Gas Safe, MCS or an Electrical Scheme? Which Register Your Installer Needs
Pick your job and your nation to see which register your installer should be on, how to check it, which certificate to ask for and what grants or tax relief are on offer today in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Checked 13 November 2026.
Updated
Before the first quote, settle four things
- Gas work means a Gas Safe engineer, and the back of the ID card says what that engineer may touch.
- Heat pumps, solar and batteries need an MCS installer if you want a grant or want to be paid for exported power.
- Electrical work should come from a registered electrician who can issue a safety certificate.
- Any trade should be willing to give you the certificate on the day the job ends.
The registers answer different questions, and no single one covers a boiler, a heat pump and a charger. The picker below turns your job and your nation into the checks that apply and the money that is really on offer today.
Pick the job and see which register applies
Once you know the register, find firms in your town: heating engineers for gas work, heat pump installers, solar panel installers, electricians and plumbers.
Checked on 13 November 2026 against GOV.UK, Ofgem, HSE, Home Energy Scotland, Nest and NI Direct. Scheme rules change, so confirm amounts on the scheme page before you sign.
What a quote should settle before you pay a deposit
The person turning up
GOV.UK suggests getting quotes from more than one installer, asking how long you will be without heating or hot water, and asking whether the installer can self-certify building regulations because they belong to a competent person scheme.
What changes in the house
Ask whether your electricity supply needs upgrading and what that costs, whether planning permission is needed, and whether any insulation or radiator changes would let you fit a smaller heat pump. Tell your home insurer about the work.
How they sell
GOV.UK says installers should never pressure you to sign or offer cheaper deals if you sign today. Where a grant applies, it comes off the quote and invoice, and the installer applies for it on your behalf, so you never pay it up front and wait for a refund.
Money on offer, nation by nation
| Where | Heat pumps | Other help |
|---|---|---|
| England | Boiler Upgrade Scheme, GBP 7,500 for air source or ground source, GBP 1,500 extra for oil or LPG until March 2027 | Energy Company Obligation until 31 December 2026 for qualifying benefit households |
| Wales | Boiler Upgrade Scheme as in England | Nest: free advice and improvements for qualifying households, freephone 0808 808 2244 |
| Scotland | Home Energy Scotland: up to GBP 7,500 grant plus up to GBP 7,500 interest free loan, GBP 1,500 uplift for rural and island homes | Grant of up to 75% of insulation costs to a maximum of GBP 7,500, with an interest free loan for the rest |
| Northern Ireland | No Boiler Upgrade Scheme | Affordable Warmth Scheme through the Housing Executive, and NI Energy Advice |
| Whole UK | 0% VAT on installed heat pumps, solar panels and batteries until 31 March 2027, then 5% | Warm Home Discount of GBP 150 off electricity bills for eligible households in England, Wales and Scotland |
Where this page got its facts
- GOV.UK, find a heat pump installer: MCS for funding, RECC or HIES, the 10 day certificate, what to ask, no pressure to sign.
- GOV.UK, Boiler Upgrade Scheme: grant amounts, eligibility and how the installer applies. Checked 13 November 2026.
- NI Direct, Gas Safe Register and HSE guide for landlords: the ID card and the annual check.
- MCS find an installer and Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee: MCS and export payments. Ofgem's pages do not set out the certificate rule, so ask the supplier what it requires.
- GOV.UK competent person schemes, Electrical Safety First and OFTEC.
- Home Energy Scotland, Nest, NI Direct grants, GOV.UK Energy Company Obligation and Warm Home Discount.
- HMRC VAT Notice 708/6: zero rate to 31 March 2027, then 5%. A new central heating system with a gas boiler is not on the zero rated list.
The Gas Safe Register website did not open for our automated check, so the ID card details come from NI Direct and the HSE. Open the register itself to confirm an engineer.