Free EV charging for staff, paid for by the sun

If you run a business with a car park - factory, warehouse, retail unit, hotel, office - you've got two assets sitting unused: the roof above and the tarmac below. A combined solar and EV charging installation puts both of them to work.

The model is straightforward: solar panels (rooftop, ground-mounted, or both) generate electricity through the day. That electricity powers EV chargers in the car park. Staff charge their cars at work for free. Visitors and customers see a business that takes its environmental commitments seriously. You see lower running costs and a benefit to offer that doesn't appear on most competitors' websites.

A real example

We've installed ground-mounted solar systems connected to outdoor fuse boards specifically for businesses wanting to offer free EV charging to staff. The setup eliminates ongoing fuel costs, provides a valuable employee benefit, and demonstrates environmental commitment - all powered entirely by solar with no recurring expenses.

That's the case in one paragraph. The rest of this page is detail.

Why this works financially

Commercial solar makes sense on its own because businesses use electricity during the day when generation is at its peak. Adding workplace EV charging to that stack is a force multiplier:

• Daytime EV charging - staff cars on site through the working day, charging exactly when solar is generating
• No grid electricity bought - solar covers the load directly, so the chargers cost nothing to run
• Fuel costs replaced by sunlight - for any staff doing business mileage in EVs, the energy cost of that mileage drops close to zero

For the business, most commercial installations reduce monthly costs by 70-100%, with payback typically within 3-4 years. The EV charging adds usage that improves your self-consumption ratio (more kWh used on site, fewer exported back to the grid), which generally improves payback further.

Setup options

Depending on your site, we can design:

• Rooftop solar + wall-mounted chargers - panels on the roof, chargers on the building wall facing the car park
• Ground-mounted solar + chargers on outdoor fuse boards - useful where the roof isn't ideal but you have spare land or grass verge. We've installed exactly this kind of setup for businesses offering free staff EV charging.

If you're interested in solar carport structures (an elevated frame over parking that doubles as the panel array), let us know during the survey and we'll talk through whether that's the right fit and what's involved.

Which approach is right depends on your roof, your car park layout, your staff numbers, and how much you want to spend up front. We'll go through the options on the survey.

Charger options

We're not tied to a single manufacturer. Common installs:

• Standard 7kW units for staff parking - charges most EVs fully during a working day
• 22kW three-phase chargers for sites with three-phase power - faster turnaround for fleet or shared use
• GivEnergy chargers - integrate well if you're running GivEnergy battery and inverter kit
• Octopus chargers - smart chargers that wait for the cheapest rates when grid charging is needed

All chargers are OZEV grant-approved where applicable and include smart features for app control and energy monitoring.

Three reasons businesses do this

1. Staff benefit - free EV charging at work is a genuine perk that doesn't depreciate. It also makes your business more attractive to staff who already drive electric (a growing share) and to those considering switching
2. Environmental positioning - "we power our staff parking with solar" is a credible, specific environmental claim that's easy to put on the website, in tender responses, and in B Corp / ISO 14001 documentation
3. Visible to visitors and clients - chargers and panels are physical, on-site evidence that you're walking the walk

What you need

The same basic requirements as commercial solar:

• You own the building - solar installations on leased properties don't work because you need long-term ownership to realise the payback
• Sufficient roof space, ground space, or both
• A car park with reasonable proximity to where the supply lands

For most owner-occupied commercial properties (warehouses, factories, retail) all three are usually present. For smaller offices it depends on the site.

Industrial experience

Ashley's background includes 10 years on commercial projects and electrical work on industrial sites including the Jersey Recycling Centre. That experience means we understand three-phase supplies and plant and machinery loads.

How the process works

A qualified electrician visits your site, reviews your electricity usage, looks at the roof and the car park, and designs a system to suit. We typically present multiple options at different system sizes with full financial analysis for each. After approval we install with minimal disruption to your operations and provide all certifications, grid connection paperwork and Smart Export Guarantee setup.

Why work with us

• MCS-certified installer (NAP-66870)
• NAPIT Registered (66870)
• Octopus Energy Trusted Partner
• 20+ years' experience as an electrician, including 10 years on commercial projects
• Honest design advice - if the numbers don't work for your business, we'll tell you
• We work with local roofers and scaffolders on every project

Coverage

Based in Prestwich, we serve businesses throughout Greater Manchester and the wider North West.

Contact us today for a free consultation on solar-powered workplace EV charging.