Key points in this article
The confusion was structural
For a long time it was genuinely unclear which tariff a community charging point should be billed at, and residents were often quoted something closer to a commercial rate. The position now is clearer: facilities that register directly with the grid company are billed on the residential pooled tariff, without tiered pricing and without an additional demand charge.
Why it matters to residents
Predictability more than price. When the rate is definite and published, a household can work out what a week of charging costs before deciding to use it. Uncertainty does more damage to adoption than a slightly higher but known number, because people do not plan around a figure they cannot verify.
Why it matters to operators
A stable tariff makes long-term modelling possible, which is what allows an operator to commit to building and maintaining a site at its own cost. It also raises the bar on transparency: with the rate settled, the operator's own charging rule has to be equally clear. Our service description and partnership terms put both in writing.
Put it where people can see it
The practical step is small and effective: the applicable tariff and the charging rule go into the contract, onto the shelter notice board and into the app before a session starts. Written commitments outperform verbal ones, and this is one of the cheapest trust-building measures available.
For property companies comparing proposals, our ROI calculator helps turn tariff assumptions into a comparable annual figure.
Questions worth settling before installation
- Which tariff applies, and is it written into the contract
- What does the operator charge on top of the electricity, and is it published
- Who absorbs a future tariff change, and how is notice given
- Is the settlement statement itemised, and how often is it issued
None of these is difficult to answer, and a proposal that cannot answer them clearly is usually a proposal that will be renegotiated later. Settling the tariff question in writing is one of the cheapest forms of risk reduction available to a community.