MCS is the UK’s certification scheme for small scale renewables such as solar panels and home batteries. Here is what you get from it, and from us.
Before certifying us, Simply Certification, an independent body accredited by UKAS, assessed how we design, fit and hand over solar PV and battery systems. It keeps auditing us, and it can suspend or withdraw the certificate if we fall short.
Solar PV goes in to MIS 3002 and battery storage to MIS 3012. They set how your system is sized, how the performance estimate is worked out, and how it is fitted, tested and handed over.
When your system is commissioned we register it with MCS and you get an MCS certificate for it: your record that it was designed, installed and commissioned to the MCS standards.
For solar PV, energy suppliers usually ask for the MCS certificate before they pay you for the electricity you send back to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee.
We are committed to the Renewable Energy Consumer Code. It sets out how we should quote, sell, install and deal with complaints, so you know the standard to hold us to.
Our workmanship guarantee is insurance backed through Bluedrop, which protects it if we ever stop trading.
Our own teams from the survey to the handover. Here is each step, and what you get from it.
Every roof is surveyed in person, not from a satellite image. We check the roof, the fuse board, the supply and where a battery could go, and go through your bills.
You get: a straight answer on whether it is worth it for your house.
Your quote has the MCS performance estimate behind it and names the make, model and power rating of the main parts, and the battery’s storage capacity. The estimate is guidance, not a guarantee, and we say so.
You get: the figures in writing and time to decide. MCS certified installers must not pressure you to sign.
By law, your network operator has to be told about a system that connects to the grid. Larger systems, including some solar and battery pairs, need its approval before fitting.
You get: no forms to fill in. We deal with it.
Our own installers fit the panels, battery and wiring to MIS 3002 and MIS 3012.
You get: a system fitted to the standards our certification body audits us against.
We test and commission the system, then show you how it works and how to use any app that comes with it. Your handover pack holds what MCS requires, including the manuals, commissioning records, a maintenance schedule and your guarantees.
You get: your electrical installation certificate too, which is separate from MCS.
We register the installation on the MCS Installation Database, which issues the MCS certificate for your system, and we send it to you.
You get: your MCS certificate. Keep it with your house paperwork.
Any website can show a badge. Here is our MCS certificate in full, so you can open it, download it and check it with MCS yourself.
Search for SICI23052 MCS 1 on the MCS Find an Installer tool and check that the listing names Efficient Energy Systems Ltd. You can also ask Simply Certification, which issued the certificate, to confirm it.
Run the same check on anyone who quotes you.
Our other accreditations, including TrustMark, are on our accreditations page.
MCS is a strong check, not a promise about everything. Being clear about the limits is part of doing the job properly.
We are also TrustMark registered. TrustMark is the government endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home, and it is separate from MCS.
Use them on every quote, ours included. A good installer answers them without fuss. MCS advises getting at least three quotes.
A word on cold calls. MCS never cold calls and does not sell warranties. If someone at the door says they are from MCS, or pushes you to sign on the day, do not sign.
For solar PV, energy suppliers usually ask for the MCS certificate before they pay you for the electricity you send back to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee. GOV.UK and Ofgem guidance allow an equivalent accredited scheme, but MCS is the usual route.
Not because of its certificate. The Smart Export Guarantee is about the electricity your solar panels generate. If you want to export from a battery, ask your export supplier how it treats battery exports first.
No. The solar performance estimate is guidance for the first year only, and MCS requires every estimate, solar or battery, to say it is not a guarantee. What you save depends on your usage, your tariff and the weather, so we show you the assumptions.
Ask us first. For a system we registered with MCS, we can send you a copy. MCS only issues a copy itself if the installer is no longer MCS certified or no longer trading, and then only to the current owner of the system, for a fee.
No. It covers solar PV and battery storage only. If any installer’s quote includes something their certificate does not name, that part is not MCS work.
Tell us first and give us the chance to put it right. MCS says 14 days is a reasonable maximum for an installer to respond. If we cannot resolve it, you can take your complaint to MCS, which handles complaints about MCS certified installers.
Ask for their certificate number and search for it on the MCS Find an Installer tool. Check that the listing names the company on your quote and the technology you are buying. The certification body named on the certificate can also confirm it.
We cover Lancashire and the North West. We will look at your roof and your bills, tell you honestly whether solar or a battery is worth it, and put the figures in writing. No pressure, no obligation.
Who runs MCS, the standards and how complaints work, in more depth.
Our MCS certificate alongside TrustMark and the rest.
How we design and fit solar PV for your home.
Sizing a battery to your evenings, with or without solar.
