Electrical systems for professionals
Looking for an off-grid electrical system for your business?
designed for professionals
off-grid electrics*
GBEA Awards 22 & 23
We have designed systems for all sorts of businesses – mobile hotels, coffee vans and even beauty salons ✨
Power up your business
We have designed and supplied hundreds of businesses with off-grid power to take epic ventures to new customers and locations. These business generally fall into one of two categories…
Professional van converters 🚐
The bespoke van conversion market has exploded in the past few years. Thousands of people have switched trades or learnt new skills to plug the demand for bespoke campervans from people who don’t have the skills or time to do it themselves. Thankfully, the vast majority of a van conversion is a practical balance of designing and building. However, when it comes to the electrical system, for many this specialist and potentially dangerous area of the conversion demands expert help.
As a business we have seen a substantial influx of people having to tear out dodgy electrical systems from brand new conversions. Regrettably, many of these cases result in legal action against unscrupulous van converters who have fitted systems not fit-for-purpose or with dangerous design or specification oversights.
Why use Nohma?
Without help, 99.4% of people will get their electrical system wrong†. Our clever software uses 200+ calculations & parameters to design your system, so you can leave the electrics to the experts.
†Results from our Nohma electrical system survey. Discover more.
This is one of many reasons why so many professional van converters work with Nohma to ensure the systems they install in their builds are safe and meet the needs of the end user. We also offer special rates for professional van converters so the help of our nerdy team of engineers doesn’t need to eat into your profit.
Electrical Installation Condition Reports
All of our systems are designed to make your Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) test a breeze. Our systems are fully complaint with these requirements and the systems are designed by engineers qualified in BS 7671 and with extensive engineering experience. It’s important to remember that the EICR test simply assesses the robustness and physical installation of a system, but does not interrogate the specification and design of the system. This can mean that poorly conceived or even dangerous systems get signed off, only for these problems to arise once the vehicles in the customers hands.
Attention van converters: If you don’t have a thorough understanding of off-grid electrics and at the very least be qualified in BS 7671, you should seek Nohma’s experise to specify, design and support with the installation of your electrical systems. Electrical systems on face value may seem simple, but they are not!
Customer story 👷
Bear Hug Campers – beautifully crafted vans
Campervans designed to look and feel like they’ve been designed by an interior designer, and made by a professional carpenter. Mission accomplished!
Tell us about your business
I started Bear Hug Campers (@bearhugcampers on Instagram) because I’m a jack of all trades – with previous jobs in design, events, motorbike building and photography. I always thought this wasn’t very focused, but with campervan building, it’s really useful to pull from all that experience. One day I’m a plumber, the next a metalworker, and then a cabinet maker. I roped in my partner who has a passion for interior design and is a really skilled graphic designer, and my dad who is a retired carpenter and seems to know everything there is to know about wood. Both their levels of quality control are next level, and we’re all learning off each other all the time.
When it comes to electrical systems, don’t mess about, get a specialist on the case. The internet tells you ten ways to do something but these guys know their stuff and do it right!
John Stuckey, Bear Hug Campers
Mobile businesses 🚚
The thought of ‘mobile businesses’ conjures images of ice cream vans and even flower trucks, but the advancement of off-grid renewable energy has created new possibilities for businesses to take their venture on the road and offer a unique experience for their customers. These systems enable entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts to operate more sustainably and efficiently, without the noise and pollution from a generator stealing their thunder.
Now the only limit for mobile businesses is your imagination. Kiss goodbye to the high street and expensive business rates and embrace the freedom to deliver your service wherever it’s in demand! Still struggling for ideas? Let’s take a look at what some of our customers have created.
Food trucks and coffee vans ☕︎
Taking your culinary creations on the road needn’t be complicated or expensive. Often, the largest power draw is refrigeration; however, with efficient models and a carefully optimised recharging strategy, the barriers to taking your food to the people are low. If you are looking to ditch the gas hob and switch to induction, this does become more challenging due to the high power consumption of induction hobs. However, it’s entirely possible.
The challenge for coffee vans is similar to that of vehicles looking to power an induction hob. The power requirements of commercial coffee machines can range from 3,000 to 6,000 watts or more, depending on the number of group heads and additional features such as built-in grinders or hot water spouts. This challenge is further exacerbated by long run times and typically relatively small roof space for solar panels. Thankfully, our team not only loves coffee but also has various solutions to this predicament, depending on your situation.
Mobile health and wellness 🧖🏼♀️
Imagine rolling up to a festival with a mobile sauna or yoga studio, you’ll be a guaranteed success! One of our customers Annabelle Tripp even built a mobile beauty salon to offer remote treatments. You can read more about Annabelle’s story here.
Customer story 💅
The Travelling Retreat – mobile beauty salon
Designed to deliver relaxation and elegance right to your doorstep, this mobile beauty salon comes fully equipped with all the luxuries you’d find in a high-end salon.
