How Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers got an EV charger installed, quickly and at no cost – and how your business or community enterprise can too.
For many small businesses and community enterprises with their own premises and onsite parking, getting electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed can seem like a pipe dream.
There’s planning to do, qualified installers to find, and charging tariffs to factor in. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, as Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers discovered, the installation can cost nothing at all – and the whole process can be completed with minimal disruption.
For the Quakers, enlisting the help of green-energy specialists was key.
The goal: meeting a need
With the number of electric vehicles on Peterborough’s roads increasing year by year, there is a growing demand for charging points around the city. Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers identified this need and decided to act.
They wanted to install chargers at their meeting house and offices on Thorpe Road, near Crescent Bridge, for the use of employees, visitors, and the general public. The installation had to be cost-effective and would need approval from the building management committee. There were also issues relating to public access to consider.
Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers were referred to the EV team at Peterborough-based Green Energy Switch (GES), who took all these factors into account when providing a comprehensive solution.
How they did it: getting the specialists in
Within days of the referral being made, the EV team at GES visited the Quakers’ Thorpe Road premises to assess the site and propose a tailored installation plan that could commence the following week.
With the plan approved, and a three-tier tariff system in place – with one charging tariff for employees, another for groups using the building, and a third for members of the public – work could start on installing a 7.3Kwh AC twin charger.
Best of all, the installation wouldn’t cost Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers a penny.
Thanks to current government grants and funding opportunities, many businesses are eligible for this fully funded offering, often because their car parks are accessible to the public. Other funding are routes available. There can occasionally be associated costs with the installation, but these are made clear during the initial site visit.
Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers’ charger runs off the site’s existing electricity supply and is initially providing a slow-charging capability for up to two vehicles. It is partly powered by solar panels on the meeting house’s south-facing roof.
The result: a Gold-standard, EV-friendly site
With the EV charger now installed, staff, visitors, and members of the public can park up and plug in. Peterborough & Wisbech Quakers are playing their part in enabling more zero-emissions journeys around the city.
The installation formed part of the Quakers’ bid to become a Gold Eco Church. Currently, it is the only Gold-level church in Peterborough.
“The whole process went very smoothly and didn’t cost us anything,” said project coordinator and sustainability lead for Cambridgeshire Dorothy Ball.
“The EV team at Green Energy Switch were quite understanding about our worries that use by the public might be a problem, but it was all incorporated, and we now have a satisfactory set of tariffs.”
How can I get a charger installed at no cost?
Subject to a site visit and meeting qualification criteria, almost any business or community enterprise can get a free 7.3Kwh AC twin charger from Green Energy Switch. Other chargers are available. To find out more, head to greenenergyswitch.co.uk, call the EV team on 01733 646253, or email commercial@greenenergyswitch.co.uk