Most cook on gas (LPG) – griddle, fryer and often the water heater – and use electricity for fridges, lights, extraction, the water pump and the card reader. All-electric vans exist, but they need a much bigger power supply.
Power and gas for your food van: what you actually need
"What power do you need?" It's one of the first things customers and organisers ask. And power is what most often goes wrong on the day: a breaker that trips in the middle of service, or a plug that doesn't fit the socket on site.
In the UK, the answer usually starts with gas. Most food vans and catering trailers cook on LPG – the griddle, the fryer and often the water heater – and only use electricity for the small things. That is why many can run off an ordinary 13 A socket. You don't need to be an electrician to get this right. You just need to know four things.
Always check the current rules
This article is a starting point. It doesn't replace the official sources, a Gas Safe registered engineer or a qualified electrician:
- Gas Safe Register – Commercial catering
- HSE – Gas safety in catering and hospitality
- HSE – Electrical safety at events
Last checked: 5 November 2026
In short: four steps
Find out what runs on gas and what runs on electricity. Add up the electric appliances.
Find the plug that can supply it. The more power, the bigger the plug.
Keep your gas safe and certified. Organisers will ask to see the certificate.
Tell the customer before you say yes. Then they can check the power is there.
Step 1: What runs on gas, and what runs on electricity?
On most UK food vans, the cooking is done on gas, and the electricity runs everything else:
Usually gas (LPG): griddle, fryer, range or burners, and often the water heater. Pizza ovens are usually gas or wood-fired.
Usually electricity: fridges and freezers, lights, extraction, water pump, card reader, and charging phones and tills.
Either: bain-marie and hot cupboard, and coffee machines. Many mobile coffee vans use a dual-fuel espresso machine that heats on LPG and only needs a little electricity for the pump and controls.
To find out how much electricity your van uses, look at the small label on each appliance, the rating plate, usually on the back or underneath. It tells you how much power the appliance uses, in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). 1 kW is 1,000 W. Add up everything that runs on electricity, and you have your van's power needs.
If you don't have the rating plate to hand, the table gives a rough idea of what the appliance uses if it's electric:
| Appliance | Usually runs on | If electric, uses about |
|---|---|---|
| Griddle | Gas | 2.5–6 kW |
| Fryer | Gas | 3 kW per tank (13 A plug) to 6 kW |
| Pizza oven | Gas or wood | 2 kW (small) to 13 kW (large) |
| Espresso machine | Electricity, or LPG on a dual-fuel machine | 3 kW |
| Water heater | Gas or electricity | 1–2 kW |
| Bain-marie or hot cupboard | Gas or electricity | 1–1.5 kW |
| Fridge or freezer | Electricity | 0.5 kW |
| Lights, extraction, water pump and card reader | Electricity | under 0.5 kW in total |
Finally, add 25% on top as a safety margin. The number on the rating plate is what the appliance uses while it's running. But fridges, freezers and extraction fans draw extra for a moment every time the motor starts, and that's often when the breaker trips. The margin also leaves room for things you hadn't counted on, like an extra lamp or charging.
Two examples:
A burger van that cooks on gas: two fridges (2 × 0.5 kW) plus lights, extraction, water pump and card reader (0.5 kW) = 1.5 kW. With 25% on top: about 1.9 kW. An ordinary 13 A socket can handle that.
The same van with an electric griddle and twin-tank fryer: 6 kW + 2 × 3 kW + 1.5 kW = 13.5 kW. With 25% on top: about 16.9 kW. That needs a red 32 A three-phase supply or a big generator.
Tip: Make it easy for the customer to say yes
The easiest van to book is one that can manage on an ordinary 13 A socket. Then it can stand almost anywhere – in a garden, outside a village hall or at a workplace – without the customer having to find a commando socket or hire a generator. That's the main reason so many UK traders cook on gas.
Try it yourself with the power calculator. Enter all your appliances and choose whether they run on electricity or gas:
Power calculator
Enter the watts from the rating plate for appliances that run on electricity (1 kW is 1,000 W). Gas appliances don't need a number. The rows marked "Example" show how it works – swap them for your own kit.
Example
Example
Example
Example
3,700 W
Everything electric on at once
4,625 W
With 25% on top – what you need
4.7 kW
Generator: at least this big
Which plug can handle it?
