The MCS Handover Pack: Complete Document Checklist
The MCS handover pack is what turns a finished install into a certified one. Here's every document it should contain, for solar PV and for heat pumps, and who is waiting on each.
When an MCS-certified installer completes a solar PV or heat pump installation, the customer should be left with a complete pack of documents — not a stack of manuals and a verbal promise. The pack is what supports the MCS certificate, unlocks the Smart Export Guarantee or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, validates the warranty and survives the next house sale.
The contents differ slightly between technologies, but the logic is the same: proof of design, proof of commissioning, proof of the electrical work, proof the network was notified, and the information the customer needs to operate the system. This guide lists the pack for each technology and the order to assemble it.
Key takeaways
- The handover pack combines commissioning evidence, electrical certification, DNO paperwork, the MCS certificate and customer information.
- For solar PV: commissioning certificate, DC array tests, EIC, G98/G99 confirmation, MCS certificate, performance estimate and warranties.
- For heat pumps: Benchmark commissioning record, MCS F26B handover certificate, EIC, performance estimate, user instructions and warranties.
- The MCS certificate itself is generated when the installer registers the installation — the rest of the pack is what supports it.
- Assemble the pack from the job record at commissioning; chasing documents afterwards is where handovers fall apart.
What the handover pack is for
MCS installation standards require the customer to receive a documented handover: evidence the system was designed and installed to the standard, commissioned correctly, and explained to them. In practice the pack is also what the customer's energy supplier wants for a Smart Export Guarantee application, what Ofgem-administered schemes rely on, and what a conveyancer asks for when the house is sold.
Think of it as three layers: the certificates you issue (commissioning, electrical), the documents the scheme generates (the MCS certificate), and the information the customer keeps (performance estimate, user instructions, warranties).
The solar PV pack
A complete solar PV handover pack contains: the solar PV and battery commissioning certificate with the inverter and battery settings; the DC array test certificate; the Electrical Installation Certificate for the AC work; the G98 or G99 commissioning confirmation showing the DNO was notified; the MCS certificate for the installation; the performance estimate; equipment datasheets and warranty documents; and the user operating instructions, including shutdown and isolation procedures.
Where an installation checklist or verification certificate was completed, include those too — they strengthen the evidence chain, particularly for larger arrays or where a third party will rely on the pack.
The document most often missing
The G98/G99 confirmation is the piece installers most often fail to copy into the pack — and the one the customer cannot reconstruct later. Issue it with the commissioning certificate on the day.
Doing this on a job? Solar PV & Battery Commissioning Certificate — part of TradePlanr. Free to start, no card needed.
The heat pump pack
A heat pump handover pack contains: the HHIC Benchmark commissioning checklist with the settings and readings taken at handover; the MCS F26B handover certificate confirming the install meets MCS requirements; the Electrical Installation Certificate for the supply and controls wiring; the performance estimate; the MCS certificate; user instructions covering the controls and what the customer should not adjust; and the warranty documents, which the Benchmark record validates.
For the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, MCS certification is the gate — an incomplete pack that delays MCS registration delays the grant, and that lands on your desk, not the customer's.
Who sends what, and when
Three deadlines matter. The DNO must receive the G98 notification within 28 days of commissioning (G99 requires agreement before connection). The installation must be registered with MCS promptly after commissioning so the MCS certificate is generated — check your certification body's current requirement. And the customer should receive their pack at handover, not 'in the post', because the demonstration and document handover are themselves part of what the F26B and MCS standards record.
A clean workflow is: complete the commissioning records on site, register the installation, then send the customer a single bundle — commissioning certificates, electrical certificate, DNO confirmation, MCS certificate, estimate, instructions and warranties.
Keeping your own copy
Everything in the pack should also live in your own job record. MCS audits sample real installations, warranty disputes surface years later, and the next engineer to touch the system will call you first. A job-based record — where the certificates, photos and settings sit against the address — means the audit or the callback starts from evidence rather than memory.
One job, one pack
TradePlanr keeps every certificate attached to the job, so the handover pack is a set of PDFs you already have — signed, branded and dated the day the system was commissioned.
From guidance to action
Frequently asked questions
What documents are in an MCS handover pack?
The commissioning certificate(s), the Electrical Installation Certificate, the DNO notification confirmation (G98/G99 for generation), the MCS certificate, the performance estimate, user operating instructions and the warranty documents. Solar packs add the DC array test certificate; heat pump packs pair the Benchmark record with the MCS F26B.
Who issues the MCS certificate itself?
The MCS certificate is generated when the installer registers the installation through their MCS certification body. The installer issues the supporting documents — commissioning, electrical and DNO records — that the registration relies on.
Does the customer need the pack for the Smart Export Guarantee or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
Yes. SEG applications rely on the MCS certificate and the DNO paperwork, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme requires MCS certification of the heat pump installation. A missing document delays the customer's money.
How long should I keep my copy of the pack?
Keep it for at least the life of the warranty and your scheme's audit window — in practice, indefinitely. Storage is cheap and a ten-year-old commissioning record has settled more than one dispute.
Related guides
Renewables Commissioning Paperwork: What You Need
Every document a renewables install needs at commissioning — solar PV, battery, heat pump and EV charger — and who each record is for.
MCS Certification Explained
What MCS is, why it gates the grants, and how to become and stay an MCS-certified installer.
Heat Pump Commissioning Checklist (Benchmark and MCS)
A working heat pump commissioning checklist — system prep, settings, balancing and the Benchmark and MCS F26B records that prove it.
G98 vs G99: DNO Notifications for Solar and Batteries
How to identify the relevant DNO connection process for small-scale solar and battery work, and document the installation.
