The five checks, at a glance
Solar is a busy trade in the borough: government figures count 6,529 solar PV installations of every size in Wigan at the end of 2025, against 3,701 ten years earlier (DESNZ). Plenty of firms quote for that work. The checks below are the ones the schemes themselves ask buyers to make, so an installer worth hiring will not mind you making them.
MCS: search the name on the quote
MCS certifies small-scale renewable installers and the products they fit. Its own advice is that it is important to check that your installer is MCS certified and uses MCS certified products (MCS). Do it on the MCS installer search, using the exact company name on the quote. Trading names and limited companies can differ, and a logo on a van or a website proves nothing on its own.
MCS certification matters later too. An export tariff needs the MCS certificate the installer registers for your system, and a buyer's solicitor will ask for it when you sell. If a firm says it will "use someone else's" certification, ask exactly whose, and check that firm instead.
Consumer codes: RECC or HIES
A consumer code sets rules for how a firm sells to households. RECC says its membership includes requirements around contracts, deposits, warranties and complaints, that members follow strict rules for calculating performance estimates, and that members give customers access to Green Homes Dispute Resolution, an independent service at no cost to the customer (RECC). HIES runs a similar code.
Ask each firm which code it belongs to and check it on that code's website. Then use the code's rules as your checklist: how much deposit, how it is protected, what the warranty covers and how complaints are handled. RECC's own tip is to get the performance estimate in writing.
| Check | Where | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | MCS installer search | The exact company name on the quote, certified for solar PV |
| Consumer code | RECC or HIES | Current membership; the code's deposit and complaints rules |
| The company | Companies House | Active, with the name, number and address on the quote |
| The estimate | The quote, and this site's checker | A written yearly figure in kWh, and how it was worked out |
| The price | The quote checker | Price per kW against the North West mean; what explains any gap |
| The approach | Wigan Trading Standards | No pressure, no same-day deadline, no grant promised at the door |
The company itself
Look the firm up on Companies House and check that the company name, number and registered address match the quote and the contract. An active company with filed accounts is what you would expect; a very recent company, or one with a string of earlier companies at the same address, is worth a question. TrustMark also keeps a register of tradespeople, which you can search by name.
Then compare quotes like for like. MCS suggests aiming for at least three quotes and checking that each price covers everything, commissioning included (MCS). Put each through the quote checker and see the costs page for what moves a price.
Wigan Trading Standards
Wigan Council's Trading Standards page asks residents to report unwanted callers and explains how to deal with them, and its Neighbourhood Champions help protect streets from doorstep crime (Wigan Council). The same page links the Good Trader Scheme, which the council describes as a list of reliable, reputable traders; the council's page does not say who runs it, so treat it as one more place to look rather than a substitute for the checks above.
Pressure is the clearest warning sign: a discount that ends today, a "government grant" that needs a signature now, or a survey that turns into a contract. Most contracts made at home or online can be cancelled within 14 days (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). More on doorstep sellers
After the job
MCS says that from May 2026 its Customer Insights team may contact customers to verify their MCS certificate and check that the installation was delivered to their satisfaction (MCS). Keep the certificate, the warranties and the network notification together, and if something goes wrong, raise it with the installer in writing first and then through the consumer code. When an installation goes wrong