Warm Homes Loan GuideAn independent guide

From idea to installed, stop by stop

There are five stops, and they usually come in this order. The one people tend to skip is the second: if you apply to a lender directly, it will want a quote from an installer certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) with your application.

Rules last checked . Draft

  1. Check your upgrades

    Who acts
    You
    What you need
    Know what you’d like to install, where the home is, and whether a grant applies.
    How long
    A few minutes

  2. Get an MCS installer quote

    Who acts
    You and an MCS-certified installer
    What you need
    A survey and a dated, itemised quote showing the installer’s MCS number and system size.
    How long
    Depends on when installers can visit

  3. Apply to a participating lender

    Who acts
    You and the lender (or your installer, if they arrange the finance)
    What you need
    The installer’s quote, plus anything else the lender asks for. You’ll confirm no other public grant or loan is paying for the same work (a Boiler Upgrade Scheme or Home Energy Scotland grant is fine). The lender runs its own credit and affordability checks and makes the decision.
    How long
    Set by the lender

  4. Installation

    Who acts
    Your MCS-certified installer
    What you need
    Access to your home on the agreed dates. If you’re getting a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, your installer will usually have applied for it by now. If you’re getting a Home Energy Scotland grant, don’t let work start until you have its written offer.
    How long
    Your installer will give you dates. Ground source usually takes longer.

  5. MCS certificate lodged

    Who acts
    Your installer, then your lender
    What you need
    Your installer registers the job on the MCS Installation Database, and your lender uses the certificate to confirm the installation qualifies.
    How long
    Shortly after installation

Your installer needs to be MCS-certified for the technology you’re fitting. If you’re in England or Wales and getting a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for a heat pump, they’ll usually apply for it before installation. In Scotland, you apply for the Home Energy Scotland grant yourself, and work mustn’t start until you have its written offer.

These times are rough guides, not promises. Lenders work to their own timescales, and the scheme lets lenders offer finance through your installer when you buy, which can combine the quote and lender stops.