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Early signs of recovery for domestic renewable installations

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is reporting early signs of a recovery in the domestic renewable installation market.

In April the number of commissioned installations under the MCS scheme fell by 77.5% compared with February, before increasing by 37% in May.

The drop in numbers was consistent across all types of technology and occurred at a time when 90% of installers were reporting that the Coronavirus pandemic was having an adverse impact on their business.

But with lockdown measures now substantially eased across the UK and consumer confidence returning, MCS is hopeful that the latest figures for June will show further rises.

Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS said; “There is no denying, our industry and our installers have been hard hit by this pandemic. We continue to monitor the installation data closely and currently this positively shows a consistently improving picture.

“I think we have now hit recovery mode and I believe, a unique opportunity to refocus our efforts and begin to reap benefits in accelerating investment in the low carbon economy.”

Nick Salini, director of heat pump specialists Thermal Earth was also encouraged by a recent increase in activity.

He added; “We have seen signs of recovery in terms of the level of enquiries across the board both directly but also from our installation partners across the UK. March and April was a worrying time for all, but since early May the situation seems to be improving across the industry. We hope that these enquiries turn into a solid pipeline of live projects in the coming months.”