EV charging for hotels and holiday parks: is it worth it?

Overnight guest charging should start with parking duration, booking requests and the available electricity supply. Eligible installations can receive up to £500 per socket through the Workplace Charging Scheme [S1]. Compare fully funded income with part funded and self funded payback, using seasonal occupancy rather than assuming every charger is busy throughout the year. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

How does overnight EV charging work at hotels and holiday parks?

Sell a clear arrival-to-departure service. Your guest needs to know where to park, whether a space is reserved, how charging starts and what it costs. Record charging requests alongside occupancy before deciding how many sockets to install. A listing filter is a reason to make your information accurate, not evidence of extra bookings.

For illustration, a 7 kW alternating current (AC) charger running at full power for 8 hours supplies 56 kWh before losses: 7 × 8 = 56. Kilowatts (kW) describe power; kilowatt-hours (kWh) describe energy. Actual delivery depends on the car and any shared supply limit. Do not promise a full battery by breakfast.

A hotel, bed and breakfast, holiday park, campsite and wedding venue need different arrival policies. Campsite guests may stay through the day; wedding guests may arrive together. Separate overnight demand from restaurant or event parking. Use the dwell-time guide and compare hospitality charging before specifying faster equipment.

Which funding model suits seasonal guest charging?

Ask each proposal to use your monthly occupancy and actual charging requests. A summer peak should not become an assumed year-round utilisation rate. Decide whether you want charging income or a guest amenity with a budget.

Specify contract length, winter closure rights, guest priority, tariff control and who pays electricity. Ask your solicitor to review exclusivity, liability, insurance, business-rates responsibility and exit terms. Identify who removes equipment and restores the car park when the agreement ends. The fully funded guide helps you compare those terms.

What could guest chargers earn, and how long is payback?

This is an illustration, not a quote. These are deliberately stated assumptions, not market prices, measured guest demand or a funded offer. Sessions are totals across the installation. Model closed periods separately rather than counting unavailable bays as trading days.

Assume purchased energy equals billed energy. Annual energy E = sessions × 30 × 300. Sales = E × £0.50. Self funded net = E × (£0.50 − £0.25) − £900. Part funded net = that net × 60%. Fully funded host income = sales × 10%; the provider pays energy and maintenance without charging them back to the host in this example.

Simple return on investment (ROI) = annual net ÷ host capital × 100; payback = capital ÷ annual net. The capital range creates each return range. Use the payback guide to replace assumptions. The table excludes grants, tax, finance, electrical losses, card fees, downtime, grid upgrades and replacements. It includes no extra room bookings or food sales. Add those only with evidence.

If charging is included in the room rate, model the electricity and service costs against a stated hospitality budget. Do not present the table’s charging income as additional income when it is already included in room sales.

What site, power and access arrangements should you check?

Give the installer a car-park plan, electricity bills, event calendar and proposed access hours. Request a local planning review and landlord consent where relevant. Keep delivery routes and accessible guest parking usable. Use Designability’s layout and cable guidance when reviewing the route to reception. [S4]

Public hotel chargers can fall within the public charging rules even in privately owned car parks. [S3] Make the operating contract identify responsibility for compliance. Publish separate charging and parking conditions so guests can see whether an overnight stay is allowed after the battery stops charging.

Set a practical overnight policy: allocate bays at check-in, explain whether reservations cover the bay or only access to charging, and give guests a support contact. Avoid a changeover process that relies on reception finding a sleeping driver. Mark faults promptly in your guest information and any listing you control.

Can a large roof support guest charging with solar and batteries?

Compare solar generation with daytime kitchen, laundry and leisure demand as well as cars. Overnight charging does not directly coincide with solar production. Request separate solar-only and solar-plus-battery cash flows, including battery losses and replacement costs. Do not count stored solar twice as direct use and later charging.

Your distribution network operator (DNO) manages local connections. G99 is the engineering connection standard for generation operating in parallel with the network; UK Power Networks sets out its application process. [S5] Use your local DNO’s requirements. See solar and battery economics.

What funding checks come before ordering?

Eligible small accommodation businesses may include guest charging in WCS applications. [S2]

WCS support covers up to 75% of eligible costs, capped at 40 sockets; funding runs to 31 March 2027. [S1] HMRC confirms qualifying chargepoint expenditure has a 100% first-year allowance to 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax. [S6] Check with your accountant; tax relief is not an installation grant or a cash return of the full cost.

What should you do next?

Gather seasonal occupancy, charging requests and a roof and parking plan. Then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

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