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StandardsHIES explained: what the badge actually protects, and when
HIES is a consumer protection scheme with a CTSI approved code, and its value to you is almost entirely about money: the deposit you pay up front and the workmanship guarantee you rely on afterwards.
Updated 4 August 2026 · written by the Clearline guidance team
What HIES is
HIES is a consumer protection scheme for home energy installations. It operates a Consumer Code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, and an alternative dispute resolution scheme that CTSI recognises as a Competent Authority. Its accredited installer scheme covers solar PV and air source heat pumps.
That is the constitutional description. In practice, HIES matters to a homeowner in three concrete ways: it insures the money you hand over before the job is finished, it buys an insurance backed guarantee on your behalf when the job completes, and it gives you somewhere independent to go when a dispute stalls.
Protection is not automatic, it is certificated
Both the deposit protection and the insurance backed guarantee only exist once you hold the certificate. If you have paid a deposit and no written confirmation has arrived from HIES, assume you are not covered yet and chase it.
Deposit and stage payment protection
This is the part that protects you against the installation team failing between your payment and your installation. With a HIES accredited installation team, deposit and stage payment protection covers up to 25 percent of the contract value, to a maximum of £5,000, and is valid for 120 days from the date the contract is signed, subject to the policy terms.
| Term | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Up to 25% of contract value | The insured share of what you pay before completion |
| £5,000 maximum | A hard cap, regardless of the size of the contract |
| 120 days from contract signature | The clock starts when you sign, not when work begins |
| Registered within 7 days | The installer is expected to register the installation with HIES within a week of signing |
Source: HIES deposit and stage payment protection page, accessed August 2026. Cover is subject to the policy terms.
Once the installation team registers the job, you should receive three things: a Customer Registration Certificate, a Deposit and Stage Payment Protection Certificate, and the policy terms. Protection is only active once that written confirmation has come from HIES. Read the wording rather than assuming, because the 120 day window is the one that catches people out on long lead times.
The 25 percent rule is the industry norm, not a HIES quirk
Consumer guidance across the sector says the same thing: never pay more than 25 percent of the contract price up front, and check that the deposit will be protected before you transfer anything. The RECC code gives homeowners the same advice.
The insurance backed guarantee
When your installation team registers the completion, HIES purchases an insurance backed guarantee, an IBG, on your behalf. It backs the installation team's own written workmanship guarantee if that installation team ceases trading or otherwise cannot honour it. HIES notes that these guarantee periods typically run somewhere between 2 and 10 years.
There are conditions, and they are strict. The installation must be fully completed and free of defect. All payments must have been made to the installation team named on the certificate. A valid contract and a written workmanship guarantee must be in place. And no cover exists at all until the IBG certificate is issued to you.
An IBG is not a warranty on your kit
This is the most common misunderstanding in the whole topic. An IBG backs the installation team's workmanship guarantee. It does not cover a manufacturer's product warranty, and it does not step in if a hardware manufacturer fails. We set out the full stack in insurance backed guarantees explained.
Dispute resolution and advice
HIES also provides access to independent dispute resolution, a homeowner advice line, and guidance through the process. The ADR route matters because it sits between a stalled complaint and a court claim, which is a gap most homeowners have no idea how to bridge.
- Complain to the installation team in writing first, keeping the paper trail.
- If it stalls, escalate to HIES using your Customer Registration Certificate details.
- Use the advice line to understand what the code obliges the installer to do.
- If it still does not resolve, ask for the ADR process rather than assuming court is the only option.
HIES under the redeveloped MCS scheme
This is where 2026 changed the picture. Under the redeveloped MCS installer scheme, membership of a consumer code such as HIES or RECC is no longer mandatory for MCS certified installers. What is now required is that certified installers provide eligible customers with an MCS approved Financial Protection Product.
HIES is an approved MCS Financial Protection Product Provider. The approved products give cover that begins when the contract is signed and continues for six years after the installation is completed. Protection holds if the installation team ceases trading, if the installation team fails to resolve issues, or if the insurer ceases trading, with FSCS protection applying to regulated insurers and escalation to the Financial Ombudsman Service for insurance claim disputes.
Six years from signature, not two
The old mental model was a deposit window plus whatever guarantee the installation team wrote. The approved financial protection model runs from the day you sign the contract to six years after the installation is finished, from a regulated provider. When you compare quotes, ask which approved product is being provided and get the certificate.
How to use this on your next quote
Ask what protection comes with the contract
Not whether the firm is a member of something. Ask which financial protection product you will receive and when the certificate arrives.
Keep the deposit at or below 25 percent
And do not pay it until you have written confirmation that it is protected.
File the certificates
Registration certificate, deposit protection certificate, policy terms, then the IBG certificate at completion. They are the only proof that cover exists.
Diarise the windows
120 days from signature on the deposit side. Note the guarantee period on the workmanship side, and the six year financial protection term.
Not sure what a quote is really offering you? Book a free remote design call and we will read it with you, line by line.
Get your free quote →Clearline does not install. Installations are carried out by an MCS-certified installation team for your area, which means we have no reason to talk you into a deposit. If you are weighing up a system rather than a scheme, start with our guides to battery storage and export tariffs, and check the calculator on your local county page.
HIES terms were checked against hies.org.uk in August 2026. Cover limits, windows and conditions are set by the policy and can change; always read the certificate you are issued.
HIES questions, answered
What does HIES actually cover if my installation team goes bust?
Two different things, at two different stages. Before completion, deposit and stage payment protection covers up to 25 percent of contract value to a maximum of £5,000, for 120 days from contract signature. After completion, the insurance backed guarantee steps in to honour the installation team's written workmanship guarantee. Neither covers a manufacturer's product warranty.
How much deposit should I pay a solar installation team?
No more than 25 percent of the contract price, and only once you have written confirmation that the deposit is protected. That is the consumer guidance from both HIES and RECC, and it matches the insured share on the HIES policy.
When does my HIES protection start?
Only when you receive written confirmation from HIES. The installation team is expected to register the installation within 7 days of contract signature, after which you should receive a Customer Registration Certificate, a Deposit and Stage Payment Protection Certificate and the policy terms. Until those arrive, treat yourself as uncovered.
Is HIES membership compulsory for MCS installers?
Not any more. Under the redeveloped MCS installer scheme, consumer code membership is no longer mandatory. What is mandatory is that certified installers provide eligible customers with an MCS approved Financial Protection Product, and HIES is one approved provider of those.
What is the difference between HIES and RECC?
Both are CTSI approved consumer codes for the renewables sector, and both require insured deposits and back workmanship guarantees. The practical differences are in who administers them and in the specific insurers and durations behind the cover. Our comparison of the protection schemes sets the two side by side.
Does HIES cover heat pumps?
The HIES accredited installer scheme covers solar PV and air source heat pumps. If you are being quoted for a different technology, ask specifically which scheme protection applies to that contract rather than assuming the badge on the letterhead covers everything.
See the numbers next: Tesla Powerwall 3, 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
- HIES, what we do: CTSI approved code, ADR competent authority, technologies covered hies.org.uk
- HIES, deposit and stage payment protection: 25 percent, £5,000 cap, 120 days, 7 day registration hies.org.uk
- HIES, insurance backed guarantees: mechanics, conditions, typical 2 to 10 year guarantee periods hies.org.uk
- HIES, MCS approved financial protection: six year cover, FSCS and Financial Ombudsman routes hies.org.uk
- MCS, redeveloped installer scheme: consumer code membership no longer mandatory mcscertified.com
- RECC, consumer top tips: never pay more than 25 percent up front recc.org.uk
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