Daily EV news · UK · 1 November 2026
Grid & Energy
UK zero VAT window for home solar and batteries to close on 1 April 2027, with 5% VAT to follow
Homeowners in the United Kingdom will pay 5% VAT on residential solar panels and batteries once the current zero rate ends on 1 April 2027, according to reporting by The Cool Down citing pv magazine. The change comes with Warm Home Loans, a scheme in which government backs some of the lending risk to help households finance solar, batteries and heat pumps, with guidance published alongside the tax change. The report also notes budget cuts for cleaner home energy.
Why it matters
A dated price change could pull forward household demand for solar and storage, which matters for installers and CPOs selling bundled home charging and energy packages. Government backed finance may ease upfront cost barriers, so it is worth tracking how Warm Home Loans could support those offers.
UK household weighs using a car battery inverter to keep a freezer of lamb running in a long blackout
A UK household asked on Reddit's r/UKPreppers community how to protect a freezer full of lamb, bought whole from a nearby farmer, during a prolonged power outage, as reported by The Cool Down. A commenter suggested running the freezer from the household's existing car battery inverter, though this would need a long extension lead or moving the freezer. The discussion did not establish whether their inverter could safely power the appliance, and another commenter said they had bought a generator to run their freezers periodically.
Why it matters
The story shows ordinary households starting to see vehicle batteries as a backup power source, which is the consumer logic behind vehicle to home and vehicle to load products. For CPOs and installers, it points to potential demand for resilience features, though this anecdote offers no data on safety or uptake.
Policy & Market
UK weighs V2G credits that could let carmakers sell more petrol cars under the ZEV mandate
The UK government is reassessing its zero-emission vehicle rules and ministers are considering incentives for vehicle-to-grid technology, according to The Guardian as relayed by The Cool Down. Under the proposal, manufacturers that fit cars with bidirectional charging would earn credits, which could be used to avoid EV sales-quota penalties when selling additional petrol cars. The technology lets drivers buy electricity cheaply overnight and sell it back to the grid in periods of high demand.
Why it matters
If V2G credits enter the ZEV mandate, carmakers would have a compliance reason to build bidirectional capability into new models, which could lift demand for compatible chargers and V2G-ready hardware and services. CPOs and installers should watch how the credits are defined, as that will shape which charging specifications and grid-service business models get priority.