MCS register: how to check an installer or company is genuinely certified
- The MCS Find an Installer tool and the MCS Installations Database (MID) serve different purposes: the first confirms current certification status, the second confirms a completed installation is on record.
- MCS certification is technology-specific, so an installer certified for heat pumps is not automatically certified for solar PV - always check the technology scope in the search result.
- Certification can lapse at any time, so verify an installer's status at the point you are getting quotes, not based on a past recommendation.
- If a company name search returns no result, ask for their MCS certification number and search again - trading names and registered MCS entity names often differ.
- After installation, the certified installer must register the job in the MID and issue the MCS certificate within ten working days of commissioning.
The MCS register is the public directory of certified renewables installers in the UK. Checking it properly requires three distinct lookups: confirming active certification status, verifying the technology scope matches what is being sold, and confirming the installation record in the MCS Installations Database after the work is done.
The MCS register is the public directory maintained by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - the UK quality mark for small-scale renewables - that shows whether an installer holds active certification to carry out solar PV, heat pump, battery storage, or other low-carbon technology work. The primary search tool sits at mcscertified.com/find-an-installer, and a second register - the MCS Installations Database (MID) - records every certified installation completed since 2010. A result on the Find an Installer tool confirms the company is currently certified, and it lists the specific technologies that certification covers. It does not confirm past jobs or workmanship quality; those are separate questions requiring separate evidence.
What the Two MCS Registers Actually Show
The MCS public tools serve two distinct purposes, and treating them as the same lookup is the most common checking mistake.
The Find an Installer tool (mcscertified.com/find-an-installer) is the live directory of companies currently holding MCS certification. It is the right starting point before appointing an installer or accepting a quote. Results show the company's registered name, the specific technologies they are certified for, the regions they cover, and which certification body assessed them. Importantly, an installer that appeared on this tool two years ago may not appear today - certification requires ongoing compliance and can lapse or be suspended at any point.
The MCS Installations Database (MID), at certificate.microgenerationcertification.org, records completed installations that certified installers have registered after commissioning. If a job was completed under MCS standards, the installer is required to log it here. The MID is where property owners and future buyers can confirm that a specific installation at a specific address is on record. Searching the MID by address tells you whether the installation was registered - it does not tell you whether the installer is currently certified to do further work.
Checking both registers at the right point in the process is what separates a confident appointment from an avoidable compliance gap.
Why a Single Name Search Is Not Enough: Three Things to Verify
Most people run one search - usually the company name - and stop when a result appears. That approach misses the checks that matter most.
Active certification status: MCS certification requires ongoing compliance. An installer can appear on the register but show a lapsed or expired status. A result is only useful if the certification shows as active at the time you are getting quotes. A company that was certified when they worked at a neighbour's house three years ago may not hold current certification today.
Technology scope: This is the check most buyers skip, and it is the most consequential. MCS certification is technology-specific. An installer can hold active MCS certification for heat pumps and have no certification at all for solar PV. The Find an Installer results list the exact technologies covered - Solar PV, Heat Pumps, Battery Storage, Biomass, Solar Heating, or Small Wind Turbines. If solar PV does not appear in that list, the installer is not MCS certified for solar work, regardless of what their website or sales call says.
Company name alignment: Installers sometimes trade under a different name to the one registered with their certification body. If a search returns no result, that does not immediately mean the company is not certified - they may be registered under a parent company or a slightly different legal entity name.
Getting all three right requires three separate confirmations, not one search.
Step-by-Step: Using the MCS Register to Verify an Installer
Decide which register you need before searching
Before running any search, be clear about which tool answers your question. If you are checking an installer before agreeing a quote or paying a deposit, use the Find an Installer tool at mcscertified.com/find-an-installer. If you have had an installation completed and want to confirm the record exists, use the MCS Installations Database at certificate.microgenerationcertification.org. Mixing these up sends you to the wrong database for the question you are trying to answer.
Ask the installer for their MCS certification number before you search
Any MCS-certified installer should give you their certification number on request, without hesitation. The number typically follows a format of a short letter prefix followed by digits - a technology code prefix and several numbers, with the exact format varying by certification body. If the installer stalls or says they will send it later, treat that as a reason to wait before committing funds. Searching by certification number is more reliable than searching by company name because it bypasses spelling differences and trading-name discrepancies.
Run the Find an Installer search by name or certification number
Go to mcscertified.com/find-an-installer. You can search by company name, by postcode and technology type, or by the certification number the installer gave you. For a pre-appointment check, the most reliable route is the certification number. If you do not have the number, search by the legal company name - not the trading name or the name on the van. If nothing appears, do not conclude immediately that they are uncertified; check step six before drawing that conclusion.
