MCS launches heat batteries pilot

• New TESS standard will make it easier for households to access heat batteries
• Pilot to involve working group of installers and trade bodies
• Heat batteries to play a huge role in the effort to make the UK net zero

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is piloting a new installation standard that it says has the potential to make it easier for households and small businesses to heat batteries. 

The Thermal Energy Storage Systems (TESS) Installation Standard and System Performance Estimate Standard has been developed over the past nine months by a working group led by Tom Lowe, founding director of Thermal Storage UK, the trade association for thermal storage.

The working group, which involves installers, manufacturers and trade bodies, will now test the new Standards in real-world conditions to make sure the requirements are clear and deliverable and, most importantly, that it protects consumers. 

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The MCS expects the process to take several months to “ensure there is sufficient time for thorough testing”. Commenting, Lowe said that the pilot will make sure installers can test the new Standards and “provide real-world feedback to MCS”. 

Ian Rippon, CEO of MCS, described the development of the TESS standard as an “important step in providing more home-grown energy options for a wide range of consumers”. 

Heat batteries were included in the recent Boiler Upgrade Scheme consultation – with a view to potentially including them in that government grant. According to the MCS, heat batteries are “likely to play an important role in the transition to net-zero” and that the new Standard will make sure that consumers have confidence in the quality of TESS installations. 

Written By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Content manager

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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