Renewable Energy Installer February 2015 | Page 15

Partner organisation MCS presents its regular column for REI
Opinion
Spring watch
MCS would like to take this opportunity to remind installers
and manufacturers of the updated standards published in
November 2014, and potential changes to the eligibility rules
for the domestic RHI.
S
ubject to parliamentary process and approval of the draft regulations, these
changes are expected to come into force in spring 2015
A summary of the standards that have been updated are listed below,
and can also be accessed from the standards section of the MCS website (www.
microgenerationcertification.org/mcs-standards).
Installer Standards:
•
Installer certification scheme requirements (MCS 001)
•
Solar heating standard (MIS 3001)
•
Heat pump standard (MIS 3005)
•
Heat emitter guide (MCS 021)
•
Additional requirements for MCS installers to become Green Deal authorised
(MCS 023)
•
MCS Scheme Matrix
Product Standards:
•
Product certification scheme requirements (MCS 007)
Please refer to the final page of each standard for a summary of amendments.
MCS certified installers are requested to ensure they are working to the new standards
in accordance with the transition period shown at the front of each standard.
In the case of domestic heat technology installations, please note that the
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) issued the following guidance
relating to domestic RHI applications:
“The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) will shortly be publishing
updated installation standards for heat pumps (MIS 3005) and solar thermal
(MIS 3001) and an updated Heat Emitter Guide (MCS 021). These standards are
referenced in the RHI regulations and we intend to update the regulations to refer to
the new standards.
“There will be a transition period for the MCS standards and if your heating
system is installed in that period it can be certified to either the old or the updated
standard. If your heat system is certified to the updated standard you will not be able
to apply for the RHI until the changes to the regulations come into force. You will still
have 12 months from commissioning of your heating system to apply for the scheme.”
For further information regarding the potential changes to the domestic RHI,
please visit DECC’s website www.gov.uk/decc
Somewhat predictably, an announcement
was made late last year that the RHI tariff
for domestic biomass installations was to
be reduced by 10 percent from 01 January
because accreditations have exceeded the
well published ‘trigger point’. Now I know
that this will be met by howls of despair
by all those with an interest, including us
at Plumb Center, since anything which
may be harmful to a fledgling growing
market is not desirable.
However, perhaps we can take a
longer term view and celebrate the fact
that to have exceeded the trigger point
then the market must have grown faster
than expectations. Secondly, a measured
view of the biomass market shows that
after degression there is still a very good
economic case for fitting a system as
opposed to fitting a more conventional
replacement. Thirdly, and perhaps most
crucially, we never want to get into a
situation where a market has to have
almost permanent financial support in
order to prosper. We certainly need some
incentives to create consumer interest,
to increase volumes and to give installers
and manufacturers some degree of
confidence that there will be sustained
demand and economic returns to make
investment decisions.
As consumer awareness increases,
the year ahead should bring us evidence
of further uptake in other technologies
and hopefully we will see heat pumps and
solar thermal subject to degression too!
www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk | 15