Home EV charger 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.

 

 

What does a home charger installation involve?

An EV charger installation requires a qualified professional electrician to carry out the work. As a nationwide installer, Smart Home Charge has experienced installers based across the UK. 

Once you've paid for your quote, we will begin the installation process.

 

Request a Quote

The first step is to select your preferred EV charger and click the "Request a Quote" button you'll find on each product page. We'll ask you a few short questions and in the majority of cases we will provide you with an Instant Quote.

 

Review your quote and pay

If you were eligible for an Instant Quote, we will have sent this to you by email and text. Click the link we sent you to review your quote online. From there you can also review our range of payment options, including finance and Buy Now Pay Later.

Once you've paid, we'll order your charge point and send it directly to your property so you have the most valuable part of the cost in your possession. If you order one of our most popular chargers, such as the Easee One, Ohme ePod, Ohme Home Pro, or Tesla Wall Connector then this will dispatched to you on a next-day pre-12 delivery.

 

We'll send you an online site survey

Before we can book you in for an installation, you'll first need to complete an online site survey. This is sent to you in the form of a link via email and text.

The survey typically takes less than 10 minutes to complete and requires you to take pictures and a video of your property, so we can confirm the details you've given us about the installation.

The site survey is very easy to complete and we provide example photos of exactly what you need to provide. Don't worry if it sounds complicated - we promise it isn't and we've had many customers tell us how easy it was to complete. 

 

We will contact your DNO

Because an EV charger draws a lot of power from the grid, it's a requirement that your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) is notified before we can install your home charging point. As part of our service, we will notify your DNO on your behalf.

Typically, a DNO will take up to 10 days to approve or decline your installation - in the vast majority of cases, everything gets the go ahead and we'll book an installation date for you. In some cases, the DNO may want to perform upgrades before we install your charge point, or it may ask us to lower the power of your charge point until they have completed any upgrades.

If the DNO does want to carry out any works at your property, it should contact you directly about this. Your DNO may charge for the upgrade works or they could perform it for free. Any potential works and associated costs or delays to your installation caused by the DNO are unfortunately out of our hands.

You can find out more about DNOs, including who yours is and what complications might impact your installation in this article.

 

We'll arrange the installation

Once the DNO has confirmed that the install can go ahead, our booking team will shortly get in touch and send you our earliest available installation date. 

A few days before installation, we will send you a text message with some guidance on how to get ready for installation day. 

On the day of installation, you will receive a text message with a link to track your engineer.

While we can't give you an exact time as to when your engineer will arrive at your property, we will give you an arrival window in advance, but the tracking link allows you to see exactly how far away the engineer is so you can decide if you've got time to pick up a pint of milk or not!

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.

The engineer will run through the proposed works with you and double check you're happy with the cable route. The engineer may spot an alternative route and charger location, but they will check your preference if this is the case.

They will then get to work and inform you in advance when the power needs to be switched off.

 

We'll set up the app

Our engineer will install the charge point and cabling, before commissioning the EV charger so it is online and connected to the companion app.

The engineer will pair the app to the charger, so you can use it for scheduling and other smart features. In some cases, the engineer may demonstrate some of the features in the app itself although this isn't a requirement and does depend on the knowledge and experience of the engineer.

You can find plenty of supporting information on your EV charger and app in our troubleshooting guides, or you can refer to the manufacturer's instructions. 

 

We'll check you're happy

The engineer will run through the completed installation work to check you're happy with everything, before asking you to complete a short questionnaire during which you will sign off the work.

Once the engineer has left, you'll also receive a Customer Satisfaction Survey so you can rate the engineer on the day as well as our overall service. 

A few days later, we'll update your My Smart Home Charge portal so you can access your quote, invoice, and electrical certificate. 

 

What are the requirements for a home EV charger installation?

If you have off-street parking and you are the homeowner then it should be pretty straightforward to get a home charger installed. 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 you 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. Futhermore, if the charging cable is going to be trailing across a public footpath, we strongly reccomend contacting your local council to find out if planning permission is required.

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 (such as Smart Home Charge) will connect the charger to a power source, to name a few.

All smart home chargers need to connect to the internet, either through WiFi or through a 4G/5G mobile connection. It's worth checking if you can get a stable connection to either by standing where you're likely to put the charger and seeing if you can connect to either on another device like a smartphone.

 

 

How much does it cost to install an EV charger at home?

The cost of an EV charge point installation depends on the charger you choose and the complexity of the installation. Our website shows the minimum cost of an installation inclusive of the charger.

As a guide, prices start from around £849.60 although you can spread out the cost with our pay monthly finance options. This means that an EV charger installation can cost as little as £12.58 per month.

The good news is that charging at home can save hundreds of pounds per year compared with charging at public networks or spending money on petrol and diesel, so the investment will most likely be paid back within a couple of years.

