HIES Consumer Code

What HIES Consumer Code does

HIES (the Home Insulation and Energy Systems Quality Assured Contractors Scheme), trading as HIES Consumer Code, is a UK-based consumer protection organization that raises standards in home energy improvements by accrediting installers and providing homeowners with financial and dispute resolution safeguards. Operating as a division of The Integrity Foundation (a Company Limited by Guarantee), HIES runs a CTSI Approved Consumer Code and is certified to ISO 9001 (recertified July 2026). Its core service portfolio for homeowners comprises Deposit and Stage Payment Protection, an Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG), and Alternative Dispute Resolution services (HIES is the CTSI-designated ADR Competent Authority for the home energy sector). For installers, the scheme offers an Accreditation Program and an MCS Approved Financial Protection Product that meets Microgeneration Certification Scheme standards, alongside sales, marketing, and industry network support. HIES also serves as a Trustmark Scheme Provider and maintains a Primary Authority partnership with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards.

The organization operates a dual-sided go-to-market: homeowners use a public-facing "Find an Installer" finder tool (driven in part by George Clarke's brand ambassadorship) while installers apply for accreditation online, access an Installer Hub portal, and pay recurring membership and accreditation fees for the privilege of offering HIES-branded consumer protection products. Brand strength is evidenced by a 4.9/5 TrustScore across 1,351 Trustpilot reviews. Distribution is domestic (UK only) via digital self-serve channels plus phone/email support. Strategic activity in 2026 has centered on regulatory positioning around the government's Warm Homes Plan and CTSI's push for mandatory licensing of home energy installers, suggesting HIES is positioning for policy-driven expansion of its addressable installer base.

Name

HIES Consumer Code

Legal name

The Home Insulation and Energy Systems Quality Assured Contractors Scheme (HIES)

Website

https://hiesscheme.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HIES Consumer Code is a UK CTSI Approved consumer protection scheme that accredits home energy installers and provides homeowners with deposit protection, insurance-backed guarantees, and alternative dispute resolution services, operating under The Integrity Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Protection Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs (925110)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Contracting & Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) for Buildings (BPABAGAN)

Keywords

• Consumer protection services
• Installer accreditation
• Insurance backed guarantees
• Deposit protection
• Alternative dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

Leyland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Installer Membership and Accreditation Fees: Installers pay membership and accreditation fees to join the HIES network and gain access to consumer protection products including Insurance Backed Guarantees and deposit protection schemes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HIES is a CTSI Approved Consumer Code that operates a dual-sided consumer protection and quality assurance scheme for the UK home energy installations sector. It accredits installers of solar panels, insulation, heat pumps, and other renewable energy systems, while providing homeowners with Deposit & Stage Payment Protection, Insurance Backed Guarantees (IBG), and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services. Revenue is generated from recurring installer membership and accreditation fees paid by accredited installer members.

Product overview

HIES (Home Insulation and Energy Systems Quality Assured Contractors Scheme) operates as a consumer protection organization for the home energy improvement sector, offering a unified platform of protection services rather than a traditional product. The core portfolio consists of Deposit & Stage Payment Protection and Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) for homeowners, backed by Alternative Dispute Resolution services administered under CTSI approval. For installers, HIES provides the MCS Approved Financial Protection Product and an Accreditation Program that grants access to the consumer protection framework, marketing support, and industry network connections. The scheme connects homeowners seeking installations with vetted, accredited installers while providing financial and legal safeguards throughout the installation process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deposit & Stage Payment Protection Financial protection service for homeowners that safeguards deposits and stage payments made to installers during home energy system installations.
• Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG)
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• MCS Approved Financial Protection Product
• Installer Accreditation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• TrustScore of 4.9 out of 5 based on 1,351 reviews

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTSI approves HIES Consumer Code, meaning HIES operates under a consumer protection code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. HIES is also the ADR Competent Authority designated by CTSI for alternative dispute resolution in the home energy sector.
• TrustmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIES is an approved Trustmark Scheme Provider, allowing accredited installers to display the Trustmark logo and providing additional consumer confidence and industry recognition.
• Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIES is an MCS Approved Financial Protection Product Provider, meaning the scheme's Insurance Backed Guarantees and financial protection products are certified for use with MCS-certified installations.
• Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading StandardsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary Authority partnership providing regulatory consistency and guidance for HIES operations within the trading standards regions of Buckinghamshire and Surrey.
• Simply CertificationminorOthersCertification body that awarded HIES ISO 9001 quality management certification, one of two bodies providing this certification.
• Perry Johnson Registrars (PJR) with UKASminorOthersCertification body providing ISO 9001 certification with UKAS Management Systems accreditation (0105), independently auditing HIES quality management processes.
• National Home Improvement Council (NHIC)minorOthersHIES is a member of the NHIC, a trade organization for the home improvement industry.
• Energy Efficiency Association CICminorOthersHIES holds National Member status (North West), membership no. 00309, demonstrating affiliation with the energy efficiency industry association.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TrustMark: Government-endorsed quality scheme for tradespeople across home improvement categories. HIES is itself a Trustmark Scheme Provider, meaning Trustmark operates one layer above and also competes for installer attention and consumer mindshare with homeowner-facing trust signals.
• MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme): Certification standard for low-carbon technology installations in the UK. HIES partners with MCS as an Approved Financial Protection Product Provider, but MCS sits in an overlapping standards-and-trust role and its endorsement status directly affects which installer-protection schemes installers must use.
• BPEC Certification: UK certification body for installers in plumbing, heating, ventilation, and renewables. BPEC issues Competent Person and energy-efficiency certifications that overlap with HIES's accreditation remit, addressing the same installer personas and similar homeowner-facing quality claims.
• NAPIT: UK certification body for installers across electrical, heating, ventilation, and renewable technologies. NAPIT operates a Competent Person Scheme and trades-quality mark analogous to HIES's accreditation, going after similar installer customers and competing for homeowner trust signals.
• NICEIC: UK certification body for electrical, heating, plumbing, and renewable energy installers. NICEIC's accreditation scheme competes with HIES for installer mindshare across the home energy trades and offers overlapping quality-mark and consumer-protection products to the same installer base.
• RECC (Renewable Energy Consumer Code): UK consumer code covering renewable energy installations (solar, heat pumps, batteries) with a near-identical model: accredited installer network, deposit protection, IBGs, and ADR. RECC is HIES's most direct head-to-head competitor for installer memberships and homeowner trust in the home energy retrofit segment.

Broad incumbents

• Checkatrade: Large UK trade directory with consumer reviews and vetting for tradespeople. Checkatrade competes for installer visibility and homeowner lead flow in the same home-improvement category as HIES-accredited installers, though with a much wider trade scope.
• Which? Trusted Traders: Consumer-endorsement scheme from Which? covering vetted tradespeople across home improvement categories. It competes for consumer trust in home energy installations and offers an alternative accreditation badge, though its scope is broader and not energy-specific.

Others

• Federation of Master Builders (FMB): UK trade association for building contractors. FMB offers a membership badge, vetting, and dispute support that overlaps with HIES's installer-accreditation value proposition, primarily for traditional building trades with growing retrofit relevance.

Emerging players

• Gas Safe Register: Statutory gas installer registration body with growing overlap into heat-pump competency. While not a commercial accreditation scheme, Gas Safe's mandatory role and expanding scope into low-carbon heating alternatives intersect with HIES's heat-pump installer accreditation customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hies_scheme
• Facebookfacebook.com/HIESScheme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hies-home-insulation-energy-systems-contractors-scheme
• Instagraminstagram.com/hiesconsumercode

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HIES Consumer Code