EV charger installation at home and at work

Most British homes have a single-phase supply, which is why home chargers are usually rated at around 7kW. Faster chargers need a three-phase supply, which few houses have and which is expensive to add. For most drivers, a 7kW charger that fills the car overnight is plenty.

Before quoting, the installer needs to know the rating of your main fuse, what else draws a heavy load (electric shower, heat pump, cooker), the condition of your consumer unit, the earthing arrangement and the cable route from the consumer unit to the parking space. Photos of the meter, the consumer unit and the parking spot save a lot of back-and-forth. If the house could be overloaded while the car charges, the charger can be set up to reduce its output automatically, or the network operator may need to upgrade the supply.

Outdoor charge points need particular care with earthing. Many homes have a supply arrangement where a rare network fault could make exposed metalwork dangerous, and the wiring regulations require protection against this. A good installer explains which solution they are using and why.

Source: planningportal.co.uk

Since 30 June 2022, charge points sold for home or workplace use in Great Britain must meet the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021. They must be able to send and receive information and respond to signals to shift charging, keep working with smart functions if you switch electricity supplier, and keep charging if the internet connection drops.

They must also come with pre-set default charging hours outside peak times, which you can accept, remove or change when you first use the charger, and a randomised delay function. Security requirements have applied since 30 December 2022. The rules do not apply in Northern Ireland or to second-hand chargers sold privately.

In practice, smart charging is what makes a cheap overnight EV tariff work. Check that the charger you are quoted for is compatible with the tariff you want before it goes on the wall.

Source: gov.uk

Installing a home charger in England is notifiable electrical work because it involves a new circuit. An electrician registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify it and give you a compliance certificate; otherwise Building Control has to be notified. The Planning Portal points out that it is the householder's responsibility to make sure the approvals are in place, so ask who is notifying.

With off-street parking, a wall-mounted charger is usually permitted development in England, so no planning application is needed. A charger on a freestanding post in the grounds of a house or block of flats must not be more than 1.6 metres high. Neither is permitted development within the curtilage of a listed building or on a scheduled monument, and in a conservation area an Article 4 direction may have removed the rights, so check with the council first.

Without a driveway, trailing a cable across the pavement needs the agreement of the highway authority, and permanent cross-pavement channels may need their own permission. A cable left loose on the footpath can be a trip hazard and a liability.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has extended its home and workplace charge point grants for a final year, until 31 March 2027. Homeowners who live in a house cannot apply. The grants are for people who own and live in a flat or rent any home and have private off-street parking, for households with only on-street parking who install an approved cross-pavement solution, for residential landlords, and for workplaces through the Workplace Charging Scheme.

The installer must be authorised by OZEV and the charger must be on the list of eligible models. The charge point must not be installed until OZEV has confirmed that you are eligible, and the installer then claims the grant on your behalf. Renters need written permission from the landlord, and flat owners from the freeholder or managing agent, before applying.

Source: gov.uk

• the charger model and power rating, and confirmation that it meets the smart charge point regulations
• the cable route, cable size and any drilling, trenching or surface-mounted trunking
• consumer unit work, earthing solution and any load management
• whether the network operator needs to be told or the supply upgraded
• Building Regulations notification and the certificate you receive
• setting up the app and default charging hours, and compatibility with your tariff
• for grant jobs, the OZEV authorisation and who handles the application

Workplace, fleet and communal installations raise different questions: several chargers sharing a limited supply, who pays for the electricity, access control, maintenance and, for landlords, updating the fire risk assessment. The residential landlord grant asks applicants to have arranged maintenance checks, decided how running costs are paid and updated the property's risk assessment before applying. It is worth asking for these points in writing whether or not you use a grant.

Describe the property, the parking space and the distance to the meter, then verify your number by text message and your email address by link. We list the job, without your name or contact details, for EV charger installers in your area. The installer who buys it pays Offrano and the job leaves the shop, so nobody else gets it. You pay Offrano nothing.

Before your details reach the installer, we send you its name, address and phone number, and each email has a link to withdraw your consent. We cannot promise that an installer buys every request; unsold requests are withdrawn after 21 days, and you can still ask other firms for quotes. We only check that the buyer is a registered business, not how it works, so ask for the electrician's competent person scheme registration and, for grant jobs, OZEV authorisation.