Church EV Charging Points — A Parish Guide

Why EV charging matters at churches

UK electric vehicle adoption is accelerating: by 2026, EVs represent roughly 20-25% of new car registrations and the on-road EV fleet is approaching 1.2 million vehicles. The single biggest constraint on EV adoption in the UK is access to public and convenient charging — particularly slower destination charging where users park for 30 minutes to several hours.

Church car parks are well-positioned to play a role in this. Many churches have under-utilised car parks (in use mostly Sunday morning, occasional weekday events, often empty). Adding EV charging serves the parish in several ways:

1. Community service — congregation members and community hall users can charge while attending
2. Revenue generation — modest income from charging fees over 10-15 year asset life
3. Net zero contribution — supporting EV transition as part of the diocesan net zero pathway
4. Hall hire attraction — venues with EV charging are more attractive to corporate and community hire customers
5. Combined with solar — strong synergy: parish solar generates electricity that EV chargers can consume during the day

The faculty question

EV charging installations at church car parks generally require faculty consultation. The faculty consideration depends on:

Listed church / church car park within consecrated ground: Full faculty consultation required. The DAC will care about:

• Visual impact of charging units (typically 1-2m tall pillars or wall-mounted units)
• Cable trenching through any historic surface (ideally avoided)
• Lighting requirements for charging operation
• Future-proofing (planning for ~50% EV adoption by 2035)

Unlisted parish hall car park: Often faculty-not-required confirmation, particularly if the hall is in unconsecrated curtilage. Planning permission may apply for larger installations.

Adjacent vicarage car park / private parish land: Usually permitted development or simple planning.

For most parish projects, a small array of 2-4 EV chargers in a designated car park area is achievable without major heritage concerns.

Technical specifications

EV chargers come in three speed classes:

Slow (3.7 kW): Domestic-style, 7-10 hour full charge. Rarely specified for new church installations.

Fast (7-22 kW): The standard for destination charging. 3-7 hour full charge. Appropriate for church car parks where users typically park for 1-3 hours.

Rapid (50-150 kW): Fast charging for through-traffic. Typically requires three-phase supply and substantial DNO connection. Not usually appropriate for parish car parks unless the church is on a major route.

For most UK parishes the right specification is 7-22 kW AC chargers — 2-6 units depending on car park size and expected usage.

DNO connection considerations

Adding EV charging affects the parish’s electrical supply:

• 7 kW chargers: 1-2 units on single-phase supply usually OK; 3+ units typically need three-phase
• 22 kW chargers: typically need three-phase supply
• DNO study fees: £150-£600 typically for parish-scale installations
• Connection upgrade costs: £4,000-£12,000 if three-phase upgrade needed
• Lead time: 8-16 weeks for DNO assessment + 4-8 weeks for any upgrade work

Grant funding for parish EV charging

Multiple grant schemes can apply:

Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS): OZEV-administered grant covering 75% of charging unit cost up to £350 per socket, max 40 sockets. Parishes typically eligible as workplace if hall staff or clergy work on site.

Local Authority grants: Some councils offer EV charging grants for community buildings. Investigate locally.

Buildings for Mission: Church of England funding programme increasingly considers EV charging as part of holistic energy strategy alongside solar.

Diocesan capital schemes: Sometimes available for combined solar + EV projects.

Revenue potential

A parish hosting 2-4 EV chargers at modest occupancy can generate:

• 50-150 charging sessions per month
• Revenue per session: typically £3-£8 (varies with energy cost and pricing structure)
• Annual gross revenue: typically £1,500-£5,000
• Less electricity cost (typically 60-70% of revenue): net £400-£1,500 annual contribution
• 10-15 year asset life: lifetime revenue contribution £4,000-£20,000

This is rarely a primary driver but adds useful supplementary income.

Combined solar + EV synergy

The strongest economic case for EV charging at a parish is in combination with parish solar:

Daytime self-consumption: EV chargers running during the day consume solar generation that would otherwise export at low feed-in tariff. Effective offset value 25-35p/kWh vs export 4-7p/kWh — substantial multiplier.

Battery integration: With a battery, the system stores surplus solar to charge EVs in evening, even further improving self-consumption.

Combined Project economics: A combined parish solar + EV + battery installation typically achieves 70-85% self-consumption vs 35-50% for solar-only with Sunday-pattern church use.

Local installer capability

EV charging installation requires NICEIC commercial electrical certification plus OZEV approval for grant claims. Many regional electrical contractors hold both.

AMP Pro Electrical, the Armthorpe-based commercial electrical contractor, is a NICEIC commercial electrical specialist covering South Yorkshire and adjacent areas — EV charging installation, commercial wiring and three-phase upgrades. For parishes in South Yorkshire considering EV chargers in their car parks, this is the kind of regional commercial electrical contractor that handles installation, DNO liaison and grant administration.

For other regions, regional NICEIC commercial electrical contractors typically have EV charging capability.

Practical recommendation for PCCs

1. Assess car park size and typical occupancy. 2-4 charging bays usually fit within existing car park footprint.

2. Check electrical supply. Single-phase + 1-2 chargers may be straightforward. Three-phase needed for larger installations.

3. Consider combined solar + EV. Synergy is meaningful.

4. Engage NICEIC commercial electrical contractor with OZEV approval. Pre-application advice usually free.

5. Investigate Workplace Charging Scheme + Buildings for Mission + diocesan capital. Combined grant stack can cover 60-80% of project cost.

6. For faculty-sensitive sites, engage DAC early. Pre-application discussion saves time.

Practical next steps

For PCCs considering parish EV charging:

1. Audit car park (size, occupancy pattern, electrical infrastructure)
2. Request free combined solar + EV + battery feasibility
3. Engage NICEIC commercial electrical contractor for site survey
4. Apply for Workplace Charging Scheme + relevant local grants
5. For listed-site faculty, contact DAC early

Request our free feasibility report for a combined parish solar + EV charging assessment. See also our tech battery storage page and tech EV charging page.