Why You Should Choose an MCS Installer

If you have decided to install a heat pump into your home, then you’re doing the right thing and taking care of your own responsibility when it comes to helping our planet. While there are many different heating technologies out there, if you have chosen a heat pump to heat your home and water then you now need to think about the installation process.

In the same way as all other different installations, you’re going to need to make sure that you use a company that is reliable, competent and honest. However, when it comes to installing heat pumps, it’s really important to know that they are designed and commissioned correctly for the building.

Before you choose your heat pump installer, it’s important to realise and understand that there are certain standards and accreditations to consider. The one thing you should look out for is that you choose an MCS Accredited Installer as this will ensure that your heat pump fits the size of your home and that the entire system which includes the distribution, such as radiators, has been designed correctly. What this means is that your installer should take a bespoke approach to each and every installation, with the design, supply and commission being handled by them.

Should the design element of the work be neglected then the system will underperform which means that it won’t be as efficient or work as well. In around 99% of the instances where a heat pump does not meet certain expectations, the main reason is that the system has not been correctly sized or designed by an accredited supplier.

MCS stands for Microgeneration Certification Scheme and this means that there are a set of rules and specific standards that the heat pump industry has to follow and adhere to. The MCS code includes a set of rules and regulations that determine how a heat pump system should be designed and managed by an MCS accredited installer. They will also include an MCS Certificate as part of the contract. Should you not use an MCS installer, then it will mean that you won’t be given a certificate and that in turn will mean that you will be unable to register for the RHI grant payments.

A large percentage of the standards included in the MCS come from the mass heat pump trial that the Energy Saving Trust started more than ten years ago. Therefore, they considered a range of things that make up the trial and the findings:

• Heat pumps have the ability to provide a useful alternative for homeowners
• Heat pumps are sensitive to design and commissioning
• The heat pump must be installed with low-temperature underfloor heating or radiators that are considered the correct size.
• The Energy Saving Trust has found that customer satisfaction rates with the performance of their heat pump systems have increased since the MCS code was implemented. This is down to the fact that it ensures systems are correctly designed by qualified individuals.

Essentially, the Energy Savings Trust clearly highlights the importance of having a heat pump system that has been designed correctly from the very beginning and that is why you should use an MCS installer as this will ensure that this is the case.

Many of the incentives and schemes, such as the Renewable Heat Incentive from the government require heat pump systems to meet the eligibility criteria which is where the MCS comes in. Therefore, if you fail to use an MCS accredited company to commission your heat pump then you are going to miss out on obtaining and accessing a range of incentives from the government. 

Therefore, when you opt to choose an MCS accredited installer, you will receive the following benefits:

• Insurance backed guarantee as all contracts put in place with an MCS installer will come with them for your deposit payments as well as the workmanship.
• Quality Assurance. All MCS installers are audited on a regular basis as this ensures that they all meet the required standards for the scheme. 
• Planning Permission – Air source heat pumps are considered to be a permitted development but this is only the case if they are being installed by an MCS accredited installer who undertakes a noise assessment in accordance with the MCS requirements.