A looped supply is an electricity connection where one service cable from the street feeds your home, then loops on to a neighbour’s, so two or more properties share one supply cable. It matters for an EV charger because the shared cable was sized for ordinary household loads, not a 7 kW charger running for hours. If your home is looped, your distribution network operator (DNO) usually has to separate the supplies — a job called unlooping — before or alongside the charger installation.
Key Takeaways
- A looped supply shares one service cable between two or more homes.
- A 7 kW charger can overload that shared cable, so the DNO usually unloops it first.
- Installers spot the signs at survey; only the DNO can confirm and do the work.
- Timescales and costs come from the DNO’s assessment, not from estimates.
How a Looped Supply Works
On a standard connection, the street cable ends at your cut-out — the sealed unit where the main fuse sits — and your meter and consumer unit take power from there. On a looped supply, the cable carries on from the first property into a second one, and sometimes a third. Each home still has its own meter, fuse and bills — what they share is the cable itself, and its capacity is the limit: a charger drawing around 32 amps for hours, on top of two homes’ evening cooking, heating and showers, can overload a cable never meant to carry it. Looped supplies are most common on older terraced and semi-detached streets, where they were a cheap way to connect rows of houses.
Signs Your Home Might Be Looped
You cannot be certain without a check, but these clues are worth raising at the survey visit described in our wallbox installation guide:
- Two service cables at your cut-out, or one cable entering and another leaving towards next door.
- A cable runs from your meter position across, or through a wall, to the neighbouring property.
- A previous installer or energy company has mentioned a shared supply or a service upgrade.
Only the DNO can confirm it, because it owns the cables up to your cut-out — a good installer spots the signs at the survey, not on fitting day.
What Happens If You Are Looped
The job then splits in two: the DNO handles everything on its side of the cut-out, your installer the charger side. A standard installation assumes a separate supply, so unlooping is extra work arranged around it.
| Situation | What usually happens | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Charger planned, loop suspected | The installer pauses and refers the job to the DNO before fitting | Installer contacts DNO |
| Unlooping needed | A separate service cable is run to one or both homes; a drive or pavement may be dug up | DNO and its contractors |
| Charging wanted sooner | A lower-power setup, or a charger with load limiting, may be agreed as an interim if the DNO accepts it | Installer, with DNO agreement |
| Network work complete | Each home has its own supply and the charger is fitted as normal | Installer |
Timescales and costs vary by network and by the work involved. Take both from your DNO’s own assessment — the installer’s survey findings start that conversation.
What You Can Do Now
- Ask the installer to check for a looped supply at the survey, not on the day of the install.
- Mention the house’s age and style when you book; it changes the installer’s questions.
- Keep any letters the DNO sends; the charger paperwork and the network paperwork reference each other.
- Plan timescales loosely. Network work is scheduled by the DNO, not by your installer.
The charger choice itself barely changes. A portable Type 2 unit such as the EVDANCE EV-ACS3210E (32 A, single-phase, about 7 kW, rated IP66) still needs a suitable socket and the same supply checks — a constrained supply limits every kind of charging, not just wallboxes. Once the supply is separated, a fixed unit like the EV-ACT3204PE wallbox (three-phase, tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app control, IP66) is fitted as normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install a charger on a looped supply without unlooping?
Sometimes, with the DNO’s agreement — for example a lower-power charger, or one that limits its draw when the house is busy. Many installs simply wait for the unlooping. Ask your installer to put the question to the DNO before committing to a fitting date.
Who pays for unlooping?
It depends on the network and the work involved, and arrangements have changed over time. Your DNO confirms what applies when it assesses the job — do not rely on figures quoted by third parties.
How long does unlooping take?
Think in weeks rather than days: the DNO may need to dig and coordinate access with your neighbours, and your installer cannot speed up the network side.
Related Reading
- What Is a Standard EV Charger Installation?
- Wallbox Home Charger Installation Guide 2026
- What Affects EV Charger Installation Cost? 8 Factors to Check
- Single-Phase vs Three-Phase EV Charging: 7kW, 11kW and 22kW Explained
