Octopus and National Grid join forces to upgrade homes to three-phase electric as part of heat pump and EV charger rollout

Octopus Energy and the National Grid have combined forces to improve the installation process for renewable energies.

The joint venture will mean local electric grids will be assessed on the demand new technologies make to the area before installation and homes will also be assessed to see if they require upgrading to three-phase electricity to cope with the increased strain on households.

It is hoped the collaboration will reduce the installation time of renewable technologies, such as air source heat pumps, EV chargers and solar panels by at least 10 weeks.

How will the collaboration work?

The new agreement between Octopus Energy and the National Grid means the installation of renewable energy technologies could be streamlined to save customers weeks of waiting times.

Octopus Energy engineers can now upgrade homeowners fuses to three-phase electricity whilst installing heat pumps, EV chargers and solar panels in order to cope with the increased electricity demands, potentially saving ten weeks from the installation process. It follows the problem of outdated electrical supplies being raised in an article by Homebuilding & Renovating back in October last year.

The National Grid has also pre-assessed Octopus Energy heat pumps to ensure the local electricity grid can meet the demand of the heat pump, before they are rolled out, saving another potential five weeks in wait times.

Three-phase problem exclusively revealed by H&R

Homebuilding & Renovating exclusively revealed that thousands of homeowners could be forced into upgrading to three-phase electricity due to the increased pressure heat pumps and other renewable energies would place on households.

The energy company UK Power Networks revealed a supply capacity of 18.4kVA is generally enough for most household electric supplies, however, heat pumps and EV chargers can take this above 25kVA meaning many households current capacity is not enough.

A spokesperson for the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said to Homebuilding & Renovating: “With the rapid uptake of heat pumps, electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies, network operators are working hard to ensure that the rules and regulations in place as well as the infrastructure itself are fit for purpose."

The ENA added electricity distribution network operators were working to ensure there was a consistent approach throughout the country to make it "as simple as possible" for customers to install renewable energies.

'Even easier for customers to connect low carbon technologies'

Cordi O’Hara, President, National Grid Electricity Distribution, commented on the collaboration: “Over the last five years we’ve seen the number of EV chargers installed on our network increase by eight times and the number of heat pumps triple.

“These new changes to the fuse upgrade process are part of our commitment to make it even easier for customers to connect low carbon technologies.”

Alex Schoch, Head of Flexibility at Octopus Energy, said: “Octopus has proven that by working together, DNOs and installers can bring heat pumps, EVs and solar into homes faster and cheaper, turbocharging the UK’s move to an electrified future.

“By upgrading fuses alongside clean tech installations, we are not only saving [National Grid] resources, but also giving our customers back valuable time. It’s a win-win that highlights how critical collaboration is on our path to net zero.”