EV chargers

7kW or 22kW: which charger do you need?

Most homes have a single-phase electricity supply, which limits a home charger to about 7kW. That adds roughly 25 miles of range for every hour of charging, enough to fill most cars overnight.

A 22kW charger needs a three-phase supply, which is more common in commercial buildings than homes, and it only helps if your car can accept charging at that rate. We check both at survey, so you don't pay for capacity you can't use.

Smart charging and cheaper tariffs

By law, home chargers sold in Great Britain must have smart functions, including a default off-peak schedule, so they can be scheduled and controlled remotely. We set yours to charge in your cheapest tariff window, usually overnight, or to use surplus electricity from your solar panels during the day if you have them.

Most of the saving from charging at home comes from the tariff. Several suppliers offer EV tariffs with much cheaper overnight rates, and we set the charger's schedule to match yours before we leave.

What we check before installing

First, your supply. We check your main fuse and how much electricity the house already uses, to make sure adding a charger won't overload it. If it could, we fit load management, which slows the charger down when the rest of the house is busy.

Second, earthing. Outdoor charging needs the right earth protection, which is built into most modern chargers or fitted separately. Third, the cable route from your consumer unit to where you park. We notify your network operator of every new charger, and if your supply needs upgrading, we apply for it.

Where the charger goes

The charger usually goes on an outside wall close to where you park, or on a post at the side of a driveway. In practice you need off-street parking. Flats, shared drives and terraced streets are more complicated, so ask us and we will tell you what is possible.

Installation day and paperwork

Most home chargers are installed in about half a day. Your power is off briefly while we connect to the consumer unit. Before we leave, we test the charger, set it up in the app with your tariff and show you how to change the schedule.

You get an electrical installation certificate, confirmation that the work meets building regulations, and the charger's three-year warranty registered in your name.