The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has welcomed Consumer Scotland’s investigation into consumer protections in the energy efficiency and low carbon heating markets.
Consumer Scotland stated that it is aiming to make recommendations to better deliver the protections and confidence needed for consumers in Scotland to decarbonise and improve their home energy efficiency.
The company said it is seeking the views of stakeholders across the sector on the following:
- The quality of, and access to, suitable incentives and the information, advice, and choices for consumers to engage in this market
- The levels of protection from unfair trading, misleading claims, and scams – and the adequacy of existing standards and quality assurance
- The routes to, and adequacy of, remedies and redress when things go wrong
Ian Rippin, CEO at MCS, said: “This investigation is very much welcomed and well timed as we prepare to launch our redeveloped Scheme in January 2025. A key change is placing consumer protections at the heart of the redeveloped Scheme as we plan to transform the experience of consumers investing in what can be unfamiliar technology – to make sure detriment is minimised, they are protected and importantly know where to turn if things do go wrong.
“We’ve also established an independent Consumer Protection Panel to provide feedback on how we are doing, because we know how vital this is for increasing confidence in home-grown energy.
“We’ve undertaken a significant amount of research which has provided us with a wealth of evidence as to how we can ensure consumers are protected when investing in low-carbon energy solutions. We’ll be actively engaging with Consumer Scotland’s review and responding to the call for information.”
The deadline for submitting evidence to Consumer Scotland’s investigation is Monday 30 September.