The transition from completing an air source heat pump training course to becoming a fully accredited installer is often viewed as a complex administrative journey. In this guide, the necessary steps regarding MCS certification, DNO notifications, and insurance requirements are detailed.
The Foundations of MCS Certification
To legally install Air Source Heat Pumps, you basically need to prove four things: you’re qualified, you’re insured, you’re installing safely, and the customer is protected.
You must hold a Level 3 qualfication in Air Source Heat Pumps AND a Level 3 qualification in Low Temperature Design.
- Competent Persons Scheme – MCS
- Quality Management System – this is optional but highly recomended
- Consumer Code
- Insurance Backed Guarantee
- DNO
1. Competent Persons Scheme – MCS
MCS doesn’t visit you; a Competent persons scheme (CPS) does.
Action: Apply to NAPIT, NICEIC, or OFTEC.
Why: To be MCS Certified, you must first register with a CPS, Initially, they will visit your office/meeting place to check your paperwork and visit your first job site to check your installation. It allows you to “Self-Certify” the job for Building Regulations. Without this, you have to call the local council to inspect every single install, which is slow and expensive.
2. Quality Management System
It is highly recomended that you have a registration for a Quality Management System (QMS), many installers use Easy MCS. Easy MCS works by providing you with an online system whereby you can keep track of all of your customers/jobs, it will automatically create your documents for each job. You will also upload all of your registrations, certificates etc onto the system ready for your audit, they have the GreenPro Installer Toolkit included in the membership, this is a platform that will calculate your designs, and calculations and produce the relevent documents. Which are all fully compliant with MCS requirements and your chosen Consumer Code (RECC or HIES)
3. Consumer Code
In the world of renewables, a Consumer Code is essentially a strict “code of conduct” that you, the installer, agree to follow. It is a set of rules designed to protect homeowners from “cowboy builders” and high-pressure sales tactics.
Why: You cannot physically register as an MCS installer without a membership number from a Consumer Code. When a customer pays you a deposit (often several thousand pounds), the Consumer Code ensures that money is safe. If your business were to close down before the unit is installed, the Code’s insurance covers the customer’s loss. Alternatively, if a customer is unhappy with the performance of their heat pump or your service, the Consumer Code provides a Mediation and Ombudsman service. This prevents every small disagreement from ending up in a costly court battle.
4. Insurance Backed Guarantee – IBG
You need more than just standard Public Liability if you are registering with MCS.
Professional Indemnity: Since you are “designing” the system (calculating heat loss), you need insurance in case your design is wrong.
Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG): As of 2026, you must provide a 6-year warranty through a provider like IWA. An Insurance Backed Guarantee and Deposit Protection will assure the consumers will have total confidence in you and your expertise. Meaning if you go out of business, the insurance company pays to fix the heat pump.
5. Distribution Network Operator – DNO
Because an air source heat pump significantly increases the electrical demand on a property, you are legally required to inform the DNO of every installation. They must ensure that the local “substation” and the service cable to the house can handle the extra load without blowing a fuse or causing a local blackout.
Action: You don’t need to register with your local electricity network, and notifications are free to submit. If you are installing in Hampshire you can do this with SSEN.
G98 (“Connect & Notify”): For small, efficient units. You install it, then send a form within 28 days.
G99 (“Apply to Connect”): For most standard/large heat pumps. Stop! You must apply to the DNO and get a “Yes” before you start the job. In 2026, this is non-negotiable.
