Should your Burnley workplace invest in EV charging?

Burnley had 107 public chargers on 1 July 2026 [S1]. Total and rapid provision per resident were below the North West and UK comparisons. For a workplace, staff attendance and charging access are more useful than population rates for sizing equipment. Test the low-use income and connection cost before committing capital or parking space. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 17 October 2026

What power and parking information should a Burnley workplace collect?

Begin with staff arrival times, shift changes and how long vehicles remain parked. For your own fleet, record return times and energy required before the next departure. Do not count internal fleet charging as sales to outside customers. The workplace sector guidance and fleet sector guidance help separate those requirements.

The distribution network operator (DNO) manages local electricity distribution assets. Electricity North West’s own service-area map includes Burnley [S3]. Confirm the exact premises, supply rating and maximum demand with your assessor. Its connection guidance says capacity is confirmed through formal application, not simply by viewing a map [S11].

Give the designer a parking layout showing deliveries, pedestrian routes and accessible bays. If charging spans a shift change, decide whether outgoing staff must move their vehicles and how the next users gain access. These arrangements determine how many sessions the equipment can actually serve.

How much charging provision is recorded in Burnley?

The council had 107 public chargers, including 22 rapid chargers [S1]. Comparisons are approximate:

Regional and UK rates are calculated from the supplied council rows. Population is inferred for each row as public chargers ÷ published rate × 100,000; summed counts are then divided by summed populations. The original rounded rates make these aggregates approximate. See the North West regional context.

Burnley’s supplied 2026 Q2 record has 1,889 plug-in vehicles, including 1,227 battery electric vehicles. Privately kept plug-ins account for 1,415 [S2]. These overlapping groups locate keepers, not workplace charging sessions. Survey staff before treating local adoption as a usage forecast.

The Blackpool visitor example shows why a different parking pattern needs different trading-day and session assumptions.

What does the council’s climate work tell a business?

Burnley’s climate strategy identifies on-street charging work in Kingsway, proposals for Padiham and participation in a taxi charging scheme [S4]. These are descriptions in the strategy, not confirmation that every proposed point is live today.

The council’s net zero actions page also describes its fleet transition and public car park charging rollout [S10]. That is relevant context when checking nearby alternatives. Neither document establishes funding eligibility for your private car park or proves spare capacity at your connection.

What could a shared workplace installation earn?

This is an illustration, not a quote for paid staff use. Power is measured in kilowatts (kW), while energy is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). Alternating current (AC) is the equipment type modelled here.

Ten units at £1,200–£2,000 each, plus shared infrastructure of £3,000–£8,000, give £15,000–£28,000 [S8]. Add an assumed £2,000 for extra groundworks, cable runs and connection to reach £17,000–£30,000. A major supply upgrade remains additional. Check the commercial installation cost guide for quote components [S9].

Workings: annual energy = sessions × 250 × 16; sales = energy × £0.40; net = energy × (£0.40 − £0.22) − £1,200. For fully funded, a provider finances, installs, owns and operates the system and gives you 10% of sales. part funded assumes you pay half the capital for half the net. self funded allocates all investment and net to you.

Simple return on investment (ROI) = host annual net ÷ host capital × 100, and payback years = host capital ÷ host net. The equal proportional investment and income split makes the investment models’ ratios match. The example’s usage, tariff, costs and shares are assumptions, with VAT, grants, tax, business rates, financing, renewals and outages excluded. Change these in the income calculator.

Which obligations and support should be priced before signing?

WCS can support eligible installations with up to £500 per socket until 31 March 2027 [S5]. HMRC lists qualifying new, unused chargepoint equipment bought before April 2027 for first-year allowances; check with your accountant [S7]. Public-facing use needs review under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 [S6].

A fully funded offer needs clear provider maintenance and electricity obligations. For part funded, settle ownership and buy-out terms; for self funded, price ongoing operation. Ask your solicitor to review planning, landlord consent, liability, business rates allocation, lease length, redevelopment, exit and bay reinstatement.

Any solar or battery option should show its own capital and operating calculation against measured site demand, including when the vehicles need energy.

Next step

Prepare a staff usage survey and supply record, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

Piggy Pineapple Ltd is the site’s operator. We may be paid a fee when we refer enquiries to installer partners. The owner holds shares in at least one partner. We identify the intended recipient and explain any shareholding in that business before passing your details on.