How to Ensure Our Home Electricity Supplies Can Cope with the Higher Demand

Brief

But with the push towards electric vehicles and ever-increasing interest in ground source and air source heat pumps for domestic use, we are presented with a new challenge — how do we ensure our electricity supplies can cope with the higher demand?

Insight

Single-phase electricity gives us enough power to run all our lights, electronic gadgets, kitchen appliances and (for those without a gas supply) our cooking and heating. For most homeowners, it gives us what we need.

But with the push towards electric vehicles and ever-increasing interest in ground source and air source heat pumps for domestic use, we are presented with a new challenge — how do we ensure our electricity supplies can cope with the higher demand?

Making sure that your whole house is three-phase ready is fast becoming a sensible futureproofing measure. This is where three-phase electricity comes in.

What is Three-Phase Electricity?

Three-phase is, in simple terms, three different electricity supplies, or ‘phases’.Any single-phase equipment you have (anything that runs on 240 volts) will be connected to only one of those supplies. Potential load will be spread across the three phases by balancing appliances against one another so that there aren’t too many connected to any one phase.

For all this to work, you need to make sure that your electricity system is configured correctly and you use products that are compatible.If you’re thinking of moving towards an all-electric home with heat pumps, PV panels and charging an electric car at home, you might want to consider investing in three-phase electricity to futureproof your supply.

Heat Pumps and the Renewable Heat Incentive

Running large heat pumps on single phase electricity can put a strain on your other electrical appliances sharing the same supply.

Thankfully, most manufacturers offer three-phase versions of their heat pumps, but if you’re looking to invest in a heat pump then make sure it is Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified. If it is not MCS-certified, you will not be eligible for any domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) grants.