National Grid platform gives better visibility of network charges

National Grid has announced the launch of clearviewcharge, a new online platform that will provide customers with a clear view of the Distribution use of Service (DUoS) tariffs across all its licence areas.

The new platform will make it easier for customers to review the different charges across the National Grid network and how they vary over different time periods, to help inform their decision-making process on where to connect assets and when to operate them.

This will help organisations installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure to understand the charges they will be required to pay once the project is connected.

National Grid Electricity Distribution has developed the platform across its licence areas in the Midlands, South West England and South Wales. Customers accessing the platform will be able to view the different DUoS tariffs for low voltage and high voltage assets that are already connected or looking to connect to the network. With this information, new and existing customers will be able to see how they can take advantage of cheaper time bands when running their assets.

Customers that are looking to connect new assets to the network will be able to understand the potential impact of DUoS charges on their projects and develop appropriate strategies to run them as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. With the information available for exporting, customers will be able to run detailed modelling for their assets based on the data.

Using the platform, customers can view how much the DUoS tariffs will be across different time bands and provide projections for up to seven years ahead, allowing customers to forward project the financial costs of running their assets.

The new platform was developed with industry engagement, including the EV charging trade body, ChargeUK.

Chris Pateman-Jones, Chairman of ChargeUK commented: “Last year ChargeUK released a report highlighting the importance of earlier communication of the standing charges that EV charging infrastructure projects will be required to pay once connected, to help the charging networks to make more informed investment decisions and to enable the construction of more projects, sooner.
 
“Since that time, ChargeUK has enjoyed fantastic engagement from the most senior levels within the National Grid leadership team, and the release of this tool is a real step forward for the charging industry, and for the electrification of transport going forward.”

Cordi O’Hara, President of National Grid Electricity Distribution commented: “Clearviewcharge is another example of how we are working to provide useful information and data for customers so that they can make informed business decisions. As we accelerate to connect more low carbon technologies to the network which will come with varying high-demand periods, our customers increasingly need to factor in different scenarios of demand to calculate the viability of their assets. This new platform will allow them to operate their assets at the most optimised periods to ensure that the network is running smoothly, as well as cutting costs where possible.

“We are keen to work with the industry as we look to enhance platforms such as this and clearviewconnect, to ensure that our customers have as much data and information to hand as possible to make better decisions.”

The launch of clearviewcharge follows National Grid’s launch of clearviewconnect at the end of 2023, which is providing customers with clearer information on the connections pipeline, helping to speed up the connections process for renewable generation and low carbon technologies.