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An On the wire story
UK households are increasingly pairing renewable technologies as they seek greater control over bills and backup against energy shocks, with official data showing a record start to 2026 for small-scale certified installations.
Figures from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, which covers technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps and batteries in homes and small businesses, show 210,000 installations across the UK in the first half of the year.
That was 17% higher than the previous best opening half-year, set in 2025, and roughly equivalent to one installation every 74 seconds.
Solar remained the main engine of growth, with almost 150,000 certified installations in the period, according to MCS.
Other industry data points to the same momentum: one sector tracker said the UK passed 2 million solar installations by the end of March, while another reported more than 57,000 MCS-certified rooftop systems in the first quarter alone, the strongest start to a year since 2012.
Battery storage is expanding particularly quickly as households look to store more of their own power. MCS said there were 36,000 certified battery installations in the first six months of 2026, almost double the figure for the same period a year earlier, while industry analysis has also pointed to a sharp rise in home batteries alongside solar.
MCS added that nearly all battery installations this year have been fitted in properties already equipped with solar panels.
The scheme also said that one in three installations in 2026 either went into homes that already had an MCS-certified renewable system or formed part of a combined multi-technology project.
New-build homes are playing a growing role too, accounting for a quarter of installations this year, with MCS-linked data indicating that about 59% of new homes completed in the opening quarter were fitted with certified solar panels.
Heat pumps have not matched the broader surge. MCS said installations were 17% lower than in the first half of 2025, even as the sector remains heavily dependent on public support.
About three-quarters of heat pump installations are funded through government schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and ministers have said households with oil or LPG heating can now access a higher grant of £9,000.
Industry bodies argue that future growth will depend on clearer support for retrofit homes and the rollout of low- or zero-interest loans promised in the Warm Homes Plan.
Lisa Cooke, managing director of MCS, said households were increasingly putting their trust in home-generated energy and in certified installers.
Energy minister Michael Shanks said the figures showed more families were switching to clean technologies to help cut bills.
Solar Energy UK said the economics were driving the boom, while the Heat Pump Association UK warned that while solar and batteries were thriving, heat pump demand was being held back by weaker support in the retrofit market.
Inspired by headline at: EW News [1]
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Source: Noah Wire Services
• This On the wire article was created using Noahwire AI and reviewed by CIBSE Journal’s editorial team
