The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has unveiled a redevelopment which will see the initiative take a more “active” approach.
The announcement follows a six-week consultation lasting from June to July, which saw respondents (over 50% of which were renewable energy and heating technology installers) feedback on the MCS’ proposed redevelopments.
The MCS certifies the quality of small or distributed renewable technology installations such as solar.
Redevelopments include MCS taking a more active approach in dealing with contractors, consumers, and complaints. The scheme will now take ownership of complaints and dispute management for the sector.
There will also be a “fundamental shift” in how contractors will be assessed to gain and maintain MCS certification. Moving forward, these assessments will focus on the delivered quality of systems as installed, rather than the quality of back-office paperwork as was the previous practise.
Other redevelopments include the simplification of scheme documents, refining MCS Installation Standards to focus solely technical requirements, and removing the mandatory requirement to purchase insurance-backed guarantees (IBGs).
“I want to sincerely thank all those that have contributed to the proposed changes to MCS. I have personally read every response and value all of the feedback we have received. I’m pleased to see that the majority of our proposals were endorsed, and we have started work to move forward with these. Some proposals won’t be taken forward as the sector has made it clear they don’t fully address the challenges we had highlighted in the consultation, but we will now work to find different solutions to better address these issues,” said Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS.
“This process is a first major step forward in the redevelopment of the MCS scheme. When I became CEO five years ago, I pledged to make the scheme stronger, simpler and fairer. This redevelopment will be critical in enabling the growth needed in the low-carbon technology sector, making MCS fit for the future and giving people confidence in home-grown energy.”
This article first appeared on Solar Power Portal’s sister publication Current±.