Guide to The MCS Umbrella Scheme

Dwellow has Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation, ensuring low-carbon installations such as air source heat pumps and solar panels are installed inline with MCS guidelines. 

By partnering with dwellow’s MCS Umbrella Scheme, you’ll be able to: 

• Offer customers heat pump and solar installations, without the need for your own MCS accreditation
• Be involved with our nationwide installer network, getting direct access to installation jobs in your area

If you already know what a MCS Umbrella Scheme is and the benefits it can offer your company, work with us by:

• Using our contact form here
• Calling us on 0330 822 2795

Or, continue reading to understand what an umbrella Scheme is, and how you can benefit.

‍What is The MCS Umbrella Scheme?

An MCS Umbrella Scheme is designed to help companies without MCS certification. The job of the umbrella company is to ensure all aspects of the installation comply with MCS guidelines.
MCS accredited companies will usually take on the project in full. They'll deal with everything from heat loss surveys, pricing, design, installation, commissioning and after-sales care. However, under MCS guidelines, all or some of the aspects of the design and installation can be subcontracted. Companies like dwellow (who are MCS certified and employ qualified engineers) can complete all aspects of the project that engineer’s need to be MCS qualified for, leaving you to complete the physical installation for your customer. Essentially, you can work as an air source heat pump installer, without the need for MCS accreditation. And that’s because the umbrella operator has installers that are MCS certified that can oversee each installation, to ensure it’s above and beyond current industry and MCS standards.

‍The Cost of Becoming MCS Accredited

‍The big question is, why not just become MCS accredited yourself?

As you can see below, the cost is the biggest factor. Setting your company up via MCS is likely to cost somewhere in the region of £1,000. And, that’s just in year 1… There are also a range of ongoing costs (consumer code, certification body, MCS certificates and so on) that need to be accounted for.

(Source: MCS)

But, upfront cost isn’t the only benefit here. Being MCS certified comes with a lot of responsibility (and paperwork). It also requires the installer to do extra work such as on-site surveys (generally about 4-6 hours work including heat loss calculations). On top of those costs, you’ve got the time commitment. You’ll need to commit days to become familiar with MCS standards, as well as fill out all the necessary paperwork. For those only generating a handful of air source heat pump leads a year, it makes sense to remove the time, hassle and cost of being MCS registered, and partner with a company that’s already set up with MCS. 

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You can partner with us by dropping us an email here, or calling us on 0330 822 2795.

‍How It Works

‍Companies that run a MCS Umbrella Scheme generally offer two benefits to installers / engineers. These include:

• The ability to offer low carbon installations (air source heat pumps and solar panels) to your customers, by using the dwellow MCS Umbrella
• Being included in a national engineer network and gain access to installation work, even without MCS accreditation

Offer Your Customers Low-Carbon Installations

‍If you’ve got good demand for low-carbon installations such as heat pumps or solar panels in your area (but aren’t MCS registered), we can help. By partnering with dwellow's MCS Certified engineers, you'll be able to offer your customers a start to finish installation service for solar panels and air source heat pumps. And the best thing? We handle everything related to MCS, including paperwork! We differ from many MCS Umbrellas, as we've implemented systems to make this process as automated as possible. Dwellow will complete a heat loss survey on your behalf, meaning:

• You don’t need to complete a time consuming analysis of each room, nor work out heat loss calculations for the install (saving the typical installer half a day)
• Using our in-house system and Installer App, we can generate the necessary documents easily, leading to further time savings (and less paperwork) for anyone working under our umbrella
• If necessary, we're even able to provide your customer documentation with your branding!

In order to meet MCS guidelines, typically, we take on the design aspect of the project, supply all materials, then pass on the installation back to an installer that generated the lead (in this case, you). Our umbrella service includes absolutely everything you need, including: 

• A workmanship warranty on the install
• Submitting the project's details to the Consumer Code
• Submitting product warranties
• Applying for any government grants on behalf of your customer; in the case of air source heat pumps, this would mean up to £7,500 in funding via the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) subject to eligibility
• The list goes on…!

And finally as we'll cover below, being part of the dwellow MCS Umbrella gives your company unique access to ongoing installation jobs in your area via our installer network.Contact us to understand the options of partnering with Dwellow and within a MCS Umbrella Scheme by using our contact form, or call us on 0330 822 2795.

‍Join Our Engineer Network

‍Once you partner with dwellow as part of our MCS Umbrella Scheme, you'll have the opportunity to get installation work for air source heat pump and solar panel installations in your area. Being MCS certified, we'll cover all aspects of ensuring the system is up to spec to ensure it meets MCS guidelines, as well as ensuring the system is eligible for any relevant government grants. As the installer, you won't need to pay for marketing, or even quote the job. We'll do the following: 

• Pay for marketing to get installs for the likes of solar panels and air source heat pumps
• Complete the heat loss survey
• Assess whether any radiators need upgrading (in the case of air source heat pumps)
• Offer customers a final quote that includes everything from design, through to supply, installation and their system’s MCS certificate
• Apply for any relevant government grants
• Include a warranty (parts and labour) as part of the price
• Inspect and commission the system using an in-house engineer that has MCS certification

By partnering in this way, you'll be able to determine demand for MCS installations in your area, before committing time, energy and money to become MCS Certified. Put simply, you can focus on one thing; the quality of your installation. If you’re a specialist in low-carbon installations including solar panels or air source heat pumps, get in touch using our contact form here, or, call us on 0330 822 2795.