Solar and EV Charging for Care Homes

Care homes installing solar-powered EV charging see three immediate benefits: staff retention through a tangible workplace perk, revenue from visitor charging, and lower marginal electricity cost for the charging itself. Combined with the Workplace Charging Scheme grant (£350 per socket up to 40 sockets), the integrated install often pays back in 3–5 years.

Why care homes are EV-ready

Care home car parks tick every box for workplace EV charging:

• Long dwell time: staff park for 8–12 hour shifts, perfect for AC charging
• Predictable visitor patterns: family visits cluster around weekends and afternoons
• Available parking: most homes have 15–40 staff/visitor bays
• Available power capacity: existing connection often supports 6–12 sockets without DNO upgrade
• Solar generation aligns: daytime solar peak coincides with daytime visitor charging

Typical install

Home size	Sockets	Power	WCS grant	Net capex	Annual revenue
30 beds	4 × 7 kW	28 kW total	£1,400	£10,000	£3,500
50 beds	6 × 7 kW	42 kW total	£2,100	£15,000	£6,500
80 beds	8 × 22 kW	176 kW total	£2,800	£28,000	£14,000
Care village (240 units)	24 × 22 kW	528 kW	£8,400	£90,000	£35,000

Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) grant

The OZEV-administered Workplace Charging Scheme provides £350 per socket installed, up to a maximum of 40 sockets per applicant. Eligibility: any business, charity or public sector body with off-street parking and a registered VAT number (or charity number). Application is straightforward — we file on your behalf as part of standard install. Grant typically credited within 90 days of commissioning.

Charging tariff structure

Care homes typically run charging across three user groups with different tariff structures:

• Staff: free or subsidised (typically 10–15p/kWh internal cross-charge), funded as workplace benefit and recoverable via payroll if desired
• Visitors: at-cost or modest margin (typically 30–45p/kWh, comparable to or below public rapid charging)
• Residents (where applicable): at-cost (typically grid rate + 2p/kWh service charge)

With solar-powered charging during daylight hours, the marginal cost to the home is 0–7p/kWh (the foregone SEG export rate). Charging visitors at 35p/kWh generates 28–35p/kWh margin during sunlight hours.

Staff retention and recruitment

Care home staff retention is a sector-wide pressure point with vacancy rates of 8–15% in many regions. EV charging at work — particularly free or subsidised charging — is increasingly cited in staff satisfaction surveys as a meaningful workplace benefit, equivalent to a £400–£800/year salary equivalent for an EV-driving staff member. Operators report measurable improvement in staff retention metrics after introducing workplace charging.

Visitor charging as a service differentiator

Families visiting residents — typically driving 30–60 minutes each way — increasingly drive electric vehicles. Visible visitor charging in the car park is a small but tangible service signal that's particularly well-received by adult-child family members aged 50–70 who are the dominant decision-makers in care home selection.

Load management and grid connection

For installs above 6–8 sockets at 22 kW, load management software is essential. The system dynamically allocates available power across active charging sessions, avoiding DNO supply upgrades. We specify OCPP-compatible chargers integrated with load management — typical brands Zaptec, Wallbox, EO Charging.

For 24+ sockets at full power (528 kW combined), DNO supply upgrade is usually required. Cost £15,000–£60,000 depending on local network. We engage the DNO at desk-feasibility stage.

OZEV regulations and accessibility

From November 2024, all new workplace charge points must comply with the Smart Charge Point Regulations (OZEV approved hardware list). All sockets must accept contactless payment. Accessibility requirements under PAS 1899:2022 govern accessible charging bay specification — relevant for care home settings.

Accessible charging bay design

PAS 1899:2022 sets out the standard for accessible charging bay design — the parts of the spec that matter most for care home settings:

• Bay width 3.6m minimum (vs 2.4m for standard bays) to accommodate wheelchair transfer
• Charger height socket centre 750–1,200mm above ground (within reach of wheelchair users)
• Display contrasting colour, minimum text size, audible feedback for visually impaired users
• Cable management retractable or coiled cables to avoid trip hazards
• Surface level, non-slip, contrasted at the bay edge
• Lighting minimum 100 lux at the charger face
• Approach step-free from the charger to an accessible building entrance

For visitor-facing charging at care homes, at least one accessible bay is best practice. For staff charging, accessibility scales to the workforce — but the cost increment for accessibility-compliant bays is modest (typically £200–£600 per bay above standard).

