Ofgem backs project to bring home electricity tariffs to public EV chargers

A project funded through Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund aims to let EV drivers use their domestic electricity tariff at public charge points, potentially widening access to cheaper charging for people without a home charger.

The Roaming MPANs project is led by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution, according to an article published by Fuse Energy on 10 September 2026. Fuse’s account cites a Transport and Energy report dated 9 September 2026.

The proposal could be particularly relevant to drivers living in flats or rented homes who cannot install their own charging equipment. However, it remains a concept under development, not an announced tariff that motorists can sign up for today.

What the project proposes

The central idea is to allow a driver’s domestic electricity tariff to apply when they charge away from home. That could include access to cheaper off-peak electricity rates at public charging points.

MPAN stands for Metering Point Administration Number. The project’s name, Roaming MPANs, reflects its ambition to make domestic tariff access possible beyond the home supply. The source does not explain the detailed technical or billing arrangements that would make this work.

According to Fuse Energy, the funding comes from the Strategic Innovation Fund, a programme delivered in partnership by Ofgem and Innovate UK to support the transformation of Britain’s energy networks towards a low-carbon future.

This is therefore a network innovation project rather than a general reduction in public charging prices. Its significance lies in exploring whether drivers could access their home tariff away from their own property, rather than simply relying on a charge point operator to introduce cheaper overnight rates.

Why access matters

Home charging can be substantially cheaper than relying on public infrastructure, particularly when drivers can schedule charging during a domestic tariff’s lower-priced hours.

But access to that option depends on more than owning an electric car. Drivers who cannot install a home charger may have to buy their charging from public networks instead, leaving them unable to benefit from the same household electricity rates.

Fuse identifies people living in flats and rented accommodation as potential beneficiaries of Roaming MPANs. For those drivers, the project’s attraction is straightforward: it could make access to a domestic tariff less dependent on having somewhere to install private charging equipment.

There could also be a benefit for the electricity network. Fuse says encouraging public charging during off-peak periods, typically overnight, could help balance demand. That is an intended benefit of the concept, rather than a measured outcome reported from a completed deployment.

VAT remains a separate question

The source highlights another difference in charging costs: domestic electricity attracts 5% VAT, while public EV charging attracts 20% VAT.

However, the reported funding does not establish that the VAT treatment of public charging will change. Access to a domestic electricity tariff and the tax applied to a public charging transaction should not be treated as the same question.

Although Fuse presents the project as a way to address the financial disadvantage facing drivers without home charging, its article does not set out how VAT would be handled under the proposed arrangements.

Nor does it explain whether drivers would face separate charges for using public infrastructure. Without those details, it is too early to calculate a reliable saving per charging session or promise that a public charge would cost exactly the same as one at home.

What is still unknown

The source does not give a funding amount, a public launch date, participating charge point networks or instructions for drivers to join a trial.

It also does not establish which domestic suppliers or tariffs would be supported, or how drivers would identify themselves and have their charging billed. These are important practical questions before the concept could become a useful everyday service.

For now, motorists should continue to budget using the prices and terms available at the chargers they actually use. A funded development project is a reason to watch for further announcements, not a basis for assuming lower charging bills immediately.

Implications for employers

For employers supporting EV adoption, the project reinforces why access to charging matters alongside the choice of vehicle. Two employees with similar driving needs may face different running costs because one can charge at home and the other cannot.

HR and people teams should keep that distinction visible in employee communications, while avoiding presenting Roaming MPANs as an available benefit. The announcement does not establish a new salary sacrifice arrangement or change the terms of an existing one.

For fleet and procurement teams, the practical approach is to retain current public charging assumptions in cost comparisons until participation, pricing and availability are confirmed. The project offers a potentially useful route towards fairer charging access, but the details will determine what it delivers.