Contract and payment protection
The HIES framework
- Installer vetting and accreditation
- Deposit and stage-payment protection, subject to scheme terms
- Insurance-backed guarantee arrangements
- Independent mediation and dispute-resolution routes
Our accreditations
Independent standards behind every REST installation.
Accreditations are more than logos. They set expectations for technical quality, accurate proposals, consumer protection and regulated finance conduct.
Scheme scope and eligibility can vary by product and project. REST will confirm the protections that apply within your quotation and contract documents.
Certified installationRecognised technical standards
Validated proposalsClearer performance estimates
Consumer protectionIndependent support routes
Regulated financeCredit-broker conduct standards
Independently verifiable
The standards, codes and protections connected with REST UK.
Each organisation has a different role. Together, they help cover system quality, proposal accuracy, customer treatment, financial conduct and routes for independent verification.
MCS: Microgeneration Certification Scheme
MCS is a government-recognised quality framework for small-scale renewable-energy installations. It covers installer competence, system design, commissioning and the documentation supplied after installation.
What this means for youAn MCS certificate is normally required when applying for Smart Export Guarantee payments for eligible exported electricity.
HIES: Home Insulation & Energy Systems
HIES is a consumer-protection scheme for home-energy installations. Its framework can include deposit and stage-payment protection, insurance-backed guarantees and independent dispute-resolution support, subject to the scheme terms.
What this means for youIt adds independent protection around the customer contract, payments, workmanship guarantee and complaints process.
EPVS: Energy Performance Validation Scheme
EPVS independently reviews the processes used to calculate energy generation, savings and system-performance estimates. The purpose is to reduce misleading projections and improve confidence in the figures presented before installation.
What this means for youIndependent validation helps customers understand that proposal figures have been prepared using recognised methodologies.
RECC: Renewable Energy Consumer Code
RECC sets consumer-code standards for businesses selling or installing small-scale renewable-energy systems. It covers areas such as pre-contract information, sales conduct, cancellation rights and complaints handling.
What this means for youThe code creates clearer expectations for how customers should be treated before, during and after a sale.
FCA: Financial Conduct Authority
REST UK is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for applicable consumer-credit activities and acts as a credit broker, not a lender.
What this means for youFinance conversations must follow regulated conduct standards, including clear disclosure and fair treatment. REST UK FCA registration: 824643.
CTSI Consumer Codes Approval Scheme
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute approves qualifying consumer codes that meet its standards for customer protection, clear information and effective dispute resolution.
What this means for youApproved-code status provides another independent benchmark for the consumer-protection schemes connected with the installation.
TrustMark: Government Endorsed Quality
TrustMark is the UK government-endorsed quality scheme for work carried out in and around the home. Registered businesses are assessed against requirements covering technical competence, customer service and trading practices.
What this means for youCustomers can use the official register to review a business and the categories of work for which it is registered.
Flexi-Orb: Consumer Safety and Protection
Flexi-Orb provides a certification and consumer-protection framework for home-energy and renewable installations, with standards intended to support compliant project delivery and customer confidence.
What this means for youIts framework adds another layer of quality assurance around qualifying installations and associated consumer-finance journeys.
Protection around the decision
Your money and your proposal figures should both stand up to scrutiny.
HIES and EPVS address different parts of the customer journey: contractual protection and independent confidence in the numbers used to explain a system.
Independent confidence in the numbers
The EPVS framework
- Review of calculation and proposal processes
- Recognised methodologies for performance estimates
- Reduced risk of misleading savings projections
- Independent checks intended to support clearer customer decisions
Always review your quotation, contract, certificates and scheme documents. They confirm which protections apply to the specific installation.
Independent verification
Eight independent accreditations, each one checkable in minutes.
REST holds accreditation across MCS, HIES, EPVS, RECC, FCA regulation, CTSI, TrustMark and Flexi-Orb. Use the official registers and links above to check membership, permissions and the current scope of each organisation. REST can also explain which certification and protection documents you should receive during your project.
Check the register
Ask REST what appliesVerify the business name, registration details and relevant work category before relying on a scheme or permission.
Accreditation questions
Clear answers about certification and protection.
These answers explain the general purpose of the schemes. Your contract documents should confirm the exact protection attached to your project.
They provide independent standards for technical work, customer information, finance conduct, performance estimates and dispute resolution. The exact protection depends on the scheme and the contracted project.
An MCS certificate, or an accepted equivalent, is normally required by energy suppliers when confirming eligibility for Smart Export Guarantee payments. The supplier also applies its own tariff and metering requirements.
Subject to the scheme rules and the installation being correctly registered, HIES can provide protections relating to deposits, stage payments, insurance-backed guarantees and independent dispute resolution.
EPVS focuses on the processes behind energy-performance, generation and savings calculations. It is intended to reduce incorrect or misleading projections and improve confidence in proposal figures.
REST UK acts as a credit broker, not a lender. Applicable finance activity must follow FCA conduct requirements, and any finance remains subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Not necessarily. Accreditation scope, product eligibility and available consumer protection can vary. Your quotation, contract and scheme documents should confirm which protections apply to the specific project.
Ask about certification
Understand the standards and protection behind your proposal.
Share your question with the REST team. We can explain the certificates, warranties and consumer-protection documents relevant to the project.