What is MCS?
MCS is a standards organisation.
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We create and maintain standards that allows for the certification of products, installers and their installations. Associated with these standards is the certification scheme, run on behalf of MCS by Certification Bodies who hold UKAS accreditation to ISO 17065.
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MCS certifies low-carbon products and installations used to produce electricity and heat from renewable sources.
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MCS is a mark of quality. Membership of MCS demonstrates adherence to these recognised industry standards; highlighting quality, competency and compliance.
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Working with industry, MCS sets, defines and maintains the Standards for low-carbon energy technology products, contractors and their installations. This includes heat pumps, solar, biomass, small wind and battery storage.
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MCS is a mark of quality. Membership of MCS demonstrates adherence to these recognised industry Standards, highlighting quality, competency and compliance.
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MCS aims to decarbonise heat and power in the UK’s homes by giving you confidence in home-grown energy.
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Solar PV
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You can use Solar Panels to generate green electricity from sunlight. Over 900,000 homes across the country already benefit from clean, affordable solar power.
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A Solar Photovoltaic (Solar PV) module absorbs and converts sunlight into electricity. They don’t need direct sunlight to work – they can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day.
Solar PV modules are supplied as a sealed unit with a specific voltage and wattage rating. In order to provide electricity for a building Solar PV modules have to be combined in a system with other components (including an inverter, wiring and roof mounting kit).
PV cells come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most PV systems are made up of panels that fit on top of an existing roof, but you can also fit solar tiles.
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You don’t need planning permission to install solar unless you live in a listed building. However, in Conservation Areas or World Heritage sites, the equipment must be installed on the roof, not on a wall that would be visible from a highway.
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Increasingly, consumers are choosing to complement their Solar installation with battery storage as it can improve the performance by capturing surplus electricity and saving it, so it can be used later.
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The benefits of installing Solar PV:
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Reduce your electricity bills
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You could earn money on the electricity that you produce by selling excess energy back to the grid using the Smart Export Guarantee.
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Store excess electricity
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Cut your carbon footprint
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Low maintenance
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Invest in the future and reduce your reliance on the National Grid
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Battery Storage
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Battery storage allows you to make the most of electricity that you generate by storing it, so that you can use the energy when you actually need it. Battery storage can work alongside a solar PV system, whether retro-fitted to an existing installation or fitted as part of a new installation. Storage ties in very well to the idea of the ‘smart home’.
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For example, you could store more of the solar power that you generate so you can use it when the sun has gone down instead of drawing on grid electricity from your electricity supplier. Storage is particularly useful and most valuable economically if you have solar but are out most of the day and can’t use all of your solar power.
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Storage can also be used to draw power from the grid when it is especially cheap.
The two types of batteries most commonly offered for solar PV storage in the home are lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. Batteries and battery systems can vary considerably in shape, size and weight. The greater the battery capacity, the greater the battery size and weight. Typical domestic systems vary from being the size of a small computer to the size of a washing machine.
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The benefits of Battery Storage:
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Batteries can help you use more of the electricity generated by your PV system
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Store excess electricity in readiness for when you need it.
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Reduce your electricity bills.
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Cut your carbon footprint.
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Invest in the future and reduce your reliance on the National Grid
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Once your battery is fully charged, you could earn money on the electricity that you produce by selling excess energy back to the grid using the Smart Export Guarantee.
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Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
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The UK government announced new laws that will ensure households and businesses with small-scale renewable technologies, are paid for exporting their excess electricity to the grid through your energy supplier.
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) allows solar PV owners to continue earning from their solar system’s generation.
Your renewable energy installation needs to be MCS certified to qualify for the SEG. Your energy supplier might ask for your MCS certificate to confirm this. You can find an MCS certified contractor, if looking to install solar panels, using our ‘Find a Contractor’ tool here.
The Smart Export Guarantee requires medium – large electricity supply companies (those with more than 150,000 electricity customers) to offer a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Smaller suppliers can do so on a voluntary basis.
MCS certification (or equivalent) will be a requirement to qualify for the SEG, helping to safeguard high standards in the industry.
How do SEG payments work?
SEG payments are determined by your energy supplier in the form of an export tariff.
There are potentially two types of tariffs, either fixed at a price for every kWh you export or flexible, meaning the price your energy supplier will pay is aligned to half-hourly prices matched to the day-ahead wholesale rates.
Applying for SEG
Ahead of the 1 January 2020, you will need to find one of a few energy suppliers who already offer their customers an export tariff. It is anticipated that export tariffs will be packaged together with an energy supplier’s existing electricity and gas tariffs, allowing customers to compare tariffs offered between suppliers.
Who is responsible for SEG?
The energy suppliers are responsible for the setting of ‘market rate’ export tariffs. Energy suppliers with over 150,000 customers are legally obliged to offer one or more export tariffs from the 1 January 2020. Small suppliers may also offer export tariffs on a voluntary basis.