MCS Installer Scheme

 

Application fee (non refundable)	Fee	VAT	Total
Initial application fee	£95	£19	£114
One technology	£675	£135	£810
Two technologies	£930	£186	£1,116
Three technologies	£1,290	£258	£1,548
Four technologies	£1,700	£340	£2,040
MCS licence fee (non-refundable - the whole fee is transferred to MCS)	£55	£11	£66
Extension of scope fees	Fee	VAT	Total
One technology	£615	£123	£738
Two technologies	£870	£174	£1,044
Three technologies	£1,230	£246	£1,476
Surveillance fees	Fee	VAT	Total
(fee becomes due on the anniversary of certification)
One technology	£615	£123	£738
Two technologies	£870	£174	£1,044
Three technologies	£1,230	£246	£1,476
Four technologies	£1,640	£328	£1,968
MCS licence fee (non-refundable - the whole fee is transferred to MCS)	£55	£11	£66

Note: Assessment = approx 3 hrs and multiples thereof i.e. 2x Assessment = 6 hrs

Charges	Fee	VAT	Total
Additional assessment (or multiples of)	£435	£87	£522
Administrative fees (for example change of company details, not involving change of ownership;)	£65	£13	£78
Change of Technical Supervisor (fee does not include an additional assessment)	£65	£13	£78
TrustMark status (available after full certification achieved and payable annually)	£145	£29	£174
NICEIC Online Certification (building compliance certificate) (for notifiable CPS measures as applicable) per notification	£3.85	£0.77	£4.62
NICEIC certificates and reports                           Online per installation                                          Print and post	£1.55 £1.80	£0.31 £0.36	£1.86 £2.16

Rescheduling fees	Fee	VAT	Total
Rescheduling of an assessment with 2 or less days notice (per assessment)	£365	£73	£438
Rescheduling of an assessment with more than 2 and less than 21 days notice (per assessment)	£255	£51	£306
Void fee for failure to be present or available for assessment when the assessor has attended at the scheduled time and date and no previous communication has been recieved to reschedule the assessment (for each assessment).	£435	£87	£522

Note: Assessment = approx. 3 hrs, and multiples thereof i.e. 2x assessment = approx. 6 hrs.

 

Application fee (non refundable)	Fee	VAT	Total
Initial application fee	£95	£19	£114
One technology	£705	£141	£846
Two technologies	£970	£194	£1,164
Three technologies	£1,345	£269	£1,614
Four technologies	£1,770	£354	£2,124
MCS licence fee (non-refundable - the whole fee is transferred to MCS)	£55	£11	£66
Extension of scope fees	Fee	VAT	Total
One technology	£640	£128	£768
Two technologies	£905	£181	£1,086
Three technologies	£1,275	£255	£1,530
Surveillance fees	Fee	VAT	Total
(fee becomes due on the anniversary of certification)
One technology	£640	£128	£768
Two technologies	£905	£181	£1,086
Three technologies	£1,275	£255	£1,530
Four technologies	£1,700	£340	£2.040
MCS licence fee (non-refundable - the whole fee is transferred to MCS)	£55	£11	£66

Note: Assessment = approx 3 hrs and multiples thereof i.e. 2x Assessment = 6 hrs

Rescheduling fees	Fee	VAT	Total
Rescheduling of an assessment with 2 or less days notice (per assessment)	£380	£76	£456
Rescheduling of an assessment with more than 2 and less than 21 days notice (per assessment)	£265	£53	£318
Void fee for failure to be present or available for assessment when the assessor has attended at the scheduled time and date and no previous communication has been recieved to reschedule the assessment (for each assessment).	£450	£90	£540

Other fees	Fee	VAT	Total
Additional half day assessment (or multiples of)	£450	£90	£540
MCS Reinstatement License fee (the whole fee is transferred to MCS)	£55	£11	£66
Administrative fees (for example change of company details, not involving change of ownership;)	£65	£13	£78
Change of Technical Representative (fee does not include an additional assessment)	£65	£13	£78
TrustMark status (available after full certification achieved and payable annually)	£145	£29	£174
Building compliance certificate online submission (for notifiable CPS measures as applicable)	£4 per installation	£0.80	£4.80

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme, or the MCS scheme as its commonly referred to, is a nationally recognised quality assurance scheme, supported by the UK Government. MCS certifies both products and installation companies to ensure they adhere to industry standards and regulations. By choosing MCS certified products and installers, consumers can have confidence in the quality, performance, and safety of their microgeneration systems. 

Certification is an assessment carried out by an independent, third-party organisation to ensure compliance with a technical specification. NICEIC is an accredited certification body with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to assess installers to the MCS Standards. We operate within the ISO/IEC17065 accreditation framework. 

Once certified with NICEIC, we will be your main point of contact for any technical queries, and you will need to keep us up to date with your company details. 

MCS certification for installers is reviewed annually to ensure continuous compliance with MCS requirements.  

