Standards

MCS, HIES, RECC, NAPIT, TrustMark and Flexi-Orb: which badge does what

A solar quotation can carry six logos and still leave a hole in your protection. Each scheme covers a different failure, and only some of them are required at all.

Updated 25 September 2026 · written by the Clearline guidance team · 5 min read

8 dated sources, listed in full below Plain English, written to explain before anyone quotes Figures recomputed at every update, never recycled

Aerial view of a large red-brick community building with two separate solar arrays across its roofline

The one thing to hold on to

These schemes are not competing versions of the same protection. They cover different failures. MCS is about the technical quality of the kit and the work, and it is what unlocks export payments. Consumer codes are about how the sale was conducted and whether your money is insured. Competent person schemes are about building regulations. TrustMark is about publicly funded retrofit. They stack, they do not substitute.

Only two of the six are ever compulsory

MCS certification, or a recognised equivalent, is required for Smart Export Guarantee payments and most government incentives. A route to building regulations compliance is required by law. Everything else on the list is voluntary for the installation team, which is exactly why the voluntary ones tell you something.

The six schemes side by side

Scheme	What it is	What it gives you	Required?
MCS	Standards setter and consumer protection scheme for products, installation teams and installations	The quality benchmark, the certificate that unlocks SEG and grants, Customer Commitment protections and a complaints route	Yes for SEG (or a recognised equivalent) and most government incentives
HIES	CTSI approved consumer code and accreditation scheme	Deposit and stage payment protection at 25% capped at £5,000 for 120 days, an insurance backed guarantee on completion, ADR and an advice line	Voluntary for installation teams. An MCS approved financial protection product is now required instead
RECC	CTSI approved consumer code, sponsored by the REA and administered by REAL	Code standards across the whole sale, insured deposits, IBG backed workmanship warranties and dispute resolution	Voluntary. Historically one of the two codes MCS-certified installation teams joined
NAPIT and NICEIC	UKAS accredited MCS certification bodies and competent person scheme operators	The installation team's route to MCS certification, plus building regulations self-certification of the electrical work	The installation team must use some UKAS accredited body. You do not choose it
TrustMark	Government Endorsed Quality Scheme for work in and around the home	The required route for government funded retrofit via Certificates of Lodgement against PAS 2030 and PAS 2035	Only for publicly funded work. MCS is still needed for the renewable measure itself
Flexi-Orb	UKAS recognised alternative certification scheme for solar PV, batteries and EV chargers	SEG eligibility as an MCS equivalent, recognised by suppliers including Octopus Energy	An alternative to MCS, not an addition. Not yet a route to all grants

Compiled from scheme operator documentation, accessed August 2026. Scheme rules are changing through the 2026 MCS transition.

Where they overlap, and where the gap is

The overlap is real. HIES and RECC both insure deposits and both back workmanship guarantees, so an installation team registered under either gives you broadly the same shape of protection, with different insurers and different durations behind it. NAPIT and NICEIC both certify to MCS and both operate competent person schemes, so the choice between them is the installation team's, not yours.

The gap is more interesting. None of these schemes protects you against a hardware manufacturer failing. An insurance backed guarantee covers the installation team's workmanship guarantee, not a manufacturer's product warranty. That distinction became very concrete for UK battery owners in 2026, and we cover it in insurance backed guarantees explained.

What changed in 2026

The redeveloped MCS certification scheme received UKAS recognition in January 2025 and installation teams have been transferring across through 2026 in a phased move managed by their certification body. Two changes reshape this comparison.

Consumer code membership is no longer mandatory for MCS-certified installation teams. HIES or RECC membership is now a choice a firm makes, not a box it has to tick.
An MCS approved Financial Protection Product is required instead. Cover begins when the contract is signed and continues for six years after installation completion, from a regulated provider, with FSCS protection and escalation to the Financial Ombudsman Service for insurance claim disputes.
Complaints are centralised. MCS now runs complaints management itself, rather than routing everything through the consumer code.
The installation team contracts with MCS directly, and MCS runs back office checks on financial performance, directors, complaint history and legal proceedings.

So do the codes still matter?

As a signal, yes. A firm that keeps a CTSI approved code membership when it is no longer required is accepting oversight on marketing, quotations and after sales that the financial protection product does not cover. Treat it as a positive, not as the thing you rely on.

