If you run a holiday let, you’ve probably noticed more guests turning up in electric vehicles. Offering a place to plug in is a brilliant way to stand out, but when it comes to picking an electricity plan, there is a bit of a trap that’s easy to fall into.

You might have seen "Smart EV Tariffs" from big suppliers like E.ON or Octopus. They look tempting because they offer super-cheap electricity at certain times of the night. However, while these are fantastic for your own car at home, they can be a bit of a nightmare for a holiday business.

Here is why those "smart" home tariffs and a professional guest charging setup don’t really mix.

1. You can’t have two bosses

Think of your EV charger like a TV. It can only be controlled by one remote at a time.

To give you those cheap rates, an energy supplier needs to take total control of your charger under the Electric Vehicle (Smart Charge Points) Regulations, so they can decide when it’s the best time to gulp down electricity. But if you want to use a professional system like voltshare to let guests pay for their own power, that system needs to be the one in control.

You can’t have both. It’s a bit like trying to have two different sat-navs giving you directions at the same time—the charger simply gets confused and won't work properly.

2. The "Free Electricity" problem

If you decide to go with a domestic smart tariff, you usually have to set your charger to "Free Vend." This is exactly what it sounds like: anyone who plugs in gets your electricity for free.

As a business owner, that’s probably not what you want. Without a professional system in place, there’s no way to automatically bill the guest for what they’ve used. You’d be stuck trying to guess how much they owe you or, worse, paying for their entire trip yourself!

3. The "Waiting Game" for guests

Smart tariffs are designed to be slow and steady. To save you money, the energy supplier will often "throttle" the power, pausing the charge or slowing it to a crawl until the middle of the night.

For a guest who has just arrived after a long drive and wants to head out to a local pub or a nearby attraction, this is a disaster. On a smart tariff, a full charge can take over 24 hours. Your guests expect to plug in and see results, not wait a day for their car to be ready.

4. Too much "faff" for you

If you use a home-style smart tariff for your cottage, you’ll likely have to manage everything through a personal app on your phone. Every time a guest plugs in, you might get a notification asking you to "authorise" the session.

Do you really want to be checking your phone and clicking buttons while you’re trying to enjoy your own weekend, just so your guests can get a bit of power?

The better way: A system built for the job

Our chargers and the software behind them are built specifically for hospitality. Instead of worrying about "smart" timing and complicated apps, you get a system that just works:

Guests pay, you get the money: Everything is handled automatically. No awkward conversations about electricity bills.

Full speed ahead: Guests get a reliable, fast charge so they can get on with their holiday.

Total peace of mind: You don’t have to lift a finger. The system looks after itself.

The bottom line? Smart tariffs are great for your own driveway, but for the holiday cottage industry, a professional commercial setup is the only way to keep things simple, fair, and stress-free.

Want to chat about the best way to set up EV charging for your guests? Drop us a message, we’re here to help!