A utility make-ready program is a scheme run by an electric utility that pays for, or carries out, part of the electrical work a site needs before chargers can be installed. That can mean the utility-side infrastructure — service line, transformer and meter work — and sometimes part of the customer-side work. The chargers themselves are never part of it: they remain the site owner’s purchase. What any one program covers is defined in that utility’s own documents, and programs differ widely.
Key Takeaways
- A utility make-ready program funds or builds part of a charging site’s infrastructure — never the chargers.
- The defining question is the split: what the program covers on the utility side of the meter, and what stays with the host.
- Programs are local and changeable; eligibility, deadlines and pre-approval rules live in the utility’s current documents.
Why Programs Exist: The Work Before the Charger
“Make-ready” means the work that gets power to the point where a charger will stand: confirming service capacity, panel work, conduit, trenching, cabling and bases. It is the site-specific half of a project — the half that makes EV charger installation expensive. U.S. DOE-cited figures show the shape of it: public Level 2 runs about $3,500 in equipment and $2,500 in installation per connector; DC fast charging runs about $38,000–$90,000 plus $20,000–$60,000. Utilities run these programs because the grid side of that work is theirs to build.
The Defining Split: Utility Side vs Customer Side
Every program draws the same line, at the meter — and which side it funds is the most important sentence in its documents.
| Part of the project | What it includes | Under a typical program | Without a program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility side | Service line, transformer work, the revenue meter and the connection itself | Often designed, built and funded by the utility | The site applies and pays or waits under normal connection rules |
| Customer side | Panel work, conduit, trenching, cabling and bases, from the meter to the bays | Usually the host’s cost; some programs rebate part of it | The host’s cost, quoted by a licensed electrician |
| The chargers | The units, their mounting, network setup and commissioning | Not covered — this is the host’s or operator’s purchase | Not covered |
Read the split before anything else in an offer. Two programs with similar names can fund opposite halves of the same project, and a budget built on the wrong assumption fails at the first invoice. The factors that move installation quotes still apply to the customer-side half.
How a Host Uses a Program
- Find out whether your utility runs one. Search the DSIRE database of state incentives and your utility’s own site, and work from the current documents — programs open, close and change.
- Check eligibility before designing. Programs set their own conditions — site type, charger class, port counts, deadlines. The program text, not a salesperson, states them.
- Apply before work starts. Many programs require approval in advance and will not fund work already done. Treat pre-approval as a project step, alongside the permits in our guide to charging station licenses and approvals.
- Let each side build its half. The utility designs and schedules its side; your licensed electrician quotes and builds the customer side. Plan the two schedules together.
- Keep the paperwork separate. Invoice make-ready work separately from hardware, so each part can be claimed or audited under its own rules.
The Hardware a Program Does Not Buy
Once the supply is ready, the charging hardware is the host’s choice and the host’s purchase. For shared bays, the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station serves two cars from one post — two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared (22 kW per connector), OCPP 1.6J, RFID and IP54, with a 7-inch touchscreen display. For wall-mounted bays, the EV-ACT3204PE is a 22 kW three-phase wallbox (tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app, IP66, CE) — see our commercial charging page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a make-ready program the same as a rebate?
No. A rebate repays part of a cost after you have spent it. A make-ready program funds or builds infrastructure — usually the utility side — under its own conditions. Some utilities offer both; each has its own documents and deadlines.
Does a make-ready program pay for the chargers?
No. Make-ready ends where the charger begins. The units, mounting and commissioning are the host’s or operator’s purchase, whether or not a program funded the infrastructure behind them.
Where do I find my utility’s program and its current terms?
Start with the DSIRE database and the utility’s own website, then read the current terms in full. Coverage, eligibility and deadlines are the utility’s to set and change — confirm them in writing before committing a budget.
Related Reading
- How Much Does It Cost to Install a Commercial EV Charging Station?
- What Affects EV Charger Installation Cost? 8 Factors to Check
- How to Get an EV Charging Station License: Permits and Approvals
