Connecting a single EV charging point

The motor industry is transforming at a rapid rate with the use of electric vehicles (EVs) on the rise as the UK strives to meet ambitious carbon emission targets. At Electricity North West, we are supporting this transition and investing in our network to ensure that it is fit for a future where low carbon technologies are commonplace in all UK homes and businesses.

Installing an electric vehicle charge point

You should start by contacting an accredited electric vehicle charge point installer to confirm whether your electricity supply is adequate to support the charging point. It is general practice that the installer would carry out any required applications for upgrade in supply capacity or notify us when the charge point has been installed. The property owner should ensure this is carried out by their supplier. Provided there is no problem with your electricity supply or the equipment which joins your internal wiring to our electricity network, named the 'cut-out', you can install the charge point.

Please refer to this process flow chart to determine whether you need to use this form to 'apply to connect' or 'connect and notify'. If you need to ‘apply to connect’ please send completed 'apply to connect' forms to domesticlct@enwl.co.uk. If after following the flow chart you only need to 'connect and notify'; once you have installed your charge point, please send your 'connect and notify' forms to domesticlct@enwl.co.uk.

Still not sure which email address to send your completed form to?

Use the questions below to help identify whether you need to Connect and Notify, Apply to Connect or Upgrade to three phase

Will the total electrical energy utilised within the property, including the electric vehicle charge point, exceed 13.8kW / 60 amps per phase? Applicable only to properties with Whole Current (WC) metering. The majority of residential and small business properties will be metered utilising WC metering. WC metering is generally utilised for supplies less than 69kW.
Does the electric vehicle charge point have a Direct Current (DC) output? Alternating Current (AC) charging is generally used at home, and DC charging is used in the street, in offices and often at service stations.
For properties with Current Transformer (CT) metering, is the maximum AC output of all electric vehicle charge points greater than 30% of the Maximum Import Capacity (MIC)? CT metering is generally utilised for properties with three phase supplies and power usage greater than 69kW.
For chargers that facilitate Vehicle to Grid (V2G); is the charger type tested to EREC G98 standards? Chargers must be type tested to G98 specifications to be eligible for connect and notify. This can be checked via the ENAs type test register. Chargers utilising G99 type tested equipment still need to apply for a connection
Are you employing a load management scheme to manage the import, or export (applicable to sites with V2G)? These are sometimes used to reduce the size of network connection required

For 'Upgrade to three phase'

If you currently have a single phase supply rated between 60 & 100A and now require more than 100A after your maximum demand/diversity calculations, you will need to send your ENA form to connectionapplications@enwl.co.uk. This is a chargeable service and the average cost of upgrading to three phase power, rated at 80A per phase is £5370.00.

Apply to connect

Once you have reviewed the process flow chart, complete this ENA application form and email it to domesticlct@enwl.co.uk

Apply now

Connect & notify

Once you have reviewed the process flow chart, notify us by completing this ENA form and email it to domesticlct@enwl.co.uk

Notify us

Process flow chart

This process flow chart will help you determine when you need to notify us about your installation and when you will need to make a new application.

Process flow

A guide to electric vehicles

A guide to electric vehicles and charge points for domestic and business customers.

To submit your application, you will need:

Location plan
Site layout plan
Manufacturer's specification sheet

Guidance for installers

The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Code of Practice on Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation provides guidance for installers and confirms their responsibilities.

Specifically it outlines the installer’s responsibility to:

Assess the adequacy of the supply capacity for the new EV’s electricity consumption, plus any existing electricity demand, before installing the charging equipment
Assess the adequacy of the earthing, before installing the charging equipment
Notify your electricity Distribution Network Operator (DNO) once the charge point has been installed. If you are in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and parts of Derbyshire and Cheshire; this is Electricity North West. You can use our post code tracker to verify your supplier and DNO.

Electricity North West owns and maintains the electricity network of overhead lines and underground cables that bring power to 2.5 million homes and businesses in the North West.

EVs can use as much electricity as a domestic power shower, but for much longer, which can have a significant impact on demand for electricity on that part of the network.

It’s therefore important that you talk to us about your charge point installation so that we can assess whether the local electricity network and your site have enough capacity to meet your charging needs. For larger projects, we may need to build new infrastructure which will affect the time and cost of your project.