Tell us about your conversion
My van is called Meadow and the business is called The Travelling Retreat (@the_travelling_retreat on Instagram). I recently converted the van into a mobile beauty salon where I offer a range of beauty and holistic treatments. My aim is to make it easier for people to have ‘me time’ and to prioritise self care, which is so important in the fast paced environment that we all live in nowadays. Combining the convenience of being mobile with the luxury of a salon means clients can feel like they’ve had that important escape right on their doorstep. I’m really passionate about general wellness and encouraging people to improve their wellbeing and mindfulness.
I’m so grateful for all your help. My new little business wouldn’t have been possible without you guys. I can’t thank you enough!
Annabelle Tripp, The Travelling Retreat
Trade vans and mobile workshops 🔨
Off-grid electrical systems can transform a trade van and provide a reliable place to recharging your power tools or even provide welcome heating and cooling when the conditions don’t play ball. These appliances are typically high wattage and use motors and inductive loads which can complicate the design of an electrical system due to a phenomenon called power factor. Understanding and managing the power factor is crucial in electrical systems, especially in industrial settings where inductive loads are prevalent, to ensure efficient operation and minimise system cost. So if your looking to power anything on the list below and you don’t have a good understanding of power factor and the difference between watts and volt-amps, we would strong advise using our electrical design service to ensure your system functions safely and efficiently.
- Electric Motors: Found in a wide range of appliances like washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, air conditioners, and fans.
- Transformers: Used in various electronic devices for voltage regulation.
- Induction Cooktops: Use magnetic fields to heat cookware directly.
- Fluorescent Lighting: Contains ballasts which are inductive.
- Pumps: Such as those in heating systems or pressure washers
- Power Tools: Drills, saws, and other tools with electric motors.
- HVAC Systems: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units often have large motors and compressors.
- Compressors: Used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
- Solenoids: Electromagnetic coils used in various applications, like in automotive starters or valves in irrigation systems.
- Inductors: Present in many electronic circuits and power supplies.
Mobile retail stores 🛍
Mobile Retail Stores are rapidly transforming the landscape of event and festival commerce by harnessing the power of off-grid systems. These innovative pop-up stores, freed from the constraints of fixed electrical infrastructure, use renewable energy sources like solar panels to power their operations. This sustainable approach not only reduces their environmental footprint but also enhances their flexibility and reach. Equipped with off-grid power, these mobile boutiques can set up virtually anywhere, from bustling music festivals to local community events, offering a unique shopping experience.
These mobile retain stores are also typically only require relatively low power draw appliances to add some sparkle and convince to the store, so don’t cost too much to add into your mobile shopping experience.
Mobile hair salon or barber shop 💇🏼♀
A rolling hair salon or barber shop could be great way to reach new customers and escape expensive rent. Just imagine the signage ‘The Roaming Comb’ or even the ‘Clipper Caravan’ (these are on us if you want to use them 😂). Now that we have the name for your business sorted its time to turn our attention to powering those hair dryers and straighteners. These appliances are notoriously difficult to design electrical systems for because they often draw a significantly higher wattage whilst heating up than advertised. Thankfully our nerdy team has conducted lots of testing to understand this and account for it in the design of your electrical system.
Off-grid accommodation 🛏️
We’ve designed systems for off-grid cabins, dreamy AirBnB’s and even hotels on wheels! If getting the electrics in your own campervan is important, try adding paying customers to the mix and guaranteeing access to essential power and even creature comforts is the difference between the all important 5 star glowing review and grumpy customers.
Customer story ⛰️
Off The Beaten Path – hotel on wheels
Ever fancied exploring remote parts of Scandinavia but can’t face camping? Heres the answer, a beautifully crafted hotel on wheels, driven by expert mountain guides.
Tell us about your hotel on wheels
We are Jonas, Lore and Kyra (dog), and we run Off The Beaten Path (@offthebeatenpath.be on Instagram), our hotel on wheels. We had been dreaming about this project for 5 years! After having a good taste of vanlife with our own camper, it was time to share our experience and love for being on the road with others.
We found our bus at a Belgian trade market – it’s a former French school bus. The bus is a 12m long IVECO Crossway 2007, and it took us 12 months in total to convert it into a hotel on wheels.
Not only was it super useful to have the system design, but the best part for us is the after sales support. We can still rely on Nohma if we have any questions about our electrical system!
Jonas & Lore, Off The Beaten Path
Work and entertainment space 🧑🏾💻
If a hotel on wheels is possible, why not an office on wheels, or even a pottery studio? If this sounds like a lot of hard work, why not kick back in a mobile gaming station! We recently helped a customer convert a vehicle to bring a professional standard gaming to events. Featuring eight stations, with high definition screens and an immersive environment it offers an unparalleled gaming experience. All of this functionality however comes at the cost of very high power usage, however thanks to a 48V system and clever recharging strategy our team of engineers created a truly bespoke system to make it all possible without breaking the bank. Keep your eyes out for another customer story here soon!