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Electric car charger home installation explained
Want a car charging solution for your home? We explain what's involved and how to get a car charger installed at your home.
If you have an electric car or you intend to get one, then you are likely thinking about where to charge it. If you have off-street parking, then a home car charger installation will mean you can easily and conveniently charge your EV.
In this guide, we’ll answer some key questions including:
- What is a home electric car charger?
- Can you have a car charger installed at home?
- What does a home car charge point installation involve?
- How much does an electric car charger installation cost?
- What’s included in a basic installation for EV charge point?
Installation Questions
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Put simply, a modern home car charger is a dedicated method of charging an electric car.
Home car chargers go by many names including EV chargers, car charge points or EV wallbox, but they all have the same purpose of allowing you to safely use the full power available from your home electricity supply to power your car.
Most home EV charge points will charge your car at 7kW (kilowatts), which is the maximum amount of power that most typical UK homes are able to provide.
Some homes and car chargers can charge at a faster rate up to 22kW, but most UK homes do not have an adequate supply to achieve this, and many electric vehicles cannot accept this rate of charge at home anyway.
You can buy electric car chargers from a variety of sources, including installers such as Verde EV Solutions of course. You will need a qualified professional to carry out the installation, such as one of our own Certified engineers, but even if you choose to go elsewhere you will still need an expert to complete the work.
If you have off-street parking and you are the homeowner, then the answer is yes. In fact, around 60% of UK residential properties have off-street parking and therefore ideally suited for home electric car charging.
If you do not have off-street parking or live in rented accommodation, or a flat, for example, then you can still get a charger installed but it will depend on your individual circumstances.
Those in rented accommodation will require permission from the landlord, as would those living in flats/apartments even if you own the property.
Other factors to consider include the length and complexity of the cable run, how the installer will connect the charger to a power source, to name a few.
An EV charger installation requires a qualified professional to carry out the work. As a nationwide installer, Verde EV Solutions has experienced in-house installers based across the UK.
Once you’ve paid for your quote, we will order and dispatch your charger right away and get on with the job of arranging your installation date.
A few days before installation we will send you an email with some guidance on how to get ready for installation day.
On the day of installation, your engineer will contact you to tell you what time they will be arriving at the property. We will give you an installation window in advance, our engineers will also require clear access to all work areas, so we ask that you ensure that all work areas are clear before our engineers arrive at your property.
IMPORTANT: In order for the engineer to carry out your installation, you will need someone who is over the age of 18 to be present at the property
Our engineers will already have details and photos of the planned installation. However, they will do their own checks and discuss the proposed installation with you – sometimes our engineers will come up with an even better cable route, but they will confirm this with you before getting started.
Then it’s a case of getting on with the job of fitting the car charge point to the wall and connecting it to the power source. Once this is complete, the engineer will complete the initial setup and commissioning of the EV charger which usually involves ”pairing” it with your smartphone.
Before leaving, our engineer will check you’re happy with the installation and run through a few final checks with you. They will likely be taking photos throughout the process too. This is so our office team can check the installation has been carried out properly.
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The cost of an EV charge point installation depends on the complexity of the installation. Our website shows the minimum cost of an installation inclusive of the charger.
If you’d like a quick idea of costs, we’d recommend using our online survey to get an electric car charger installation price – it only takes few minutes.
Every EV charger installation we carry out includes a Basic Installation. When we provide you your quote, we will let you know if there are any additional costs on top of the Basic Installation package.
THE SMART HOME CHARGE BASIC INSTALLATION PACKAGE INCLUDES:
– The fitting of your selected Chargepoint on a brick or plaster wall, or other suitable permanent structure.
– Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick, where needed
– Up to 15 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the distribution board and the Chargepoint up to a height of up to 1.8m.
– All electrical connections at the origin of the supply and Chargepoint.
– Installation of a Type C MCB.
– Up to 3 metres (10 feet) of plastic conduit or trunking to conceal interior wiring.
– Electrical testing and the NICEIC Certification.
– Demonstration of the Chargepoint functions and App (if applicable)
There are several factors, but here are a few examples that can increase the cost of your installation:
- Earth stake – some charge points and properties require an earth rod to be installed.
- Extra cabling – if more cabling over the 15 metres already included is needed then this will cost extra.
- Type A RCBO - this is a protective device required for some installations to protect against current overload, AC and DC leakage.