Integrating with solar and battery storage

The integrated solar + battery + EV charging system is more than the sum of the parts. Key integration features we specify:

• Solar-first charging. Smart charger software prioritises charging from solar generation, only drawing grid power when solar is insufficient. Reduces marginal charging cost to 0–7p/kWh during sunlight hours.
• Battery-buffered charging. Where battery storage is installed, the smart charger software draws from battery during periods of high tariff (peak windows) and recharges battery from solar during off-peak.
• Dynamic load management. The system continuously monitors the home's electrical demand and modulates EV charging power to avoid breaching the supply capacity — preventing the need for expensive DNO upgrades.
• Tariff-aware scheduling. Staff and visitor chargers can be set to optimise charging start time within the dwell window for cheapest tariff conditions.

Visitor charging payment and operations

Visitor charging at a care home typically uses contactless card payment via an OCPP-compatible charge point with an integrated payment terminal. Three operational models work well:

• Contactless pay-and-charge — visitor inserts card, charges, pays the displayed rate. Most common.
• Charge-and-account — staff can authorise charging for family members during longer visits, billed monthly through the home's account.
• Free for time-limited visiting — some operators offer free charging for the first 2 hours of any visit as a service differentiator.

Revenue reporting is integrated with the home's accounting system — typical pay-out cycle weekly to the operator's nominated bank account.

EV charging policy frameworks affecting care homes in 2026

Three regulatory and policy frameworks shape EV charging installations on UK care homes in 2026:

Building Regulations Part S — applies to new commercial buildings and major refurbishments. Requires EV charging point provision at a minimum of 1 socket per 10 parking spaces for new commercial development, with cable infrastructure for further sockets to be activated as demand grows. Care homes converting or substantially refurbishing existing premises typically come within scope; new-build care villages always do.

Smart Charge Point Regulations 2021 — mandates that all newly installed workplace and public charge points have smart charging capability (load-shifting to lower-demand periods), default-off setting in peak hours (typically 16:00–22:00 weekdays), and randomised delay functionality to prevent simultaneous high-demand events. All compliant chargers are listed on the OZEV approved hardware list.

EV Charging Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) — OZEV grant scheme paying £350 per socket installed up to 40 sockets per applicant. Open to any business, charity, or public sector body with off-street parking and a registered VAT number or charity number. WCS application is straightforward — we file as part of standard install delivery, with the grant typically credited within 90 days of commissioning.

Resident EV charging considerations

Where the care home offers resident EV charging (relevant in assisted living, retirement village, and care village contexts), several specific considerations apply:

• Tariff transparency. Residents should understand the per-kWh charging tariff in advance. Display the rate clearly at the charger.
• Accessibility. At least one resident-designated bay should comply with PAS 1899:2022 accessible charging design.
• Booking system. For schemes with fewer chargers than EV-driving residents, a booking system avoids conflict. Several care village operators use Bookerville or similar SaaS booking systems integrated with the chargepoint operator's software.
• Service charge integration. Where residents pay service charges, the operator must decide whether charging costs are recouped via service charge, direct billing, or absorbed as a benefit. The cleanest approach is direct billing per kWh.

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) considerations for future-proofing

Vehicle-to-grid technology — where an EV's battery can discharge back to the building or grid during peak hours — is moving from pilot to commercial deployment in 2026. For care homes considering long-horizon EV infrastructure planning, V2G-capable chargers add 15–25% to capex (versus standard one-way charging) but enable a future revenue stream where the home's parked fleet contributes to peak-period grid services.

For care homes installing 6+ chargers, we typically recommend V2G-ready cabling and electrical infrastructure (single-phase 22 kW or three-phase) even if the initial chargers are one-way. Upgrading to V2G chargers later is then a chargepoint swap (£800–£1,500 per socket) rather than a full electrical re-fit. We assess V2G readiness at design stage based on each operator's 5–10 year fleet electrification expectations.

Insurance and liability for EV charging

EV charging installation triggers an insurance review — most building insurers underwrite charging infrastructure without difficulty, but require system spec confirmation. Three specific risk areas:

• Fire risk — chargers comply with BS 7671 and IEC 61851. Risk to underlying building is low. Visitor and resident vehicle fire risk is independent of the charging infrastructure but should be referenced in the Fire Risk Assessment.
• Cable trip hazards — managed via retractable or coiled cable systems; relevant for accessible bay compliance.
• Public liability — for visitor charging, the operator's public liability insurance covers third-party use. Confirm policy treatment with broker pre-commissioning.