Home EV Charging

There are still grants available but as of 31^st march 2022 the criteria changed. Homeowners with off street parking can no longer apply for a grant. However, if you are a flat owner/occupier or a tenant, or if you have a business registered with Companies House at your residential address, you may be eligible for the grant. Please see our OZEV grants page for full details.

The majority of EV charge points have either a key lock or the ability to lock the charger via the app or touch screen. Some customers prefer to switch the charger off at the mains to prevent unauthorised usage, for instance if they are away from home for a period of time.

Prices vary, but a standard installation which includes up to 15m of electrical cable, connection, signing off with NICEIC starts at £899 including VAT. This is based on not being eligible for a grant.

An untethered or universal socket doesn’t have a cable attached so you would need to purchase a separate suitable charging cable, usually 32A. 

A tethered unit has a charging cable attached, usually 5m as standard but some manufacturers offer longer cables as standard or at an additional charge. You would need to ensure you choose the correct type of cable, type 1 or type 2 dependent on your vehicle.  The majority of electric vehicles have a type 2 charging port.

This depends on various factors. You would need to ensure your supply is adequate for two chargers so a minimum 100A. Also it would depend on whether the chargers have load management clamps applied which would monitor your supply and ensure that the chargers don’t overload. In essence, the power to the cars would be halved via the clamp.

Generally speaking, a 7kW home charger will charge at 30 miles per hour and as most customers charge overnight, that should give sufficient time for overnight charging.

To have a 22kW EV charger you would need to have a 3-phase electrical supply at your property. Although possible, it is not something many residential properties have.

The engineers will have completed specific training for installation of EV charge points, both for single phase and 3-phase supplies.  The company should be approved by OZEV and will be accredited by a governing body such as NICEIC which means they will undergo regular auditing and annual checks for competency, and to ensure all regulations are adhered to.

A dedicated installation company will also have built up relationships with manufacturers and will have had training on specific products to be able to carry out installations, maintenance, troubleshooting and commissioning and also to demonstrate the workings of the charger and app.

In a word, no. We strongly recommend you approach an EV charge point installation company. EV chargers draw a lot of power and if installed incorrectly, can be extremely dangerous or even fatal. Using the wrong breaker, wrong sized cable or installing the equipment incorrectly can lead to arching inside the unit which can cause a fire.

As much as a qualified electrician is competent for electrical installations such as rewires and consumer units, an EV charge point installer will have completed a specific course to be able to meet the regulations and Code of Practice for EV charge point equipment installations. What’s more, a qualified EV installation company will be approved by OZEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles) to offer the grant for eligible customers. It is also worth bearing in mind that many manufacturers will invalidate the warranty if a charger is unable to be commissioned because it has not installed by an approved installer. Electricians that opt to install EV charging equipment without the correct training and certifications risk breaching the Electricity At Work Regulations Act 1989.

The answer is yes, provided the vehicle is on the eligible vehicles list and you meet other criteria for the grant.

We offer a wide range of products, but for charging your electric vehicle at home, there are two main options and these are tethered or untethered charge points. Both do the same job in terms of efficiency, they just work in a slightly different way.

• A tethered unit has a 5m or 7.5m cable attached as standard so you plug from the unit into your car, much like using the pumps at the filling station. You will need either a type 1 or type 2 tethered unit, depending on the make of vehicle.

• An untethered or universal unit comes without a cable so it is suitable for all makes and model of electric and plug-in hybrid on the road. For this option you use a type 1 or type 2 public charging lead depending on your vehicle.

Our lead time is usually 1-2 weeks from receiving your enquiry and you approving our quote.

Before installing an electric vehicle charging point, we will ask you for a selection of photos so we can conduct a remote survey of your electrical supply and off street parking arrangement. This involves checking the consumer unit and incoming supply are adequate with capacity for an electric vehicle charge point. We will also check your property’s maximum load demand and in some cases, you may be required to ask your utility provider for a meter tail exchange or upgrade. Don’t worry, we can talk you through the process. If we require further details or if the installation is vey complicated, we may arrange for one of our engineers to carry out a more detailed site survey of your property, this is free of charge.

On receiving your enquiry, we contact you to ask you for a selection of photos so we can conduct a remote survey of your electrical supply and off street parking arrangement. This involves checking the consumer unit and incoming supply are adequate with capacity for an electric vehicle charge point. We will also check your property’s maximum load demand and in some cases, you may be required to ask your utility provider for a meter tail exchange or upgrade. Don’t worry, we can talk you through the process. If we require further details or if the installation is very complicated, we may arrange for one of our engineers to carry out a more detailed site survey of your property, this is free of charge.

Once we have reviewed your photos, we will send a quote for a suitable product and if you are eligible for the OZEV grant, we will let you know what else we need from you in order to process your grant claim.

We will contact you to arrange a suitable date for the installation to take place. The registered keeper/lessee will be asked to complete and sign some paperwork.

The engineer will provide a demonstration of the charger and answer any questions you may have.

Prices include a 3-year parts and labour warranty.

No, EV chargers draw a lot of power so need to be installed either from your main consumer unit, secondary consumer unit if suitable, or fed directly from your metered supply.