On-street residential chargepoint scheme

For electric vehicles, charging at home usually occurs off-street in garages and driveways. However, in many parts of the UK off-street parking is unavailable to many residents. By installing chargepoints on-street or in public car parks, residents without off-street parking will have access to chargepoints close to home.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) are now accepting applications to the on-street residential chargepoint scheme (ORCS) for this financial year (FY 23-24). This remains open to all relevant local authorities within the UK. OZEV has published details for local authorities about how the amended ORCS 2023/24 scheme will work.

ORCS will remain open to applications until 1 March 2024, or until all 2023 to 2024 funding has been allocated, whichever is sooner. Applications must be submitted to onstreetchargepoints@est.org.uk by 1 March 2024 to be considered for funding.

In addition to the continuation of ORCS, local authorities should also be aware of the local electric vehicle infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which aims to further improve the rollout and commercialisation of local charging infrastructure projects that use a combination of public and private sector investment.

Local authorities are invited to submit ORCS funding applications to onstreetchargepoints@est.org.uk.

For the financial year 2023/24, the scheme has been amended to:

• Reflect the launch of the LEVI fund and Ofgem’s changes to connection costs following the Significant Code Review.
• Ensure more local authorities benefit from the funding.
• Allow charging infrastructure for car clubs.

Key changes made to the scheme for the current financial year (FY23-24) are:

• A reduction in the maximum proportion of costs covered, from 60% to 50%.
• A maximum grant size of £200,000. Grants are capped at a maximum of £7,500 per chargepoint. The extended £13,000 per chargepoint cap has been removed.
• ORCS funding can now be put towards the costs of charging infrastructure for car clubs.
• ORCS-funded chargepoints will continue to be subject to relevant regulation. Subject to parliamentary passage, this will include forthcoming Public Charge Point Regulations, which will require contactless payment capability at new chargepoints 8kW and above amongst other provisions. No additional payment requirements for chargepoints installed under ORCS will apply beyond those set out in regulation.
• No additional payment requirements for chargepoints installed under ORCS will apply beyond those set out in regulation.

Applicants must be able to complete and claim for projects by 1 March 2025.

As in previous years, successful applicants will receive 75% of the grant funding upfront. The remaining 25% can be claimed on completion of the project.

All capital costs associated with the installations must be individually evidenced and broken down by cost type. If the total project costs are less than the 75% paid in advance, the local authority will be required to reimburse OZEV. For more information about how to submit a project claim, see claims assistance below.

As in previous years, ORCS will be administered by Energy Saving Trust with support from OZEV. When required, additional support will also be available from the LEVI support body partners, PA Consulting and Cenex.

The application process can be cooperative, with a few rounds of feedback on the application before final submission to OZEV. We will never turn down an application on first receipt and will work with local authorities to ensure all OZEV’s eligibility criteria are met before final submission.

Download our ORCS information pack which answers common FAQs and provides valuable information and timelines for applicants.

You can also contact us at onstreetchargepoints@est.org.uk if you need further assistance.

Download the ORCS application form

Once all chargepoints are installed, local authorities will need to submit a claim to onstreetchargepoints@est.org.uk with the following:

• Claim form (see model claim form for guidance)
• Monitoring log
• Confirmation that the chargepoints are on the National Chargepoint Registry (NCR) with either a screenshot or data download with ORCS chargepoints highlighted.
• A copy of all invoices with a detailed breakdown of the full eligible project costs.

The amount for which a claim is submitted must account for all ORCS funding, not only the remaining 25% the local authority has yet to receive. For more information on claiming please see our ORCS information pack and the following short guidance videos:

1. claim form and invoices (4m 24s)
2. monitoring log (2m 55s)
3. national Chargepoint Registry (1m 25s)
4. claim submission (3m 22s)

To access the recordings, you will be asked for your name and email address which may be used by us to contact you regarding ORCS and other relevant services.

Model claim forms

Different claim forms are available depending on the year a project was funded to reflect the maximum level of public subsidy offered (such as 75%, 60% or 50%):

• Up to FY21/22 model claims form
• FY22/23 model claims form
• FY23/24 model claims form

Only local authorities are eligible to apply for ORCS. If you are a resident who would like a chargepoint installed near you, we recommend that you contact your local authority to see if you can register your interest online or request they apply to ORCS. Some local authorities are collecting resident requests as evidence of demand in their ORCS applications.

If you have any questions about the on-street residential chargepoint scheme, speak to us by emailing onstreetchargepoints@est.org.uk