ESB Energy
ESB Energy is the UK subsidiary of Irish state-owned utility ESB, operating public EV charging, low-carbon business solutions, and renewable generation across Great Britain with 300+ charge points.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What ESB Energy does
ESB Energy Limited is the UK operating arm of the Irish state-owned Electricity Supply Board (ESB), a utility founded in 1927 that has invested in British energy assets since 1992. The company runs a three-pillar business: (1) public electric vehicle charging, operating one of the fastest-growing public rapid-charging networks in Great Britain with over 300 charge points across London, Birmingham, and Coventry, including Ultra-Rapid hubs at up to 300kW launched in 2024; (2) low-carbon business solutions covering lighting, heating and cooling, energy management, battery storage, and EV charging for commercial customers, backed by a £75 million support fund; and (3) renewable and thermal generation, including the 124.5 MW of operational wind capacity at Mynydd y Betws, Fullabrook, and West Durham, plus the Carrington Power Station near Manchester. ESB Energy also operates the first interoperable cross-border public EV charging network on the island of Ireland (1,600+ points) and is integrated into Zap-Pay, Paua, Bonnet, HAVN, and Allstar One Electric for roaming access.
ESB Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESB Energy
- Legal name
- ESB Energy Limited
- Website
- https://esbenergy.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- ESB Energy is the UK subsidiary of Irish state-owned utility ESB, operating public EV charging, low-carbon business solutions, and renewable generation across Great Britain with 300+ charge points.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESB Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public EV Charging & Energy Services
- NAICS
- Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Wind Electric Power Generation (221115), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EV & Fleet Charging Equipment (AC/DC chargers, depot charging systems) (IMAGAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- EV Charging Network Management & Software Services (CPMS, Monitoring, Billing) (TLAKAMAG), Energy Storage Software & Controls (EMS, monitoring, optimization, cybersecurity) (IMAGAHAJ)
Keywords
Where ESB Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
ESB Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- EV Charging Sessions: Usage-based revenue from public EV charging sessions, with rates varying by charger speed (Fast, Rapid, Ultra-Rapid), location (London, Birmingham, Coventry), and payment plan (PAYG, Membership, Taxi).
- Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription fees for membership plans offering discounted per kWh rates and other benefits.
- Business Solutions Services: Low carbon business solutions including lighting, heating & cooling, energy management, battery storage, and EV charging for businesses - with a £75 million support fund for large energy users.
- Energy Generation: Renewable energy generation from wind farms (Mynydd y Betws, Fullabrook, West Durham) and Carrington Power Station.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay As You Go (PAYG) - No monthly fee, pay per kWh |
| Subscription | Monthly | Membership Subscription - £4.99/month with discounted rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Taxi Membership - Free subscription for registered electric taxi drivers |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Contactless Payment - No account required, pay per charge |
| Subscription | Monthly | Hackney Light & Power Plan - Special tariff for Hackney EV permit holders |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
ESB Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESB Energy operates one of the fastest growing public electric vehicle charging networks in Great Britain with over 300 charge points (Fast, Rapid and Ultra-Rapid up to 300kW+) powered by 100% renewable electricity. It also delivers low-carbon business solutions (lighting, heating & cooling, energy management, battery storage, EV charging) supported by a £75 million decarbonisation fund, and operates renewable generation assets including wind farms and Carrington Power Station.
Product overview
ESB Energy is an Irish energy company operating in Britain since 1992, offering a three-pillar product portfolio: Public Electric Vehicle Charging (with rapid and ultra-rapid chargers across London, Birmingham, and Coventry), Business Solutions (energy efficiency services including lighting, heating & cooling, battery storage, and EV charging for commercial customers backed by a £75 million decarbonization fund), and Generation Assets (wind farms and thermal power stations). The company also offers mobile app services through the EV Plug In app and various pricing plans including Membership, PAYG, and Taxi plans. In 2021, ESB Energy merged with So Energy (acquiring 75% stake) to expand its residential energy supply operations, now serving over 300,000 customer accounts under the So Energy brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Public Electric Vehicle Charging Public EV charging network with over 300 charge points across London, Birmingham and Coventry, offering Fast (22kW), Rapid (50kW) and Ultra-Rapid (up to 300kW+) charging standards (CCS, CHAdeMO, Fast AC), powered by 100% renewable electricity, for individual EV drivers, taxi fleets and commercial users.
- Business Solutions End-to-end low-carbon services for UK and Irish organisations including energy audits, lighting upgrades, heating & cooling optimisation, energy management, battery storage, and EV charging installations, supported by a £75 million decarbonisation fund for large energy users.
- Generation Assets Independent power generation in the UK including operational wind farms (Mynydd y Betws 34.5MW, Fullabrook 66MW, West Durham 24MW) and Carrington Power Station, plus proposed wind farm developments (Millmoor Rig, West Torrisdale, Chleansaid, Craigneil).
- EV Plug In Mobile App Proprietary mobile application (iOS and Android) allowing EV drivers to locate charge points, manage their accounts, start/stop charging sessions, view charging history and process payments across the ESB Energy network.
- Hackney Light & Power Plan Specialised residential EV charging tariff delivered in partnership with Hackney City Council, offering discounted day (Rapid £0.66/kWh) and night rates (Rapid £0.42/kWh between 01:00–05:00) for Hackney EV permit holders, with a 1,500 kWh/year fair usage cap.
