Electric vehicle charger installations are growing rapidly across the UK, from single home chargers to large commercial forecourts and fleet depots. Before any cable is laid or ground is broken, a utility search is one of the most important steps you can take — and one that is frequently overlooked until something goes seriously wrong.
Why EV installations create underground risk
Installing an EV charger almost always involves some form of groundwork. Whether it is a short cable trench from a consumer unit to a driveway charging post, or a complex distribution network across a large car park, the moment a spade or cable plough enters the ground there is potential for a strike on existing buried services.
Underground cables, gas mains, water pipes, telecoms ducts, and drainage runs rarely follow neat, predictable routes. They reflect decades of incremental installation, diversion, and abandonment. What appears on a site plan may not reflect where services actually run today. A utility search cross-references responses from all relevant asset owners and gives you the best available picture of what is underground before work begins.
Commercial EV installations
Commercial EV charging projects — retail car parks, office developments, fleet depots, logistics hubs, hospitality venues, and housing developments — typically involve a significant number of charge points and a corresponding increase in electrical demand. The groundwork scope is larger, the cable routes are longer, and the risk of encountering existing services is higher.
What a utility search covers for commercial sites
- High voltage and low voltage electricity cables — critical to establish before new cable routes are planned, especially where DNO diversions or reinforcement may be needed
- Gas mains and service pipes — often present in car parks and service yards that have been in use for many years
- Water mains and drainage — relevant where trenching crosses hard standings, footpaths, or landscaped areas
- Telecoms and fibre ducts — frequently unmarked and often routed across car parks serving adjacent buildings
- Street lighting and traffic signal cables — relevant for on-street or highway-adjacent installations
DNO applications and network capacity
Large commercial EV installations commonly require a new or upgraded connection from the Distribution Network Operator. Before submitting a DNO connection application, understanding the location and depth of existing HV and LV assets helps your electrical contractor and DNO design a viable route with minimal conflict. A utility search at this stage can reduce design iterations and avoid costly surprises during construction.
Planning and building regulations
Commercial EV installations above a certain threshold require planning permission and must comply with Part S of the Building Regulations (electric vehicle charge points). Demonstrating that groundworks have been properly planned, including identification of underground services, supports a more straightforward planning and building control process.
Domestic EV installations
A home EV charger might seem straightforward — a short cable run from the consumer unit to a charge point on the driveway or garage wall. But even a modest cable trench of a few metres can cross buried services that are not obvious from the surface.
Common underground hazards at domestic properties
- Service laterals — the individual supply pipes and cables that run from the footway to your property are rarely shown on standard drawings and can follow unexpected routes
- Shared drainage — older properties often have combined or shared drainage runs crossing driveways and front gardens
- Abandoned services — old gas, water, or electricity services that are no longer active but still physically present underground
- Telecoms and broadband cables — often shallow and easily damaged during minor groundworks
Do I really need a utility search for a home charger?
For most straightforward domestic installations where cabling remains inside the property or is clipped to a surface, a full utility search may not be required. However, if your installation involves any groundwork — a trench across a driveway, garden, or path — then understanding what is buried is important. A basic utility pack from Digsure is fast, affordable, and provides the asset owner responses that a competent electrician or NICEIC-registered installer needs to plan a safe route.
| Installation type | Groundwork involved? | Utility search recommended? |
|---|---|---|
| Home charger, cable inside property only | No | Not usually required |
| Home charger, short external trench across driveway | Yes | Yes — Basic Utility Pack |
| Commercial car park, multiple charge points | Yes | Yes — Comprehensive Search + CAD Drawing |
| Fleet depot or logistics site | Yes — extensive | Yes — Comprehensive Search + CAD Drawing |
| On-street or highway-adjacent installation | Yes | Yes — Comprehensive Search required |
What Digsure provides for EV projects
Digsure can supply utility search packs and CAD drawings specifically tailored to EV installation projects of any scale. Our searches are ordered online in minutes — draw your site boundary, select your service, and our team contacts the relevant asset owners on your behalf.
- Basic Utility Pack — ideal for smaller domestic or light commercial installations, consolidates all relevant asset owner responses into a single clear PDF
- Comprehensive Utility Search — covers a wider range of asset owners and providers, suited to larger or more complex sites
- CAD Utility Drawing — georeferenced layers in DGN, DXF, or DWG showing known utility positions, ready to overlay on your design drawings for cable route planning
- 24 Hour Turnaround — available when your programme is time-critical and you cannot wait for standard delivery
How to order
- Go to quote.digsure.co.uk and create a free account
- Draw your site boundary on the map, or upload a KML or GeoJSON file
- Select Basic, Comprehensive, or add a CAD Drawing depending on your project needs
- Add turnaround preference and any supporting notes or site plans
- Submit and track your order from your account — download your pack when complete
Frequently asked questions
How long does a utility search take for an EV project?
Standard turnaround is typically five to ten working days depending on asset owner response times. Our 24 hour service is available for urgent requests where a faster response is needed to keep your installation programme on track.
Will the search show me exactly where cables are?
A utility search gives you the best available records from asset owners. It does not replace on-site cable avoidance tool (CAT) scanning or ground penetrating radar, which should always be used immediately before excavation. The search and the site sweep together give you the most complete picture.
Can I order a search for a residential street or multiple properties?
Yes. You can draw a boundary covering a single property or an entire street. If you are an installer working across multiple sites, you can manage all searches from one account and place repeat orders quickly using saved boundaries.
Do I need a utility search before submitting a DNO application?
It is strongly recommended. Understanding existing HV and LV cable routes before engaging your DNO means your electrical designer can propose a connection route that avoids conflicts, reducing the chance of costly redesigns once the DNO carries out their own assessment.