MCS cert and insuring/selling a house

gjcar

Due to get solar panels & battery next month.  Installer was MCS registered but has come out of the scheme due to cost/paperwork.  If I proceed, will not having the certificate affect my ability to get buildings insurance or cause problems when I eventually sell my house?

QrizB

The MCS scheme provides an assurance that your installer meets minimum standards of good practice, is a member of a dispute resolution scheme and provides an insurance-backed warranty for their work.

I had to make use of these provisions when an installer failed to provide the necessary certificates and was reluctant to return an overpayment I'd made in error.

If your installer has dropped out of the MCS scheme, do you have any assurance that they continue with the other things? I'd would be concerned about their professionalism more generally.

MCS certificates continue to be required by some/most electricity suppliers before they will allow you an export tariff. You'll want some sort of electrical certificate for your building insurance, and your installer will need some other way to demonstrate Building Regs compliance.

Finally, yes, when you come to move some potential buyers will expect to see an MCS certificate.

Are you committed to this installer? Are there reasons why you can't go elsewhere? Is this installer especially cheap?

QrizB

If you'd like a quote from an MCS certified installer, maybe drop @Screwdriva a message. He can probably put you in touch with one?

Screwdriva

gjcar said:

Installer was MCS registered but has come out of the scheme due to cost/paperwork.  If I proceed, will not having the certificate affect my ability to get buildings insurance or cause problems when I eventually sell my house?

This is a really strong red flag. For installers, MCS certification is incredibly essential and I am instantly wary of any installer who has lost this. (As an example, I know of a Kent based installer who lost their MCS certification when their panels blew off a roof and permanently injured the homeowner's pet dog). 

Not having MCS will impact your ability to earn revenue via export with several utility companies and also impacts the quality of kit on offer. Tesla does not distribute to non-MCS installers as an example. I can't see this being a positive thing when it comes time to sell. There is no premium (rather the odd savings) for using a HIES/ RECC backed MCS installer. 

gjcar

Thanks for your comments above. I’m not committed, but was hoping to get the panels up soon.  The installer left the scheme due to its cost and the amount of paperwork involved; said quite a few installers have done this.  

I know SEG could be a problem too; even Octopus, who don’t necessarily insist on MCS tell me that this is just a trial, and signing up can still be a bit complicated with no certificate.

  As far as I know there aren’t any other suppliers who don’t need the cert as a condition for exporting.  Tbh I’m less worried about SEG than about insuring and selling, though exporting would obviously be a good idea. 

Slinky

gjcar said:

  The installer .... (snip) said quite a few installers have done this. 

To quote those famous words, he would do wouldn't he........

This would be a massive red flag to me. I suspect if you go ahead with this installer, you may regret your choice at some point down the road. No way would I see payment for export as a 'nice to have' but not important. We exported 2400 kWh of electricity last year.

Ectophile

I have never seen anything in an insurance policy that mentioned MCS certification.

As for selling, it would be a missing bit of documentation that might put off buyers.  Especially if they realised that they couldn't claim the SEG.  It wouldn't prevent you from selling the house.

SEG could earn you quite a lot of money over the years.  Without that, you would be giving all your excess electricity away to the grid for free.

MWT

gjcar said:

The installer left the scheme due to its cost and the amount of paperwork involved... 

That would be all the paperwork that properly documents the system they have installed, the proof that you have the right approvals from your DNO/notification of the install to the DNO, all the warranties, all the reassurance that the installers have been properly trained etc. etc. ...

I would already have cancelled...

HillStreetBlues

gjcar said:

Thanks for your comments above. I’m not committed, but was hoping to get the panels up soon.  The installer left the scheme due to its cost and the amount of paperwork involved; said quite a few installers have done this. 

Maybe they could form their own rodeo.

Qyburn

MWT said:

I would already have cancelled...

So would I.

mmmmikey

Qyburn said:

MWT said:

I would already have cancelled...

So would I.

Yep, me too - words like "pole" and "barge" are springing to mind. 

In answer to the specific questions, it seems unlikely to affect your buildings insurance (although technically it probably could), but selling the house without any evidence the panels have been properly installed in accordance with all the regulations is likely to cause all kinds of issues as it would almost certainly come to light during the conveyancing process. 

Any additional cost associated with getting the job done properly by an an approved installer will quickly repay itself through the SEG income.

Bottom line is that, IMHO, going forward with this installer would be a mistake you'll quickly end up regretting.