Companies that use ESB Energy
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ESB Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature2 records
ESB Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Transport for London (TfL)coreESB Energy was selected as a rapid charging provider by TfL in 2017 for London's EV infrastructure. Partnership involves deployment of rapid chargers across London, with over 50 chargers installed in initial phases, mixture of dedicated Taxi and Public sites.
- Birmingham City CouncilcoreMajor partnership for deployment of 394 fast and rapid charge points (almost 200 chargers) across Birmingham over 2 years, as part of Birmingham's 12-year EV strategy and Route to Zero Action Plan. Chargers powered by 100% renewable energy.
- Coventry City CouncilcorePartnership with Coventry City Council and Siemens for installation and operation of 39 rapid charging points across Coventry city, supporting electrification of taxi fleet and public EV adoption.
- LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company)corePartnership supporting the Go Electric Taxi scheme in Coventry. LEVC manufactures electric taxis at their £325m Coventry factory. ESB provides charging infrastructure for the electric taxi fleet.
- SiemenscoreJoint partnership with Coventry City Council where Siemens supplies and maintains multi-standard rapid charging units. ESB and Siemens won contract to provide rapid charging infrastructure for all EV drivers in Coventry.
- Zap-Map / Zap-PaycoreESB Energy joined Zap-Pay, enabling EV drivers to use a single app to search, plan and pay for charging across different networks. Partnership helps accelerate EV adoption by simplifying payment across charge point providers.
- Allstar Business SolutionsminorPartnership to accept Allstar One Electric card for EV charging payments. Supports fleet managers transitioning to electric or hybrid company vehicles with combined fuel card access.
- TescominorPartnership for EV charger rollout at Tesco retail locations, bringing charging infrastructure to high-traffic retail destinations.
- ZipcarminorPartnership with Zipcar for EV charging access at ESB charge points, supporting Zipcar's electric vehicle fleet operations.
- Plug In CoventryminorPartnership supporting Coventry's EV charging ecosystem and taxi electrification initiatives.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ESB Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Hubject: Provider of EV charging interoperability and roaming software (OCPI platform). Comparable to ESB Energy's OCPI-backed roaming strategy and the network-side interoperability positioning.
Direct peers
- GeniePoint (ChargePoint Services): UK operator of a public rapid and fast EV charging network with extensive local authority contracts. Direct competitor to ESB Energy in regional UK markets and on council partnerships.
- Gridserve: Operator of UK EV charging hubs (Electric Forecourts) and sustainable energy solutions, with similar focus on ultra-rapid charging and renewable-powered infrastructure. Competitive overlap with ESB Energy's charging and business solutions offerings.
- InstaVolt: UK-leading rapid and ultra-rapid public EV charging network with a strong focus on contactless payment and premium-site locations. Competes head-to-head with ESB Energy on rapid charging economics and council partnerships.
- Pod Point: UK EV charging provider majority-owned by EDF, offering home, workplace, and public chargers. Direct competitor across ESB Energy's home, business, and public charging segments with strong brand recognition.
- BP Pulse: BP's UK public EV charging arm, one of the largest networks in the country with rapid and ultra-rapid chargers nationally. Direct competitor to ESB Energy in London and across the UK, with substantially greater capital backing from oil-major parent.
- Osprey Charging: UK-wide rapid EV charging network operator focused on ultra-rapid hub deployment. Competes with ESB Energy on network density, site selection, and rapid charging speeds (up to 300kW).
Broad incumbents
- Shell Recharge: Shell's UK EV charging network, part of a broader global energy major offering forecourt charging, home, and workplace solutions. Overlaps with ESB Energy on public rapid charging but benefits from substantial capital and global brand.
Regional players
- Fastned: European ultra-rapid EV charging network with growing UK presence. Comparable to ESB Energy's ultra-rapid hub rollout strategy but with stronger pan-European footprint.
Emerging players
- Char.gy: UK provider of on-street and public EV charging focused on residential spaces and urban infrastructure. Partially overlaps with ESB Energy's council-driven public charging deployments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ESB Energy social profiles
Digital presenceESB Energy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
ESB Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESB Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
ESB Energy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ESB Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESB Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ESB Energy
What does ESB Energy do?
ESB Energy operates one of the fastest growing public electric vehicle charging networks in Great Britain with over 300 charge points (Fast, Rapid and Ultra-Rapid up to 300kW+) powered by 100% renewable electricity. It also delivers low-carbon business solutions (lighting, heating & cooling, energy management, battery storage, EV charging) supported by a £75 million decarbonisation fund, and operates renewable generation assets including wind farms and Carrington Power Station.
Is ESB Energy a public or private company?
ESB Energy is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was ESB Energy founded?
ESB Energy was founded in 1992. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is ESB Energy based?
ESB Energy is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ESB Energy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. EV Charging Sessions are the primary driver. The others are subscription Plans, business Solutions Services and energy Generation.
Who are ESB Energy's main competitors?
Hubject is listed as an others. Direct peers are GeniePoint (ChargePoint Services), Gridserve, InstaVolt, Pod Point, BP Pulse and Osprey Charging. Shell Recharge is listed as a broad incumbent. Fastned is listed as a regional player. Char.gy is listed as an emerging player.
Does ESB Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESB Energy.
What industry is ESB Energy in?
ESB Energy's product category is Public EV Charging & Energy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAHAF, EV & Fleet Charging Equipment (AC/DC chargers, depot charging systems), with a secondary code of TLAKAMAG, EV Charging Network Management & Software Services (CPMS, Monitoring, Billing). Its NAICS code is 2211 and its SIC code is 4911.