According to new research, 2025 was a record year for certified renewable installations in UK homes and small businesses.
MCS reported that 369,000 were installed in a single year, which equates to one every 90 seconds.
This is a 34% increase on 2024 and brings the total to 2.4 million certified installations since MCS started recording figures in 2000. More than a quarter of these were completed in the last two years alone.
The estimated annual generation, which is the amount of energy capable of being generated by installations delivered in 2025, was 1.8 billion kWh. MCS said this is enough to power the London Underground network, including Overground lines and associated offices, for an entire year. It brings the total installed capacity across all MCS installations since 2009 to more than 10GW.
Installation numbers are rising right across the UK, it noted, with Cornwall, Somerset and North Yorkshire seeing the highest volume in 2025. When looking at the volume of installations as a proportion of households, MCS stated that Welsh local authorities are leading the way as the Isle of Anglesey, Ceredigion and Gwynedd have made the top three.
A key driver for the record uptake, particularly in solar, has been installations on new build properties. A total of 28% of all installations were on new builds, rising to more than 36% when just looking at solar.
Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS, said: “It’s great to see the record-breaking uptake of small-scale renewables across the UK, and these figures are only set to increase following the release of the government’s Warm Homes Plan. This represents a fantastic opportunity for the sector to grow, but it’s critical that as more people invest in home-grown energy, high-quality, certified installations continue to underpin consumer confidence.”
MCS noted that government funding played a role in boosting installation numbers last year. A total of 27% of all installations were funded, either wholly or in-part, by a government initiative. This is particularly true for heat pumps with the success of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). A total of 43% of certified heat pumps installed in 2025 were delivered under the BUS, with a 95% satisfaction rate according to outreach conducted by MCS.
The number of MCS certified installers increased by seven per cent over the course of 2025. The scheme said this reflects an industry that is growing as the UK continues its drive towards Net Zero and more people seek out the benefits of home-grown energy.
Ian added: “We look forward to building on this growth further with the rollout of our redeveloped installer Scheme, which puts consumer protection and quality at the heart of MCS. We take our responsibility of being the sole certification scheme for government clean heat measures very seriously and are proud of the role that MCS certified installers are playing in the UK’s transition to net-zero.”
Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey said: “A record year for installations shows our plans are working to help families keep their homes warm for less with low-carbon technologies. Our £15bn Warm Homes Plan will now make sure everyone can access cheaper bills with heat pumps, solar panels and batteries – including free clean energy tech for low-income households and low or zero interest loans for homeowners.”