Installations of solar panels and heat pumps in UK homes surged in 2023, taking the country to the top of the list for low-carbon home technology.
Registered solar photovoltaic (PV) installations increased nearly 30% to a post-subsidy record of 189,826 in 2023, data shows Microgeneration Certification System (MCS). Likewise, heat pump installations increased by 20%, reaching a record number of 36,799.
This growth sparked a UK record for the number of national installations of renewable electricity and low-carbon heat technologies recorded by MCS, which reached 229,618.
This brings the total number of MCS certified solar PV installations to 1,441,753 since 2009, equivalent to more than 5% of all UK homes.
The near-record figure for home solar power use in 2023 is particularly significant because this occurred without government support, while previous growth was driven by the timing of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) subsidy scheme, which ended in 2019.
Although the MCS dashboard does not provide data on battery storage installations, a recent statement from the company claims that 2023 is a record year for the technology.
MCS said batteries are the third most popular type of technology installed in homes by certified contractors. Of the 4,700 certified batteries registered with MCS, 4,400 were installed in 2023, it added.
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