Editorial and evidence policy

Evidence before certainty

A solar quote can look reasonable and still be missing scope, or look expensive and still be justified by site-specific work. Our guides separate the parts of a quote that a calculator can normalise (headline price per kWp) from the parts that need written evidence and professional judgement (design suitability, workmanship quality, aftercare).

Source order

1. MCS's own installation standard (currently MIS 3002 v6.0) and certified-installer register.
2. RECC's consumer code and GOV.UK / Competition and Markets Authority guidance on unfair commercial practices.
3. DESNZ and other official UK energy-policy reporting for pricing and market data.
4. Commercial provider material only for clearly labelled examples, never as the sole basis for a pricing or safety claim.

AI-assisted production

Automated tools may help organise research, draft structures and refresh figures against current sources. A page is not published merely because a tool produced it. Claims must fit the cited sources, duplicate pages are avoided, and metadata must accurately describe the visible content.

Review and corrections

Every guide carries a review date. A changed date should reflect a real review or material edit — pricing and standards references are checked against MCS and DESNZ data at each review. Corrections are made in place. Report a problem through the complaints and corrections page.

Commercial separation

Informational ordering is based on user need, not on the commission value of an enquiry. Any active referral relationship or paid placement must be labelled. An installer cannot buy an unqualified endorsement.