- Dedicated two-way distribution board – this may be required if your present fuse box does not have any suitable spare “ways”.
- Extra labour – for more complex installations or for jobs that will simply take longer (above the three hours included).
What is included in a Basic Installation
What's included in a basic installation for EV charge points?
Every charge point includes a “Basic Installation”, but charger type, location and cable length are just some of the factors that could affect your final quote. This guide explains what the Basic Installation includes, as well as things that are an additional cost.
Each property and customer are different when it comes to electric car chargers for the home. Although every job includes our Basic Installation charge, your preferences, property, and installation requirements are unique, so we think your quote should also be unique and bespoke to you.
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EV Chargepoint Grant eligibility explained
EV Chargepoint Grant for landlords and social housing providers – am I eligible?
The Government is making some changes to the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme that will make it easier for non-resident landlords and social housing providers to benefit from a £350 contribution to the installation of an EV chargepoint at rental properties. This guide explains the new changes and who is eligible for the grant.
OZEV Grant Questions
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Each EV charge point socket will be eligible for a £350 contribution from the Government OZEV department.
OZEV is the Government Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, and its aim is to encourage the transition to cleaner transport, such as electric cars.
The Electric Vehicle Home charge Scheme (EVHS) has been running since 2016 and offered a financial contribution to homeowners needing an EV charge point installation.
The EVHS, often known as the “OZEV Grant”, offers £350 towards the cost of the charger and installation through approved installers such as Smart Home Charge.
The OZEV Grant Landlord Scheme is open to non-resident building owners, including landlords and social housing providers.
Vacation rentals are not eligible.
There are also separate schemes for those living in flats, including leasehold flats, and rental accommodation.
The OZEV Grant will also provide support for owners of apartment blocks.
Not everyone is eligible for the OZEV Grant. As with the previous scheme, there are some requirements in order to qualify for the grant.
- You cannot reside at the property you wish to claim the grant against
- A grant of up to £350 per socket is available with a limit of 200 sockets.
- A maximum grant of £70,000 is permitted.
- Applicants must be a registered business or public authority. If they are a private organisation, they may be registered with Companies House, have a VAT registration, or be a private registered provider of social housing.
- The property must have associated private parking. There is no limit as to how many chargepoint sockets can be installed in each property within the overall number of grants available.
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You can claim for a maximum of 200 EV charge point sockets under the OZEV Grant. Twin chargers are classed as two charge point sockets.
You can distribute this limit in any way you see fit using the scheme. For example, you could install 200 charge points at one location or spread the limit more evenly between your properties.
Yes. If you are a landlord, building owner or social housing organisation, the property at which the charger is being installed must have private parking.
The OZEV department will launch a new digital portal to manage grant applications. When this launches in early 2022, you will need to set up an account directly with the Government informing them of the premises you rent out and wish to have EV charger installations completed at.
You will need to state the property type, such as flat, house, apartment, which will initiate an application for the installation address specified.
If you are given authorisation by OZEV, you will be quoted a reference number/voucher code. You will then supply this code to your chosen OZEV-approved charge point installer, such as Verde EV Solutions, when you purchase your EV charger. Your £350 grant discount should be applied upfront.
After your installation is completed, the approved installer (such as Verde EV Solutions) will submit the details of the installation including your voucher code to the OZEV department portal.
Landlords and social housing providers should be eligible to apply for the OZEV Grant from early 2022, but we are still awaiting the Government to confirm an exact date.
Installation Survey
Survey Frequently Asked Questions
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Our Online Site Survey is really easy to complete, but it’s best to do it via your smartphone as we’ll ask you to take some photos and a short video.
Simply click the link in the email we send you to get started. We guide you along the way with example photos and clear descriptions, so you know exactly what we’re looking for.
You should normally receive a quote within two working days of your site survey being completed. The sooner you complete it, the quicker we can assess the details and send your quote.
Yes! As long as your car is on order, it’s always best to start the process of getting a quote and your charger installed as early as possible. Our advice is to complete the Online Site Survey as soon as you can – after all, the quote is free, and you don’t need to make a purchase if you don’t want to. If you don’t want the installation to take place just yet, that’s fine – we can always wait.
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What we need from you
What does the survey look at?
Below are some of the photos we will need from you, but our online site survey provides examples and guidance along the way. Plus, it only takes five minutes!
1. Consumer unit
2. Consumer unit area
3. Meter box area
4. Meter box close up
5. Main fuse details
