EV charging for business

Charge points add demand, and demand is what sets the capacity a site must reserve with its network operator. A bank of chargers can push a site past its agreed capacity, which triggers excess capacity charges, and past what the connection can physically carry, which triggers a network upgrade.

A capacity upgrade is frequently the largest single cost in an EV project. We establish the capacity position before specifying anything, because a scheme designed around a capacity you do not have is a scheme that gets redesigned.

Charger power varies widely, from slower AC units suited to all-day workplace parking through to rapid DC units drawing far more.

The right specification depends on dwell time. Vehicles parked for a working day do not need rapid charging, and specifying it anyway buys demand you pay for and do not use. Vehicles turning over quickly need it.

Load management matters as much as charger choice. Staggering or limiting charging across a bank keeps the site peak down, and is usually cheaper than the capacity it avoids.

Government grant support has been available for workplace charge point installation, with caps on the number of sockets and on the proportion of cost covered, and eligibility conditions attached.

We do not publish scheme values here, because they change. Ask us and we will tell you what is currently available and whether you qualify.

Omnium does not install charge points. We establish the capacity position, model the load, specify the scheme, put contractor quotations on the same basis and manage delivery. Installation is carried out by qualified contractors.