Gregory Barker MP
Minister of State
Department of Energy and Climate Change
3 Whitehall Place
London SW1A 2HH

4 May 2011

Dear Greg,

In my recent submission to the Government's microgeneration strategy consultation, one of the points I made was about the importance of increasing consumer confidence in investment in new green technologies. I believe that the Microgeneration Generation Certification Scheme (MCS) is an appropriate mechanism to improve the robustness of quality, safety, and reliability guarantees that are needed to ensure installations perform as intended. However, as at present there is no requirement for suppliers/installers to register, there are limits to the protection the scheme offers. The MCS would benefit too from being clearly linked to similar well recognised and respected schemes, such as Gas Safe and the BSI Kite Mark. I also believe that there should be strong enforcement mechanisms so that consumers can be confident that their investment is protected in the long run.

The importance of this was underlined for me recently at a surgery meeting with a constituent who has installed solar panels for the provision of hot water. He writes:
I am very dissatisfied with the product and am in constant dispute with the installer. I have been in contact with consumer direct and then with my local trading standards office. Although the local trading standards office have provided some guidance I have been trying to find an independent inspector of the system but with no success. Trading standards have left me to pursue this matter and state they cannot assist me further at this time.
There is a clear risk that poor standards at each of the design, installation and maintenance stages, and the subsequent underperformance of microgeneration systems, will undermine the sector as a whole in the public's eyes. I hope you will agree that it is important not to allow this to happen and that the Government will deliver a robust framework, including imposing mandatory requirements on suppliers and installers, as soon as possible.

I look forward to your response to my constituent's concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion

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