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StandardsMCS, 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 4 August 2026 · written by the Clearline guidance team
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 installer, 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, installers 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 installers. 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 installers joined |
| NAPIT and NICEIC | UKAS accredited MCS certification bodies and competent person scheme operators | The installer's route to MCS certification, plus building regulations self-certification of the electrical work | The installer 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 installer in 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 installer'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 installer scheme received UKAS recognition in January 2025 and installers 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 installers. 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 installer contracts with MCS directly through an Installer Agreement, 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.
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
Find the MCS position first
Certified for which technologies, with which certification body. Everything else is secondary to this.
Then find the money protection
Which approved financial protection product or code backed deposit insurance applies, from which insurer, and for how many days.
Then the guarantee
How long the workmanship guarantee runs, and which insurance backed guarantee product sits behind it.
Then building regulations
Which competent person scheme will notify the electrical work, so you are not left applying to building control yourself.
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.
Get your free quote →Clearline never installs and never sells kit. Installations are carried out by an MCS-certified installation team for your area, 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.
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 installer scheme, consumer code membership is no longer mandatory for certified installers. 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 fails. 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 installer 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 installer 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
Read next
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