Householders trying to set up warmth pumps, photo voltaic panels, or EV chargers could discover themselves caught in a postcode lottery, with approval instances starting from simply in the future to greater than six weeks relying on the place they dwell.
New information from Octopus Vitality highlights important regional variation in how rapidly low-carbon dwelling applied sciences are authorized for set up, variations pushed by the interior processes of regional electrical energy community operators.
As demand for clear power options rises sharply throughout the UK, these inconsistencies have gotten extra seen, elevating questions on equity and effectivity within the nation’s power transition.
Who’s quickest at approving clear tech?
Octopus Vitality has printed a DNO leaderboard rating community operators by common approval time for installations like warmth pumps, photo voltaic panels and EV chargers. The outcomes present a transparent hole in efficiency.
Prime performers:
1st – UK Energy Networks (UKPN): 7-day common, 67% authorized in 1 day
2nd – Nationwide Grid Electrical energy Distribution: 8-day common, 60% authorized in 1 day
third – Electrical energy NorthWest: 12-day common, 16% authorized in 1 day
UKPN had the quickest approval instances for low carbon applied sciences(Picture credit score: Octopus Vitality)
Slower performers:
4th – SSEN: 14-day common, 24% authorized in 1 day
fifth – SP Vitality Networks: 16-day common, 2% authorized in 1 day
sixth – Northern PowerGrid: 32-day common, 7% authorized in 1 day
Whereas top-ranking DNOs are capable of greenlight two-thirds of purposes inside 24 hours, clients in lower-ranked areas usually wait a number of weeks, with some photo voltaic panel approvals in Scotland averaging 45 days.
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In contrast, fossil-fuel-based methods like gasoline boilers require no such approvals – highlighting a key inconsistency within the system.
Why approvals are wanted, and why it issues
Low-carbon tech installations want approval from native DNOs to substantiate that the electrical energy grid can deal with the added load.
If the grid is already close to capability, upgrades could also be required earlier than set up can proceed.
At the moment, there is no such thing as a nationwide commonplace for a way these purposes are processed. Octopus Vitality’s information factors to a posh and inconsistent system, sometimes called a “postcode lottery” – the place buyer expertise relies upon largely on location, quite than expertise or want.
This comes as demand is surging. Octopus has seen a 144% enhance in warmth pump enquiries in 2024 in comparison with 2023, and the price of photo voltaic panels has dropped to report lows. Environment friendly processing is changing into more and more vital for the UK’s power transition.
Octopus requires 5 priorities for quicker approvals
In response to the findings, Octopus Vitality is proposing a five-point motion plan for DNOs and {industry} stakeholders:
Increase auto-approvals: Many installations will be immediately authorized in the event that they meet fundamental standards. Octopus urges DNOs to publish these standards transparently and maximise their use.
Set nationwide approval deadlines: There’s presently no official timeframe for DNO responses. Clear deadlines would supply extra certainty to clients and installers.
Simplify purposes: The industry-wide ENA Direct Join system ought to be streamlined to make sure a constant, simple utility course of for all applied sciences.
Replace engineering requirements: Use real-world information as an alternative of conservative theoretical assumptions when assessing grid capability. For instance, growing automated photo voltaic thresholds from 3.68kW to 5kW may speed up installs – a transfer UKPN has already adopted.
Handle voltage ranges proactively: With common UK grid voltages at 243V, Octopus recommends extra dynamic voltage administration and aligning requirements with EU norms (230V ±10%) to allow extra connections.
Octopus additionally encourages Ofgem and DNOs to publish extra detailed, standardised information on approval efficiency to extend transparency throughout the sector.
