Just like with any heating system installation, you want to make sure you’re working with a competent company. However, with heat pumps it is especially important to ensure they are designed and commissioned correctly for the building.
Choose an MCS Installer
There are certain standards and accreditation’s to look out for before choosing your heat pump installer. Most importantly, you should always use an MCS Accredited Installer. This is vital to ensure the heat pump is sufficiently sized and that the whole system including the distribution (radiators or underfloor) has been designed accordingly. Alto Energy are a MCS Accredited Installer so will ensure this happens on each and every install that is designed, supplied and commissioned by them.
If this design work is neglected, the efficiency and performance of the system can be significantly compromised. 99% of the time that a heat pump installation fails to meet expectations it is because the system has not been properly sized and designed by an appropriately accredited supplier (so blame a human not the technology).
What is MCS?
MCS stands for the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which is the set of a rules and standards that the heat pump industry is supposed to abide by. The MCS code dictates certain rules and regulations governing how a heat pump system must be designed and installed. If the installation of your Heat Pump system is not designed and managed by an MCS accredited installer who are providing an MCS Certificate as part of your contract, then you will not be able to register for the RHI grant payments.
ENERGY SAVING TRUST
Many of the standards incorporated into MCS were borne out of a mass heat pump trial started over 10 years ago by the Energy Saving Trust (“EST”). In a recent blog, the EST reflected on this trial by reiterating some of the key themes:
Heat pumps can provide an efficient alternative for householders
Heat pumps are sensitive to design and commissioning
Install the heat pump with low-temperature underfloor heating or properly sized radiators.
The EST has found that customer satisfaction rates with the performance of their Heat Pump systems have significantly increased since the introduction of the MCS code – this is because it ensures that systems are designed properly by appropriately qualified people.
In essence, the Energy Savings Trust makes clear the important of a heat pump system being designed properly from the outset, and this is exactly what you get working with an MCS installer like Alto Energy.
Why Choose MCS?
MCS is an eligibility requirement for the Government's financial incentives including the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). This means that if you don't deal with a fully MCS accredited company to commission your heat pump then you could miss out on thousands of pounds of government incentives.
Furthermore, choosing an MCS accredited installer gives you the following benefits:
Insurance-backed guarantees. All contracts with an MCS installer come with insurance-backed guarantees for your deposit payments and the workmanship
Quality assurance. All MCS installers are audited regularly to ensure they meet the standards of the scheme
Planning Permission. Air source heat pumps are a permitted development SO LONG as they are being installed by an MCS accredited installer who completes a noise assessment in line with the MCS requirements.
What if you’re a Developer - Why Choose Alto Energy?
If you’re a developer building new houses, you aren’t usually eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive payments. So developers often ask us, what are the benefits in choosing an MCS installer? We set out a number of further benefits of working with Alto Energy below:
We provide a comprehensive warranty package directly to the end user. This means that any technical questions or issues the homeowner might have, we deal directly with the customer. This saves developers a lot of hassle, particularly with a new technology.
Heat pumps installed by an MCS installer get a significant uplift in the SAP calculations, meaning that your investment in heat pump technology is rewarded with even bigger carbon savings in the Building Regulations calculation.
Being the main UK dealer for IVT Bosch, and a Business Solutions Partner for Mitsubishi, we offer a minimum 5 year warranty on all products that we supply. If ordering through other suppliers, the default warranty is just two years.
As stated above the EST found that customer satisfaction rates with the performance of their Heat Pump systems have massively increased since the introduction of the MCS code – this is because it ensures systems are designed properly by appropriately qualified people. So even though you don’t need MCS for the RHI eligibility, it is still essential for you to ensure that you have a properly designed and performing system. Cutting corners by not going through an MCS certified supplier is a road that leads to poor performance, and unhappy home owners.