The biggest overhaul since MCS began
In 2025, MCS published a complete restructure of the certification scheme - new documents, new terminology, and a fundamentally different model for how audits work.
If you're an MCS certified heat pump installer, this affects you. Your Certification Body will transition you onto the new scheme throughout 2026 and early 2027, at your annual renewal.
The headline from MCS is: less paperwork, more focus on quality. The reality is more nuanced. Here's what's actually changed, and what it means for you.
1. The QMS is gone. The requirements aren't.
This is the most misunderstood change. MCS has dropped the phrase "Quality Management System" entirely. Auditors will focus on delivered quality rather than documentation tidiness. We’ll see how that is enacted in practice, but the spirit of this is really welcome.
As the requirements table below makes clear however, the underlying process requirements haven't gone away. Complaints logs, training registers, version-controlled checklists, installation records - all still required depending on your scenario. Although the label is gone, the paperwork isn't.
2. Operating scenarios determine what applies to you
Every MCS certified installer falls into one of four scenarios based on size and subcontractor use. Your scenario determines what processes you need to have in place at audit.
Using subcontractors to deliver installation work (even occasionally) moves you to Scenario C as a minimum. This is the most common reason a smaller installer ends up in a higher scenario.
Scenario A | Scenario B | Scenario C | Scenario D |
|---|---|---|---|
Sole trader. No subbies. Single region. | Small business. 2-49 employees. No subbies. Single region. | Subcontractors or multi-region. Or 50–249 employees. | Large or distributed. 250+ employees. Or subcontractors across multiple regions. |
In all scenarios you must… |
|---|
Hold in-date qualification certificates for every technology you're certified to design or install |
Know where to find current standards |
Ensure new installations can be resourced and delivered in compliance with the applicable Standards. |
Log every complaint including the root cause and resolution |
Act on general customer feedback, not just on formal complaints |
Keep all installation documentation for 6 years, backed up |
Scenario B and above you must also… |
Share complaint learning with your team |
Scenario C and above you must also… |
Maintain a training register for every Technical Supervisor, including expiry reminders |
Maintain version-controlled installation checklists or work instructions |
Have a supervision process for jobs where the Technical Supervisor is not on site |
Flag subcontractor involvement in complaint records where relevant |
Scenario D you must also… |
Have formal contracts with any subcontracted Technical Supervisors giving them sign-off authority |
Run regular internal audits of your processes |
Operate a structured end-to-end complaints procedure |
Operate formal document control and retention protocols |
What you need to do:
Work out your operating scenario. Make sure you're meeting all the relevant requirements for that scenario.
3. Consumer codes are becoming voluntary (but not yet)
MCS has published its own Customer Commitment and built a centralised complaints system, with the object of bringing the consumer code rules within one scheme. The idea is to create one point of contact for the homeowner, instead of the old overlap between MCS, your CB, RECC, and HIES.
This hasn’t quite materialised yet though - DESNZ is reviewing whether the new Customer Commitment meets BUS requirements. Until that concludes, don't cancel your RECC or HIES membership if you do BUS installs.
We think that even though you need to maintain your Consumer Code membership, you also have to fulfil MCS’s requirements under the Customer Commitment (we’ve honestly dug so much into this and it’s very hard to work out 😅). That means you need to:
Tell the homeowner if you’re using subcontractors on the job before they sign the contract
Include clear performance estimates in your proposal
Communicate proposed start date and likely duration of works before they sign
Give the customer the MCS certificate within 30 calendar days of commissioning (up from 14)
Provide an MCS-approved financial protection product to the customer, for domestic contracts (this replaces the old insurance-backed guarantees)
What you need to do:
Keep your consumer code membership for now. Include the Customer Commitment and proposed timeline with every proposal.
4. Fewer audits if you keep a clean record
After your first two years on the new scheme, assessment frequency is determined by your compliance history.
If you have a clean record you’ll have fewer site visits (once every three years) with only an annual declaration in between. If you have non-conformities or complaints however your CB can schedule additional assessments at any time
Every installation record, training register entry, and supervision note builds the evidence base your CB uses to set your risk profile.
What you need to do:
Ensure your installations are well documented. Address any current non-conformities thoroughly - they follow you into your new scheme risk profile.
5. Your job roles have been renamed
The Nominee’s role has been split into two: the Licensee (legal signatory) and the Main Contact (day-to-day point of contact). The NTP becomes the Technical Supervisor - functionally very similar, but they need to be named on every MCS certificate you raise.
Written agreements are now only required for Technical Supervisors who are subcontractors, not directly employed staff.
What you need to do:
Identify who fills each role. Record the Technical Supervisor against every certificate you raise.
6. Supervision now has a formal methodology
If the Technical Supervisor is on site and part of the installation team, the supervision requirement is automatically satisfied. But if they're not physically present on site, you need to assess the risk level, consider operative qualifications, determine oversight level, and record it all per job.
For most jobs where the Technical Supervisor is on the tools, this adds very little work. For jobs where they're not, it's a bunch more faff.
What you need to do:
Build a supervision assessment step into your workflow for any job where the TS isn't on site.
7. You now have a direct contract with MCS
Under the old scheme, your primary relationship was with your CB. Now, every installer signs an Installer Agreement directly with MCS (you’ll be asked to do this when you transition). This is a real contractual document giving MCS powers it didn't previously have.
MCS can now suspend or withdraw your certification independently of your CB. They'll conduct ongoing checks on your business: finances, insurance, director checks, complaints history, and customer feedback. They will contact every customer after every install to check how it went.
Spruce is built for the new MCS Redeveloped scheme
We honestly wish you didn’t need a QMS anymore. We think what really matters is delivering high-quality installs for your customers - everything else is in service of that. But you still need a bunch of paperwork to comply, and MCS Redeveloped hasn't fundamentally changed that. We've built Spruce to handle it all quickly and easily, so you can focus on the real job.
Spruce is the installation management software designed specifically for MCS-certified heat pump installers. All documentation in one place, with MCS-compliance built into the workflow.