What's the process for getting a home charger installed?
Installing an EV home charger
If you’re thinking of swapping to an electric vehicle, there’s a good chance that you’ve had a think about how you’re going to charge it up. One of the most convenient and cost-effective ways is with home charging. It allows you to connect your car up to a point mounted directly to your home, ensuring that you’re left with a fully topped-up battery each time you leave the house.
But how do you go about getting a home charger installed and what else do you need to consider? Here, we’re going to take a look through some of the key things to bear in mind.
Access
Having a charger installed will require one basic thing from the get-go - access. For this, you’ll need a driveway, as you’ll have to park close to your property in order to access the charger in the first place. Sadly, without a driveway or some kind of off-road parking, then home charging isn’t all that viable at the moment. Although there are some companies that offer charging points, that are built into lamp posts and even the kerbside.
If you’re not a homeowner, then it’s worth speaking to your landlord as they might be able to help with installation - after all, it helps them out in the future.
Do you want a 'Smart’ system?
Many modern electric car chargers come equipped with 'Smart’ functions. These connect to the internet via your home’s wi-fi and allow you to remotely programme when they start or finish a charge.
These systems also allow for the charger to ‘intelligently’ work out when the energy prices are at their lowest so that you can get the cheapest possible charge. This is mainly the case overnight. These units do sometimes carry a premium, so you’ll need to work out whether or not you want to pay extra in order to have them.
This works really well when you combine it with a dual or smart electricity tariff that gives you cheaper electricity during off peak hours.
Tethered or universal charger
There’s also the option of either a tethered or universal charger. The former, as you might expect, comes with its own cable attached. This means you don’t really have to worry about unplugging from the main unit when you’re done topping up.
However, the universal charger is often a more popular option. This allows you to use the ‘car’s’ connector and allows it to work with any electric vehicle. It also means that once you’re done charging you can disconnect the whole cable and keep it in the car or garage. It does help to make the charging unit look a little cleaner.
Available power supply
The available power supply in your home will dictate how much speed your charging unit can deliver. Most homes in the UK are capable of delivering up to 7kW through a single-phase power unit. This is more than enough to fully charge an average-size electric vehicle overnight.
There’s sometimes the option of installing a more powerful three-phase system that’ll provide a quicker rate of charge but it carries an extra cost and is only really worthwhile if you’re adamant that you need to charge up in a shorter time.
Extra requirements
Particularly if your house is older, then the electrical system might need to be upgraded in order to allow it to cope with the high-voltage demands of an electric car charger. The fuse box, for instance, might need to be switched for a newer version while an isolator switch could be required too.
Just remember that these changes will require more time for professionals to install and retrofit, so it’s better to be prepared for some added time when it comes to getting a charge point installed at home
Cost
The Government recently cut any kind of grant available for charging installation at private residences. Some manufacturers will offer deals to include the cost of a charger in the total price of a new vehicle so it’s worth checking these out before you commit. However, some grants remain for flat owners - or landlords with a flat - that can help take some of the cost away.
At present, the cost of installation and the unit itself is around £1,000, so it’s definitely best to factor this in when you’re looking at leasing a new EV. My Electric Lease have teamed up with some national suppliers of electric charge point's, you can see what we have available here.
