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Choosing an MCS certification body

A certification body is the independent organisation that assesses you and makes the certification decision. MCS writes the standards and runs the Scheme checks; a certification body decides whether your business meets them. You choose which one to apply to, they set their own fees, and they do not all cover the same technologies - which is usually what decides it.

What a certification body actually does

Your certification body takes the application, passes it to MCS for Scheme checks, then carries out the assessment: a site-based installation assessment plus a review of your processes and controls. If they find non-conformities they raise them with you, and you respond with the root cause and what you have done to correct them. They close them when they are satisfied, then notify MCS, and the Installer Agreement follows.

They also do the surveillance audits afterwards. So this is not a one-off transaction - you are choosing who audits your business every year.

Who the certification bodies are

These are the organisations certifying MCS installers as of August 2026. The list changes, and so does what each is accredited for, so confirm the current position on the MCS website before you apply.

  • CERTSURE LLP, trading as NICEIC - heat pumps, solar PV, battery storage, solar heating.
  • NAPIT Certification Ltd - the widest scope on the list: heat pumps, solar PV, battery storage, solar heating, biomass, micro CHP and wind turbines.
  • OFTEC - heat pumps, solar heating and biomass, including design-only and installation-only heat pump certification.
  • Amtivo Group, trading as British Assessment Bureau - heat pumps, solar PV, battery storage, solar heating.
  • Simply Certification - heat pumps, solar PV, battery storage, solar heating.
  • The IAA (Installation Assurance Authority) - heat pumps, solar PV, battery storage, solar heating.
  • HETAS - solar heating and biomass only. Not a route to heat pump certification.
  • APHC Certification Ltd - heat pumps, solar heating and biomass, but its UKAS accreditation is currently suspended, so it cannot make certification decisions. Check its status before applying.

How to choose between them

Scope first. If a body is not accredited for the technology you want, nothing else about it matters. Several of them separate air-to-water heat pump design from installation, which is worth knowing if you want one and not the other.

Then price, and specifically what the price is for. Ask what the initial assessment costs, what the annual fee is, what a surveillance audit costs, and what happens financially if non-conformities mean a repeat visit. Bodies that look similar on the headline fee can differ sharply on that last one.

Then how they work. Whether assessments are remote or on site, how far ahead they book, whether they will look at your quality management system before you formally apply, and how quickly they answer the phone when you have a live job and a question. If you already hold an electrical or plumbing registration with one of them, keeping everything under one auditor is a real convenience.

Changing certification body later

You can move, and installers do - usually over price, or over an assessor relationship that has stopped working. It is not free: the new body assesses you rather than taking the old one’s word for it, and there is a gap to manage so you are not uncertified partway through a job. Plan a switch around your renewal date rather than in the middle of a project.

Common questions

What is an MCS certification body?+

An independent third-party organisation accredited to assess installers against the MCS standards and make the certification decision. MCS itself writes the standards and runs the Scheme checks but does not assess you.

Which certification body is best for heat pumps?+

There is no single best one. NAPIT has the widest technology scope, NICEIC suits businesses already registered with them for electrical work, and OFTEC is well established with heating engineers. Choose on scope first, then on total annual cost and on how the body actually works with you.

Does it matter which certification body I pick?+

For the certificate itself, no - MCS certification is MCS certification. For your experience of getting and keeping it, yes: fees, assessment style, lead times and support differ, and this is the organisation auditing your business every year.

Can I change MCS certification body?+

Yes, but the new body will assess you rather than accept the old one’s assessment, and you need to manage the gap so you are not uncertified mid-installation. Time it around a renewal.