Costs & How we set our prices.
Timetable for reviewing rates
East Lothian Council reviews its rates continually. We procure our energy via a Scottish Government brokered framework that allows us to pay fixed prices each financial year (starting 1st April). These framework prices are commercially sensitive and any EIR/FOI requests should be directed to the Scottish Government. Further publicly accessible information on the framework is available here.
As ELC’s On-Street and Destination rates are already as low as reasonably practicable these rates won’t change before 1 April 2026.
However, if commercial Journey Charger operators active in East Lothian change their prices the council may follow suit. However, it must be understood that the revenue generated by Journey Chargers offsets the cost of operating less commercially viable On-Street and Destination chargers at rates close to domestic energy prices.
About our energy costs
Our costs are based on a mix of energy and non-energy elements.
Energy-related bills include the per kWh energy price plus the following additional elements:
- per kWh Climate Change Levy
- annual Standing Charges
- annual Site Fees
- annual Metering Charges
- monthly Meter Operator Charges
- Transmission Network Operator Charges
- Distribution Network Operator Chargers
- Capacity Charges for our c. 250kVA connection at Wallyford Park and Choose that supplies our Journey chargers
- VAT
In addition, non-energy related bills include:
- planned maintenance costs as our chargers age and exceed their initially grant funded capitalised servicing & maintenance cover (typically 3-5 years)
- non-warranty reactive maintenance costs such as accidental damage and vandalism
- replacement of chargers at the end of their useful lives (expected to be 8-10 years)
- SIM cards
- fees we pay our Chargepoint Network Operators, such as Fuuse, to cover first line customer service and handling payments
External funding situation
In the past East Lothian Council has secured grant funding from Transport Scotland and OZEV to purchase chargers. This grant funding often allowed the council to capitalise and re-claim the cost of warranty and maintenance agreements for typically between 3 and 5 years. Most of these chargers are now out of warranty and maintenance cover and the cost of maintaining them is significant.
The council is currently transitioning from being solely reliant on such grants and immediate revenue generated from chargers to fund the operation & maintenance of its network and are exploring alternative business models, including working with commercial partners to expand the network of On-Street and Destination chargers in East Lotian. For more info see here.