All NICEIC MCS Installer Scheme contractors are subject to assessments of their businesses operating procedures and installations against the current MCS standards and the scheme requirements. This will generally commence at your business address. An NICEIC assessor will visit your premises and join you to review installations by your business to ensure these have been correctly completed in accordance to scheme requirements. Read more about the assessment.  

Being a part of the scheme will enable your customers to access government incentives such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), Home Energy Loan in Scotland and Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). These are changing all the time.  

The Government’s Heat & Buildings Strategy includes several initiatives intended to increase uptake of small-scale renewables to support the UK’s target to achieve net zero by 2050. For example, the aim is to increase annual installations of air source heat pumps from 30,000 to 600,000 per year by 2028. Quality, skilled and competent installations will be key to this. 

Quality assurance: MCS certification demonstrates that products and installers meet rigorous quality standards. 

Consumer protection: certified installations come with a warranty and are backed by robust consumer protection mechanisms. 

Government incentives: only MCS certified installations are eligible for government incentives such as the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) and Boiler Upgrade Scheme.  

Environmental impact: support the UK's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change by using certified renewable energy technologies. 

You can use search for an NICEIC MCS certified installer using the NICEIC Find a trusted tradesperson tool.

Whether you are a consumer, installer or manufacturer, the MCS Helpdesk Team is available to answer any questions you have. Or you can contact the NICEIC customer services team for any questions about your application or current scheme.

MCS Standards and scheme documents have been designed with input from product and installer representatives, consumer groups, trade associations and technical experts from across industry. These are available to view on the MCS website.  

After you are certified, your business's details will be uploaded to the MCS register at https://mcscertified.com and to the NICEIC Find a Trusted Tradesperson register. You will also be able to display the MCS mark, to help promote your business and notify completed installations to the Microgeneration Installation Database (MID). Your customers will also now be able to access government funding once you have completed installations on their behalf.  

As an NICIEC MCS Installer Scheme contractor you must demonstrate that you are continuing to comply with NICEIC MCS Scheme Rules and that technical standards are being maintained. We ensure this by undertaking a surveillance assessment with you on a regular basis, normally assessing a minimum of one installation of each technology you are certified for, with appropriate documentation, every year. 

It is expected that smaller installers will, on joining the redeveloped scheme, identify their current NTP as their Technical Supervisor. It is important that this individual is directly involved in supervising the quality of each installation, as they are essentially signing it off as compliant with MCS requirements.
 

MCS has confirmed that being a member of a consumer code will be voluntary under the redeveloped scheme. However, your business will need to maintain its membership and payments until fully transitioned onto the redeveloped scheme. Where your business undertakes funded work, additional requirements such as consumer code membership may continue to be mandatory.
 

MCS has designed the risk-based assessment model to consider how much surveillance is needed for each business.
A certified installer business that meets the following criteria may benefit from a reduced assessment requirement.

• over two years tenure, where no non-conformities are raised at assessment
• a stable business operation (personal, location, structure)
• consistent volume and scope of work; and
• no complaints.

This would mean having a site assessment every three years rather than every year, although annual submission of documents, such as insurance to confirm compliance, would be required.
For an installer business with significant change (i.e. technical personnel, increased reliance on a subcontractor network), changes to volume of installation, or complaints/nonconformities, there may be an increased requirement for your certification body to assess multiple sites of your MCS-related business activities.
 

On 16 December 2024 MCS removed the ablity to purchase an IWA Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) through the MCS Installation Database (MID).

However, business’s were still required to purchase an IBG for each installation registered on the MID. This remains essential to comply with current MCS Standards.

In February 2026 MCS approved new financial protection products, every installer continues to be required to purchase a MCS approved financial protection product on behalf of their customer. These have been designed to provide a financial safety net for consumers who are unable to secure a resolution to an installation issue via their original installer, supporting the cost of remediation.

MCS will take on the responsibilities previously held by the consumer code. Their aim is to centralise complaints so that it’s clear to consumers where to go should they need to make a complaint. To ensure there’s independent oversight, MCS has created a consumer protection panel to oversee MCS and the consumer protections they will be offering. There will also be alternative dispute resolution provided for free if the complaint cannot be resolved through their process.
 

NICEIC is ready to start transitioning certified businesses to the redeveloped scheme, from 9 March all applicants will be assessed and certified onto the redeveloped scheme. As a certified business, if you have not been contacted, you will be in the near future.
 

At present, there are no changes scheduled to the boiler upgrade scheme requirements, so Consumer Code membership will be needed.
 

Your business will still be able to sub-contract as an MCS certified installer. Related terms will be included within the new Installer Operating Requirements.
 

NICEIC delivered a webinar in January 2026, a recording can be found here. Alongside the information on this page, please ensure you familiarise yourself with all the scheme documentation provided by MCS. If you do have additional questions, you can contact MCS directly through their Helpdesk.