Confirm the certification status is currently active
When a result appears, look at the certification status explicitly. Active certification means the company is currently compliant with MCS scheme requirements. A result that shows expired or suspended status means the company held certification at some point but is not currently compliant. An installation covered by lapsed certification does not qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Smart Export Guarantee registration, or other grant programmes that require current MCS compliance. If the status is unclear or the result looks incomplete, call the MCS Customer Support Helpdesk on 0333 103 8130.
Check that the technology scope covers the specific work being quoted
Scroll to the technology list in the installer's search result. MCS covers these categories: Solar PV, Heat Pumps (with sub-types for air-to-water and ground-source), Battery Storage, Biomass, Solar Heating, and Small Wind Turbines. An installer certified for heat pumps is not automatically certified for your solar PV installation. An installer certified for solar PV may have no certification for battery storage. Check the list against the specific technology in your quote. If the technology you are buying does not appear in the certified list, ask the installer to explain which entity holds the relevant certification - and verify that entity separately.
Resolve any trading name discrepancy before proceeding
If you searched by company name and found no result, ask the installer to confirm their registered MCS company name and their certification number directly. Legitimate companies sometimes trade under a name that differs from their MCS-registered legal entity. A genuine installer will resolve this in a few minutes. If the explanation is vague, or if the certification number they provide also returns nothing, treat that as a meaningful concern rather than an administrative oversight. MCS compliance affects whether the property owner can access Smart Export Guarantee export payments and Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants, so this is not a detail to overlook under time pressure.
After installation, verify the record appears in the MCS Installations Database
Once your installation has been commissioned, the certified installer is required to register it in the MCS Installations Database. Go to certificate.microgenerationcertification.org and search by the full property address and postcode. The record should confirm the technology type, the installation date, and the installer's name. MCS-certified installers are required to issue the MCS certificate to the customer within ten working days of commissioning - you should receive it directly, without having to chase. If the record is missing, contact the installer first. If the installer is unresponsive or has ceased trading, the MCS helpdesk can generate a certificate copy for an administration fee of £36.
What the Register Does Not Confirm
Appearing on the MCS register confirms certification status and technology scope. It does not verify workmanship quality, whether the system design suits the property, or whether the quoted price is competitive. For heat pump installations, a property with poor insulation or undersized radiators requires separate assessment regardless of the installer's certification status. For solar PV, roof orientation, shading, inverter specification, and export meter arrangements all need independent review.
MCS also covers installations up to specific size thresholds: 50kW for electrical technologies including solar PV and battery storage, and 45kW for heating technologies such as heat pumps, rising to 70kW where multiple heating units are installed at the same address. Commercial or larger-scale projects may fall outside MCS scope entirely and require a different compliance route.
Grant eligibility and MCS
For heat pump installations covered by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, both the installer and the technology must be MCS certified. Current UK grant values are £7,500 for air-to-water or ground-source heat pumps and £5,000 for biomass boilers. For solar PV, the Smart Export Guarantee requires the installation and installer to be certified through MCS or an accredited equivalent.
What This Means for Installers on the Register
For businesses in the renewables sector, the MCS register is what informed customers check before signing a contract. Three aspects of your listing are worth reviewing regularly: that your certification status shows as active, that the technology list reflects every technology you are currently selling, and that the registered company name matches how you describe yourself in quotes and marketing. A mismatch between any of these - including a trading-name difference - creates a moment of doubt for a buyer who has read any guidance on verifying MCS status.
The documentation discipline that supports a clean MCS record extends into how each installation job is managed. Every certified installation requires a registered MID entry and a certificate issued to the customer within ten working days of commissioning. Tracking what has been issued per job and what is outstanding is harder when installation records live in a mix of emails and spreadsheets. Zigaflow's job management and document templates give installation businesses a single place to track job status and issue handover documents on time - so the MID registration and certificate do not fall through the gap between site completion and office catch-up.
For a detailed walkthrough of the certificate process itself, the guide on issuing an MCS certificate at handover covers the full sequence from commissioning to customer sign-off.
The MCS register check takes around two minutes when you know which tool to use and what to look for. Running it at the right point - before committing to a quote rather than after the work is done - is what makes it useful.
Sources
- Find An Installer - MCSMCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) · accessed 2026-09-28
- Becoming certified - MCSMCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) · accessed 2026-09-28
- How to check an MCS certificate: verifying your installer before and after installation (UK 2026)Solar by Postcode · accessed 2026-09-28
- MCS Certified Installers: How to Find and Check OneCucumber Eco · accessed 2026-09-28
- MCS Installation DatabaseMCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) · accessed 2026-09-28