Frequently asked questions

Electric vehicles can use as much electricity as a domestic power shower, but for much longer, which can have a significant impact on demand for electricity on that part of the network

It's therefore important that we're told about any new charge points so that we can monitor supply and demand on the region's electricity network, and ensure all our customers continue to receive a secure power supply.

Provided a property's supply capacity is capable of supplying the full demand of the property and the installer of the electric vehicle (EV) charging unit is using approved equipment which is suitable for use within your property, there will be no charges from us directly associated with an electric vehicle charger installation. You pay your installer to install your charger. You will pay for any power used by the charger using your normal electricity metering arrangements.

Where your demand exceeds your supply capacity or you are using equipment which is not suitable for your current supply characteristics there will be a requirement for reinforcement work. In some cases this work is carried out by us free of charge, alternatively a formal quotation for the required work will be sent to the applicant.

As with a single vehicle charger it is the responsibility of the installer to ensure that the existing supply is capable of supplying the full property's electrical demand. Where multiple vehicles are being charged simultaneously this can often result in overloading of supplies or the requirement for a reduced charging output. Before installing a charger it is important to understand if the charger will deliver the desired output and that it does not present a risk of overloading supply equipment.

In the majority of cases where a charger is required to be on-street the user will request a new supply which is separate to their existing property's supply. It is not permitted to run charging cables across public footpaths so the charging unit will normally be located at the kerbside. Supplies which are street side will generally be provided with a supply utilising a TT earthing arrangement, including RCD protection. Installers should ensure that they have the relevant permission from the local council or land owner prior to installing charging facilities on land not controlled by the charge point owner.

Vehicle to grid technology (V2G) enables energy stored in EVs to be fed back into the electricity network. This means that customers who have their own generation, such as solar panels, can charge their vehicles using excess energy produced from their generator and store the energy in their EV battery for later use. This also helps reduce the level of peak demand on the electricity network. In addition, customers can benefit from time-of-use tariffs by charging their vehicles when energy prices are cheaper and then discharging this energy to the grid when electricity prices are high.

Chargepoints which are compliant with the following statements can be connected as part of our install & notify policy:

Total installed property generating capacity (including any PV, storage and V2G storage) ≤3.68kW (16A) per phase and excluding any export limiting device
V2G EV charge point Fully Type Tested and registered in the ENA Type Test Verification Report Register

Chargers which do not meet these requirements will need to apply to connect.

If you would like to speak to us about a vehicle to grid charger connection then please email: connectionapplications@enwl.co.uk

It is possible to limit the charging capabilities of a chargepoint in order to remain within a sites agreed Maximum Import Capacity (MIC). This can offer benefits of not requiring network upgrades to exsiting supplies in order to connect a single or multiple electric vehicle charge points. It is important that these load limiting devices conform to the necessary product standards in order to ensure that the network is not overloaded and that the site does not exceed its contracted Maximum Import Capacity. Unlike regular Electric vehicle chargers which can be installed under our install & notify policy, we need to undertake a number of assessments before a load limitation scheme can be installed.

Currently the process for connecting a ChargePoint with a load limitation scheme will require us to carry out an assessment of the ChargePoint and the network infrastructure supplying the charger. If you would like to speak to us about load limitation scheme connection then please email: connectionapplications@enwl.co.uk

Connecting your energy assets

See guidance for device owners and installation contractors from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) if you are registering energy devices in homes or small businesses.

Connecting small electric vehicle charge points

Installing an electric vehicle charge point

Still not sure which email address to send your completed form to?

Apply to connect

Connect & notify

Process flow chart

A guide to electric vehicles

Guidance for installers

Frequently asked questions

Connecting your energy assets

Map of UK charge points

Single EV

Connecting small electric vehicle charge points

Installing an electric vehicle charge point

Still not sure which email address to send your completed form to?

Apply to connect

Connect & notify

Process flow chart

A guide to electric vehicles

Guidance for installers

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need to inform you about the installation?

Will I be charged to connect my electric vehicle?

There's multiple electric vehicles at the property

What about properties with no off street parking?

I have a looped service

What if I want to use vehicle to grid (V2G)

My chargepoint incorporates a load limiting scheme

Connecting your energy assets

Map of UK charge points