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UK certification body MCS is consulting with industry on a product standard for battery storage systems used in residential and commercial installations. Proposals include safety testing, performance disclosures and cybersecurity provisions, but the final requirements and implementation schedule have not been settled.
UK certification body MCS is consulting on a dedicated product standard for battery storage, a proposal that could introduce new safety, performance reporting and cybersecurity requirements for manufacturers selling into residential and commercial markets. The standard is still in development, and MCS has not confirmed when any final requirements would take effect.
The proposed standard is intended to address what MCS describes as a gap in the current certification process: solar panels have an MCS product standard, but battery storage products do not have an equivalent. Under existing arrangements, homeowners seeking access to solar export tariffs need work carried out by a certified installer using certified modules. MCS says it is consulting industry stakeholders on whether battery products should also be covered by a dedicated product certification scheme.
The consultation proposes minimum safety requirements, including compliance with IEC 62619:2022 for industrial lithium batteries and UN 38.3, which covers safety testing for the transport of lithium metal, lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. The proposed scope includes AC-coupled systems, where battery packs and inverters are housed together or in close-coupled enclosures, as well as DC-coupled battery packs, including units with or without an integrated battery management system.
Additional proposed requirements depend on product design. Integrated battery-and-inverter systems would need to meet standards for power electronic equipment and electromagnetic compatibility. Products with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other wireless connections could face information-technology safety requirements and cybersecurity provisions based on ETSI EN 303 645. MCS is also considering performance declarations, including nominal and usable energy capacity, input and output power, round-trip efficiency and expected service life.
What a Battery Standard Could Change
A dedicated product standard could give installers and buyers a more consistent basis for comparing batteries, particularly if manufacturers must report performance using common measures. Third-party certification could also make it easier to check whether a product has been assessed against defined safety and security requirements, rather than relying on manufacturer information alone.
The cybersecurity proposals matter because connected batteries can communicate with inverters, apps and cloud services. The consultation describes possible baseline measures such as avoiding default passwords, providing secure software updates, managing reported vulnerabilities and protecting communications. These are proposals under consideration, not confirmed obligations. If adopted, they would extend product scrutiny beyond electrical safety to the digital functions used to monitor and manage some systems.
Manufacturers could face additional testing, documentation or audit work, although the scale of any new burden will depend on the final standard and how it recognizes existing testing. The Energy Storage Association (ESA), which participates in the working group, said many products already undergo factory testing and third-party audits. It argues that MCS certification could validate existing practices locally rather than impose requirements unique to the UK market.
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How MCS Certification Has Developed
MCS already operates a product standard for solar panels and installation standards covering solar and battery storage. Its solar product certification includes testing against technical standards, factory production controls to keep production units consistent with tested samples, and ongoing surveillance. The battery consultation considers whether a comparable product-level approach is appropriate for a market that MCS says has grown enough to warrant its own standard.
MCS introduced a standard for battery storage installations in 2020. That installation framework concerns how systems are fitted; the proposal now under consultation concerns requirements for the products themselves and information supplied by manufacturers. MCS technical manager Ted Woodward told ESS News that the organization began developing the product standard to meet the needs of installers and the industry as the market grows.
The consultation is being developed with a technical working group, manufacturers and other stakeholders. The ESA is among the organizations involved. The proposed standards and reporting requirements remain under discussion, so the consultation document should not be read as a final certification rulebook.
“thoroughly supports measures to ensure battery products are held to the highest safety standards”
— Energy Storage Association, speaking to ESS News
Final Rules and Timing Remain Open
The consultation has not produced a final standard, and the source report says the proposals’ final form has not been agreed. It remains unclear which suggested safety, cybersecurity and performance provisions will become mandatory, how certification would be assessed, and whether existing factory tests or third-party audits would be accepted as evidence.
MCS has not confirmed an implementation date. It has said certified installers would receive a transition period, but the length of that period and the threshold for an “adequate number” of certified products have not been specified in the available information. The likely costs for manufacturers and any effect on product availability are also not yet established.
Consultation Closes November 10
Stakeholders can respond to the MCS consultation by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2026. The consultation feedback will inform the standard’s development, after which MCS will need to clarify the final requirements, certification process and implementation timetable.
Manufacturers, installers and prospective buyers will be watching for details on how the final rules treat products already tested under international standards, whether wireless products face additional cybersecurity checks, and how performance figures will be presented. Until MCS publishes those decisions, the requirements described in the consultation remain proposals rather than rules in force.
Key Questions
Is the UK battery product standard already in force?
No. MCS is consulting on proposals, and the final standard and its implementation date have not been confirmed.
Which battery products could the proposal cover?
The proposed scope includes AC-coupled systems with battery packs and inverters in shared or close-coupled enclosures, as well as DC-coupled battery packs with or without an integrated battery management system.
What cybersecurity requirements are being considered?
Possible measures include no default passwords, secure software updates, processes for identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, and protected communications among batteries, inverters and connected services. These are proposed provisions, not finalized requirements.
When is the consultation deadline?
MCS’s consultation deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2026.
Will manufacturers have to repeat tests they have already completed?
That has not been settled. The ESA says many products already undergo factory testing and third-party audits, but how the final standard will recognize existing evidence remains unclear.
Source: ess-news.com
