PAS2035 and PAS2030 are frequently confused — even by people working in the retrofit sector. They sound similar, they are often mentioned in the same breath, and they are both required conditions of most funded retrofit schemes. But they cover entirely different things.
Governs the whole-house retrofit process — assessment, design, coordination and oversight. Applies to the Retrofit Coordinator role and the overall programme.
Governs the installation of specific energy efficiency measures — insulation, heat pumps, solar PV. Applies to the installer and the specific work they carry out.
PAS2035 — the process standard
PAS2035 is about process. It defines how retrofit should be done — not in terms of the specific technical specifications of measures, but in terms of the overall methodology. Who should be involved, when, what they should produce, and how they should coordinate with each other.
The central figure in PAS2035 is the Retrofit Coordinator. The RC is responsible for managing the whole process — commissioning the assessment, reviewing the data, coordinating the design, overseeing the installation and managing the handover. PAS2035 defines what the RC must do at every stage and what documentation must be produced.
PAS2035 compliance is about demonstrating that this process was followed correctly — through documentation, audit trails and TrustMark lodgement.
PAS2030 — the installation standard
PAS2030 is about the quality of specific installation work. It defines the technical standards that must be met when installing particular energy efficiency measures — cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, solid wall insulation, heat pumps, solar PV and so on.
An installer must be accredited to PAS2030 for each measure type they carry out. This accreditation is held by the installation company (not individuals) and is issued by approved certification bodies. MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) accreditation covers the heat pump and solar elements of PAS2030 for most funded schemes.
The key distinction: PAS2035 is about the coordination and oversight of the whole project. PAS2030 is about the quality of specific installation work. Both are required for most funded retrofit projects. They operate in parallel — one does not replace or satisfy the other.
When both are required
For any project funded under the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund, Warm Homes Local Grant or ECO4 (while it was running) where fabric measures or heat pumps are being installed — both standards are required:
- PAS2035 is required to govern the overall coordination process — meaning an accredited RC must be appointed and must manage the full four-stage process
- PAS2030 is required for each measure installed — meaning the installer must hold PAS2030 accreditation for that specific measure type
When only PAS2030 is required
There are limited circumstances where PAS2030 compliance is required but PAS2035 is not — primarily for single low-risk measures below a certain cost threshold, or measures installed outside of a funded retrofit programme. This is less common in practice as most installer work now sits within funded programme delivery.
The practical implication
For housing associations, the practical implication is that any funded retrofit programme requires both: an accredited Retrofit Coordinator managing the PAS2035 process, and PAS2030-accredited installers for each measure. The RC and the installer are separate roles — a PAS2030 installer cannot self-certify their own work for PAS2035 purposes.
This is why RC capacity has become a bottleneck in UK retrofit delivery. There are far more PAS2030-accredited installers than there are PAS2035-accredited Retrofit Coordinators — and the pipeline of projects being funded requires significantly more RC resource than is currently available.