number of homeowners looking for certified installers to retrofit their homes with solar panels, heat pumps and other renewable technologies continued to grow. MCS certification is a mark of quality providing assurance to consumers. Being MCS certified demonstrates that a contractor installs renewable energy and heating systems to industry-expected levels of quality every time.
So far, 2023 has been a record-breaking year for MCS, as the scheme has seen over 1,700 new contractors becoming certified in the last 11 months, a 70% growth in the contractor base since the end of 2022. More contractors have joined the scheme in 2023 than in the previous six years combined.
A notable year for heat pumps
At the end of 2022, MCS had fewer than 2,000 solar PV contractors – today, they have over 3,200. This growth mirrors the rapid rise in certified solar PV installations across the UK and the growing demand amongst homeowners to generate their home-grown electricity, reduce energy bills, claim energy independence, and decrease their carbon footprint.
The scheme has also recorded over 200,000 certified installations of small-scale technologies in 2023. It’s been a notable year for heat pumps, with over 34,000 certified heat pump installations – more than any other year-end figure in scheme history.
Ian Rippin, MCS CEO, said: “MCS is extremely proud to have certified more than 4,000 contractors. It is extremely encouraging to see our certified contractor base continuing to grow at pace to support the ever-growing demand for small-scale renewable technologies.”
“Our mission is to give people confidence in home-grown energy, and this enormous growth in our contractor base shows that UK consumers have more and more confidence every day.”
Quality installations
Emma Bohan, managing director of MCS-certified contractor IMS Heat Pumps, said: “As consumer awareness regarding renewable technology increases, it is great to see an increase in the number of installers entering the market with MCS certification to deliver quality installations.
“With continued commitment from Government towards decarbonising domestic properties, I expect to see more and more contractors having the confidence in the market that is required for them to take steps to invest in the skills needed to deliver 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 “.
To celebrate reaching the milestone, MCS brought together certified contractors to ask them what they think about the benefits of MCS certification, why standards matter, and the pride they take in displaying the MCS certification mark.
Watch the video to hear directly from contractors why certification is so important for installers and consumers.