Ordinary 13 A plug
Up to about 3,000 W
Blue 16 A commando
Up to about 3,680 W
Blue 32 A commando
Up to about 7,360 W
Red 16 A three-phase
Up to about 11,000 W
On electricity: Fryer, Fridge and Lights and card reader. On gas: Griddle.
How to bring your power use down
Adding up all your appliances gives you the worst case: everything electric, all at full power at the same time. Here's how to bring it down:
Cook on gas where you can. If the griddle, fryer and water heater run on LPG, the electricity only goes on chilling, lights, extraction, the pump and the card reader. That's typically under 2 kW, which an ordinary 13 A socket can handle.
Let the thermostat do the work. Electric fryers and griddles use full power while they heat up. Once they're hot, the thermostat switches the heat on and off, so on average they use much less than the rating plate says.
Switch appliances on one at a time. The peak is then far lower than if everything starts at once.
Don't buy bigger electric appliances than you need. A smaller fryer or griddle may be enough for most private parties.
Run the small things on 12 V. Many vans run lights and the water pump from a leisure battery, so they keep working even without a hook-up.
The number you need to stay under is what runs on electricity at the same time while everything is heating up. That's what the breaker has to cope with.
Step 2: Which plug do you need?
Think of the plug as a hosepipe: the bigger the hose, the more water gets through. An ordinary 13 A socket is a garden hose. A red three-phase commando plug is a fire hose.
| Plug | Can supply about | Typically enough for |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary 13 A plug (230 V, 3 square pins) | 3,000 W | A van that cooks on gas: fridges, lights, extraction, pump and card reader. Or a coffee van. Not an electric fryer and griddle at the same time |
| Blue 16 A commando (230 V, 3 round pins) | 3,680 W | A gas van with extra fridges or an espresso machine, or one electric fryer plus a little chilling |
| Blue 32 A commando (230 V, 3 round pins) | 7,360 W | One electric griddle or fryer plus fridges, lights and extraction |
| Red 16 A three-phase (400 V, 5 pins) | 11,000 W | An electric griddle, a small electric fryer and chilling |
| Red 32 A three-phase (400 V, 5 pins) | 22,000 W | An all-electric burger van with a big fryer, or electric pizza ovens |
Rule of thumb: The colour tells you the voltage (blue is ordinary single-phase power, red is three-phase), and the number of pins tells you the same thing again: 3 pins is single-phase, 5 pins is three-phase. The amps (16 A or 32 A) are written on the plug.
At festivals and shows in the UK, traders are usually offered a blue 16 A or 32 A commando supply. Some organisers include a 16 A supply in the pitch fee and charge extra for 32 A, and some sell power by the kilowatt. At private parties, the customer usually only has ordinary 13 A sockets.
This is what the plugs look like on the cable from your van:
Ordinary 13 A plug
230 V, 3 square pins. Fits an ordinary UK socket.
Blue commando, 3 pins
230 V, single-phase. Comes as 16 A and 32 A.
Red three-phase, 5 pins
400 V, three-phase. Comes as 16 A and 32 A.
It's the socket on site that decides how much power you can get. If the customer only has an ordinary socket and you need a red plug, you'll need another solution, such as a generator, or moving more of your cooking onto gas.
Step 3: Keep your gas safe and certified
LPG is the norm in UK mobile catering, and it comes with clear rules. Organisers, councils and insurers will usually ask to see your gas safety certificate before you trade.
Who may work on the gas?
All gas work on a food van or catering trailer must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is qualified for commercial mobile catering on LPG, and for the type of appliance, for example LPG range cookers (Gas Safe Register).
Ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe ID card. The back of the card lists what they are qualified to do, and you can check the engineer online. A domestic gas engineer is not enough.
How often must it be checked?
LPG catering equipment must be inspected and tested by a qualified Gas Safe engineer every year, and you get a gas safety certificate when it passes. In the trade, the certificate for a mobile catering unit is often called a CP44.
Event organisers often ask for a certificate that is less than 12 months old.
What about the equipment?
Use commercial catering appliances with flame failure devices, which cut the gas if the flame goes out. Domestic appliances and camping stoves don't belong in a commercial set-up.
