Charging at home

Given that private cars are usually parked overnight, most electric car owners rely on home charging to ensure that their EV is ready for use each morning. As well as being convenient, home-based overnight charging also has the advantage of being, in most cases, the cheapest time to recharge.

The OZEV grant is ending for homeowners

As of April 1st, 2022, the OZEV grant changes will no longer include homeowners as eligible applicants for funding. Instead, a new set of criteria will come into effect that enable landlords, apartment block owners, and social housing providers to claim an EVHS grant.

What are the new OZEV rules?

The biggest changes to the OZEV grant include a new set of eligibility criteria for both the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) and Homecharge Grant Scheme (EVHS).

Under the new OZEV rules, homeowners can no longer claim for the EVHS's £350 funding towards off-street charger installation. The new rules will only grant eligibility to:

• Landlords
• Social housing providers
• Owners of apartment blocks

Additionally, the new OZEV grant scheme will no longer use a paper-based process and instead be processed through a new online system.

Pete Smith Electrical Services is an accredited home charge point installer

Contact us today to arrange a free no-obligation quotation

Why is the OZEV grant changing?

The OZEV grant is changing from 1st April 2022. The grant was initiated by the government in order to provide the appropriate infrastructure to charge electric vehicles in the push towards more environmentally friendly transport methods. This has helped make home EV chargers more affordable for new EV owners, and provide workplaces with appropriate charging availability for staff.

Lack of access to a chargepoint is cited as one of the top reasons why people are apprehensive about switching to an electric vehicle, and the OZEV grant was introduced to help overcome this. The UK currently has one of the most advanced EV charging networks, but access still remains difficult for some individuals, which is why the OZEV grant is changing.

The new OZEV changes are being made to address the previous gaps where funding was unavailable for some EV owners or commercial property owners. As a result, the new changes intend to continue improving the UK's charging infrastructure by providing more affordable chargepoint installation in areas where funding was previously unavailable.

New rules for workplaces and commercial properties

Workplaces and commercial properties are currently eligible for the £350 OZEV grant under the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS). However, the criteria for eligible workplaces will change under the new April 1st 1st OZEV grant rules.

The new changes will make the WCS grant available to:

• SMEs
• Small accommodation businesses
• B&Bs
• Charities
• Commercially let premises owners

This will open up the opportunity for more businesses to claim up to £350 of the cost of each charge point installation. The OZEV changes will, for instance, allow the owner of a small accommodation business to claim funding for charge points that are available for guests. Whereas previously, they could only receive funding for charge points being used by staff.

Charging at workplace

For employees, charging at work can be a convenient way to recharge an EV whilst parked during the day. From a business point of view, having a charge point at the workplace will become increasingly important as a facility for employees and visitors, while for businesses with an EV fleet it can be an essential operating factor.

The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a grant that businesses can use to reduce the cost of installing electric vehicle chargepoints for their staff by up to £14,000.

• The WCS grant is capped at £350 per charge point socket up to 40 sockets per applicant business.
• It's available to any business, charity or public authority, with some conditions.
• The grant is provided by the government Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

What is the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)?

The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a government scheme for electric vehicles offered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

• The WCS reduces the purchase and installation cost of a new workplace charging station (single socket) by 75% (capped at £350 per socket).
• A single business can claim for up to a maximum of 40 charge points (e.g. 40 single socket or 20 double socket charge points).

• You can only claim the WCS for new charge points which will be installed after the date the voucher is issued.

Work Charge Eligibility

• You must be a registered business, charity, or Government organisation
• Declare a need for requiring EV car charge points
• You must have designated staff/fleet off-street parking available.
• You must be registered in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
• You must use an OZEV approved installer.
• You must own the premises or have landlord permission to install EV charge points on the premises

How does the Workplace Charging Scheme work?

The WCS is a voucher based system.

• First you complete an online application.
• If successful, you will be emailed a voucher code which you can then present to your OZEV-approved installer (like Pete Smith Electrical Services). Your installer will then use to claim the grant after the installation is complete.
• The voucher code is valid for 120 days from the date of issue.

Pete Smith Electrical Services is an accredited WCS charge point installer.

Contact us today to arrange a free no-obligation quotation