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MCS or Flexi-Orb: does it matter which?

For export payments alone, either works. Flexi-Orb runs an installation standards scheme for solar PV, batteries and EV chargers, reports UKAS recognition to ISO 17067:2013, and is recognised for SEG eligibility as an MCS equivalent, including by Octopus Energy.

For grants, it is not equivalent yet. MCS remains the only scheme recognised for access to some government backed grants, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme among them. If you might add a heat pump later and want the grant, that is a reason to prefer MCS now, because certification is technology specific and cannot be applied retrospectively.

How to read a quotation with six logos on it

Step 1

Find the MCS position first

Certified for which technologies, with which certification body. Everything else is secondary to this.

Step 2

Then find the money protection

Which approved financial protection product or code backed deposit insurance applies, from which insurer, and for how many days.

Step 3

Then the guarantee

How long the workmanship guarantee runs, and which insurance backed guarantee product sits behind it.

Step 4

Then building regulations

Which competent person scheme will notify the electrical work, so you are not left applying to building control yourself.

Step 5

Ignore the rest

Trade association badges and manufacturer accreditation logos are marketing. They carry no protection for you.

Bring us the quote. A free remote design call will tell you what is genuinely covered and what is decoration.

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Our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams carry out every installation, which is why we can be blunt about which badges matter. For the technology decisions underneath the paperwork, see solar panels, battery storage and EV charging, and use the local calculator on your county page.

Scheme positions were checked against MCS, HIES, RECC, NAPIT, TrustMark and Flexi-Orb documentation in August 2026, during an active MCS transition period.

FAQs

Scheme comparison questions

What is the difference between HIES and RECC?

Both are CTSI approved consumer codes covering how renewable systems are sold, and both require insured deposits and back workmanship guarantees. HIES runs a single scheme wide deposit policy at 25% capped at £5,000 for 120 days. RECC works through a panel of insurers whose deposit windows range from 35 days to 120 days or more, with insurance backed guarantees from 1 to 12 years by provider.

What is the difference between TrustMark and MCS?

TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme covering work in and around the home, and it is the required route for government funded retrofit through Certificates of Lodgement against PAS 2030 and PAS 2035. MCS certifies the renewable technology itself. For a publicly funded solar or heat pump measure you generally need both.

Do I need both MCS and a consumer code?

Not any more. Under the redeveloped MCS certification scheme, consumer code membership is no longer mandatory for certified installation teams. What is required is an MCS approved Financial Protection Product, giving cover from contract signature to six years after completion.

Is Flexi-Orb as good as MCS?

For Smart Export Guarantee eligibility it is recognised as an equivalent, and it reports UKAS recognition to ISO 17067:2013. For grants it is not equivalent, because MCS remains the only scheme recognised for access to some government backed grants such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Which scheme covers me if the manufacturer goes bust?

None of them, and this is the real gap. Insurance backed guarantees cover the installation team's workmanship guarantee if the installation team stops trading. A manufacturer's product warranty is a claim against the manufacturer, and if that company ceases trading the warranty goes with it.

Do I choose the certification body?

No. The installation team chooses which UKAS accredited certification body certifies them, and NAPIT and NICEIC are the two names you will most often see. Your job is to verify that the firm is genuinely certified for every technology on your quotation.

See the numbers next: Duracell Dura16, installed, or the battery storage guide.

Figures and specifications in this guide are sourced below and were checked on the date shown. Rates and product specifications change; we confirm the current picture on your free design call.

Sources

MCS, about the scheme and redeveloped certification scheme: certification structure and 2026 changes mcscertified.com
HIES, what we do and deposit protection: 25 percent, £5,000 cap, 120 days hies.org.uk
HIES, MCS approved financial protection: six year cover from contract signature hies.org.uk
RECC, consumer code and deposit and workmanship warranty protection: insurer durations and IBG ranges recc.org.uk
NAPIT, MCS scheme pages: certification body and competent person scheme roles napit.org.uk
TrustMark, ECO government schemes and PAS 2035 trustmark.org.uk
Flexi-Orb scheme recognition for SEG eligibility flexi-orb.com
Ofgem, Smart Export Guarantee scheme pages ofgem.gov.uk