In a van or trailer, the gas must run in fixed pipework. Flexible hoses are only suitable for temporary structures such as gazebos, or for a single outdoor appliance like a barbecue.
Make sure whoever works on shift is trained to use LPG and does a visual check before you start cooking.
Where do the cylinders go?
Keep cylinders upright, in the open air, in a well-ventilated place, secured so the public can't tamper with them, and at least 1 metre from sources of ignition.
Cylinders don't belong inside the van, unless they're in a purpose-built, ventilated compartment (HSE – Gas safety in catering and hospitality).
At events, spare cylinders usually have to be kept in a designated area away from the public, often in a lockable cage. Read the trader pack.
Fire safety: Many events ask every cooking position to have a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket. Check which type and size the organiser asks for.
Step 4: Tell the customer
Write your power needs in your profile, your quotes and the confirmation to the customer:
Which plug: for example "ordinary 13 A socket" or "blue 16 A commando".
How long your cable is: for example "25 metres", so the customer knows how close to the socket you need to park.
What you do without power: can you bring a generator, or do you run on gas and batteries?
Nuento has a power guide for your customers that explains the plugs. Send the link when a customer is unsure.
Tips for the day
Switch appliances on one at a time. Let the fryer and griddle heat up before you switch on the rest. Then the breaker won't trip.
Use an outdoor extension cable – a heavy-duty rubber cable, not a cheap indoor lead.
Unroll the cable reel completely. A coiled cable gets hot and can supply far less power.
Use as few extension cables and adaptors as possible, and never plug them into each other.
An adaptor doesn't give you more power. If you plug your commando plug into an ordinary 13 A socket with an adaptor, you only get what the socket can supply.
Protect plugs and connections from the rain, and lay the cable so no one trips over it.
Throw a damaged cable away. Don't repair it.
Check your gas before you light up: cylinders upright and secured, hoses and connections intact, and no smell of gas.
Not enough power? A generator
Choose a generator that can supply more than you need. If you need 3 kW, find one that can supply at least 3.75 kW.
If your van needs a red plug, the generator must supply three-phase power.
Check the event's rules first. Many events don't allow petrol generators, some only allow silent diesel generators, and some don't allow traders' own generators at all and provide power instead.
Think about noise. At private parties, guests stand close by. Inverter and "super silent" generators are usually quieter.
Always keep it outside, away from doors, windows and vents, and out of reach of the public. The exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which you can't see or smell (HSE – carbon monoxide, HSE – electrical safety at events).
When do you need an electrician?
The electrics in your van – the consumer unit, fixed sockets and hard-wired equipment – should be installed and checked by a qualified electrician. The law requires electrical equipment to be kept safe, and anyone working on it must be competent (HSE – electrical safety FAQ).
Make sure the van has RCD protection. Use an RCD rated at 30 mA or less, especially outdoors, and test it regularly with the test button (HSE).
If you buy second-hand or convert a van, have an electrician inspect it and tell you which plug it needs. Many organisers ask for an electrical certificate and PAT test records, too.
You can plug in, use extension cables and swap appliances that plug in yourself.
For the curious: work it out yourself
If the rating plate only gives amps (A), you can convert to watts:
Single-phase power (230 V, 13 A plug and blue commando): watts = 230 × amps. A 13 A socket can supply about 230 × 13 = 3,000 W, and a blue 16 A about 3,680 W.
Three-phase power (400 V, red commando): watts ≈ 400 × amps × 1.73. A red 16 A plug can supply about 11,000 W.
A red plug carries three "lanes" (phases), each able to supply about the same as a blue 16 A plug. That's why an electrician has to share your equipment out across the three lanes when the van's consumer unit is wired. Otherwise the breaker can trip, even if you're under 11,000 W in total.
Why sell through Nuento?
Nuento is mobile catering with staff on site: food trucks, mobile bars and chefs who cook and serve the food at the customer's event – never delivery of ready-made food. Nuento is live in the UK, and customers rate Nuento 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot. As a food truck owner, you get:
Free to join. It costs nothing to be on Nuento, and there's no subscription. You only pay a service fee on the bookings you choose to accept.
Bookings from private customers and companies. People who are already looking for a food truck for their party or event.
Payment handled for you. Nuento handles the payment from the customer.
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