What a competent person scheme does
Much of the work in a heat pump installation counts as building work under the building regulations: altering a heating system, fitting a hot water system, and electrical work in a home. Normally that kind of work is checked by building control. A competent person scheme is a government-authorised alternative: firms registered with a scheme can self-certify that their work meets the regulations, instead of the homeowner or installer getting building regulations approval separately.
GOV.UK describes joining a scheme as letting a firm "self-certify certain types of building work" as an alternative to getting building regulations approval. The page was last updated on 17 September 2026.
The schemes for microgeneration and renewables
GOV.UK lists six schemes as authorised for microgeneration and renewable technologies:
| Scheme | Listed for microgeneration and renewables |
|---|---|
| APHC | Yes |
| BESCA | Yes |
| Certsure | Yes |
| HETAS | Yes |
| NAPIT | Yes |
| OFTEC | Yes |
Heat pump systems and unvented hot water storage each appear in GOV.UK's list of competence areas, so a scheme member's registration is for particular kinds of work, not everything.
Different kinds of work, different listings
The same GOV.UK page lists separate schemes for different types of work. "Heating or hot water system, or its associated control" has its own list, which also includes Blue Flame Certification and the Gas Safe Register. Fixed electrical installations in homes have another. A firm may be registered for some of these and not others, which is why it is worth asking how each part of the job will be signed off, especially the electrics and any unvented cylinder.
What to ask, and what to keep
- Which competent person scheme is the firm registered with, and for which kinds of work?
- Will any part of the job need building control instead?
- What paperwork will you receive to show the work was signed off?
Keep that paperwork with the MCS certificate and the warranties. When you sell the house, a buyer's solicitor may ask for evidence that the heating work complied with building regulations; the scheme's certificate or building control's sign-off is that evidence. More on the full set of checks on the check sheet.
Competent person schemes are about building regulations, not about the grant. For the grant, the installer needs MCS certification and a consumer code: see what MCS certification covers.
Building control: the alternative
If an installer is not registered with a competent person scheme for a part of the work, that part needs building regulations approval through building control instead. That is not unusual or a problem in itself, but it adds a step and possibly a fee, and someone has to arrange it. Ask who will, and when, so it does not hold up the job or the grant voucher's deadline.
Electrical work
A heat pump needs its own electrical supply from the consumer unit. GOV.UK lists separate competent person schemes for fixed electrical installations in homes, and for electrical work done as part of other work by the registered person. Ask how the electrical side will be signed off, and whether the same firm or a separate electrician will do it.
When you sell the house
Building work done without the right sign-off can come up years later, when a buyer's solicitor asks for evidence. Keeping the competent person scheme certificate, or building control's completion paperwork, with the MCS certificate avoids that problem. If you cannot find it, the scheme or building control may be able to provide a copy.
Asking the right question
The simplest way to ask is: "Who will notify building control, and when will I get the certificate?" A firm registered with a scheme for the relevant work can usually answer straight away. If the answer is that you will need to apply yourself, ask why, and allow for the time and fee that building control will need. Either route is lawful; what matters is that one of them is followed and that you end up with the paperwork.