Unitherm Launches MCS Design Service | Unitherm News

Unitherm has announced that from 1^st August 2022 it will be launching its own MCS Design Service to provide a solution for installers who wish to concentrate solely on the installation of heat pumps systems.

Changes announced following the closure of the domestic RHI scheme will allow installers to work alongside independent designers from 1^st April 2022. MCS, the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, is to split the existing Heat Pump Standard (MIS 3005) in two. One of these standards will now focus on Heat Pump Design (MIS 3005-D) whilst the other will look at Heat Pump Installation (MIS 3005-I). The changes will be live from the 1^st April, following the closure of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive on the 31^st March 2022.

MCS said it intends the new standards to make the market more accessible by giving heat pump specialists the opportunity to either focus on design or installation, depending on their skillsets. At the same time, the new standards will accommodate contractors who install heat pumps alongside independent heat pump designers.

Unitherm’s managing director in the UK Andy Hooper says the company will offer all the back office solutions for installers that have or might see the ‘paperwork side’ of the business a disincentive to getting involved in the heat pump revolution that is already taking place in the UK: “As a business we will be fully MCS compliant from 1^st August 2022 but we have made the decision to launch the MCS Design Service in response to many conversations we have had with people in the renewables sector in recent months. There is a need for support from specialist companies able to provide all the back-office paperwork support for MCS installations. Installers are very good at what they do but many have suggested paperwork is not their strength and the splitting of the MCS scheme into two is a sensible approach to ensure that the paperwork aspects of the installation do not come between the installer and the huge amount of installation work in the months and years ahead.”

The service on offer will see the full design package available from Unitherm to include heat loss calculations, heat pump sizing, hot water calculations and detailed schematics of the installation for a one-off flat fee that will provide all an installer needs to progress an installation and comply with the MCS Scheme allowing access to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).  Unitherm will also take care of the BUS application and pass on the grant to the property owner, with no need for the installer to “bankroll” the grant.

In addition, Unitherm will offer a similar service for self-build projects – providing the full design service for a new property that the developers can then take to their chosen installer to have the heat pump and associated products installed in the new property.

Heading up the new service at Unitherm will be Steve Rhodes, the company’s Training Manger who brings with him huge expertise in designing and installing heat pumps: “This new service will be a huge benefit for installers keen to get into the heat pump installation marketplace but reluctant to take on the paperwork that goes with the MCS scheme. What better way to overcome that reluctance than to work with a specialist company like us that can do all the paperwork offering a quick turnaround for a one-off fee. It makes huge sense and could be the single most important decision taken in the heat pump sector to get the number of heat pump installations heading towards the numbers Government has said it wants to see over the next few years as heat pumps become ever more important in the domestic heating sector.”

To find out more about Unitherm Heating Systems in the UK or to sign up for training courses head for www.unitherm.co.uk or call 01392 979450 or email enquiries@unitherm.co.uk .