 

The home charger itself

There's a range of electric vehicle chargers to choose from, most of which are below £1000.

Compare prices, functionality and style to find the right option for you using our comparison tool.

Smart Home Charge has also already put together a helpful feature to highlight the best home electric car chargers available right now.

 

The distance between your desired charger placement and your power supply

To power your charger, a cable connecting to your property's electricity supply will need to be installed.

While many installers include a fixed cable allowance (often up to 10 metres) within a standard installation, this can mean customers with shorter cable runs end up subsidising more complex setups.

At Smart Home Charge, we take a more tailored approach, with pricing that reflects the likely cable length and complexity of your installation, so the cost better matches the work your installation actually requires.

 

Additional parts required

Some EV chargers and properties require an earth rod to be installed, although it's quite rare.

An earth rod is a copper rod that is inserted into the ground and connected to the car charger, creating an earthing system for the charger.

However, most smart home chargers will already have built-in PEN (protective earthed neutral) protection.

The Tesla Wall Connector is an exception to that rule, but Smart Home Charge can install a separate protective device so an earth rod still isn't required, but there is an extra cost to this still.

Certain installations may require additional parts like a type A RCBO. This is a device required for some installations to protect against current overload, AC and DC leakage.

More complex installations that will take longer than the three hours included may also increase the cost of installation.

 

Installing a three-phase 22kW power supply (if needed)

A 7kw charger is more than adequate for the majority of people that need to charge an EV overnight.

However, it's possible some drivers that do higher mileage or for those that just want the flexibility of being able to charge up to three times faster, will want a 22kw home charger installed.

A typical 7kw home charge point can provide up to 30 miles of range per hour whereas 22kW can offer up to 90 miles of range per hour.

A 22kw installation means also having to upgrade the domestic power supply from single phase to three-phase.

Most domestic properties in the UK run on a single-phase power supply meaning the homeowner's DNO will need to make additional upgrades in order to be compatible with a 22kw charger, which can be very expensive running anywhere upwards of £1000.

It's why we would advise customers to think realistically about how quickly they need their EV to be charged up and whether a standard 7kw will do the trick.

Please see our guide to 22kW home EV charging for more information.

 

Deciding where to put your Home charger

There's are some common sense things to consider when choosing the best place to install your home car charging point.

Nevertheless, if you choose us to install your car charging point, then we will ask you to provide a photo during the Online Site Survey stage to make sure we can accommodate what you need.

Here are a few elements to consider when you're deciding on the best location to install your charge point.

 

Check the signal in the area

As mentioned earlier on in this guide, the smart charger will need to be able to connect to the internet to manage charges and to talk with your home energy tariff.

Check that there's a stable WiFi or mobile data signal at the site of the charge point installation by trying to connect with another device like a smartphone.

 

Consider where you park and where the charging port on your car is

If you place your EV charge point anywhere near where you park your electric car then you've done 90% of the work.

However, don't only think about where you park your electric car now.

Think about where the electric car will be charging most of the time. Will it be in a different place to charge overnight, for instance?

Home charging an electric vehicle may seem simple with off road parking, but some layouts are easier to place a charging unit in than others.

Have a think about where the charging lead needs to get to, how easy the electricity supply is to get to and how you charge your electric car impacts on your neighbours and even your own family – do your children need access to the garage behind the car to get their bikes in and out, for example?

 

Take cable length into consideration

Make sure you think about the length of the cable that either comes with the home charger if it's tethered, or if you're going for a socket only charger then check how long your own cable is as it won't be supplied with the socket-only product.

This is why it's so important to think about where you park to charge an electric car and also where the charge port is.

The charging cables that come attached to tethered chargers are usually 5 metres, but you can get some which are longer – usually at additional cost.

The simplest thing to do here is measure the length of the cable from where you want the charger installing to where the charge port would be on the electric vehicle.

 

Why should I get a home charger installation?

The chances are that if you've got or a thinking about getting an electric vehicle, getting a home charger installed is also going to be high on your priority list.

 

It's convenient

Goodbye to petrol stations. With a home charger installed you will just need to plug-in when you get home and your EV will be ready when you next get back behind the wheel.

Smart scheduling, off-peak home energy tariffs and easy to use apps can all combine to make charging up your EV a stress free business.

Depending on how many miles you do in an average week, it might mean never having to visit a petrol station ever again (the occasional visit to a rapid or destination charger might be on the cards for longer trips).

 

Home charging is cheaper than charging at a rapid or destination charging point

This is another big advantage for those that have off-street parking. The cost to charge at home can be as little as 7.5p/kWh through an EV specific off-peak tariff like Intelligent Octopus Go.

Charging up a Tesla Model Y Performance Dual Motor (one of the most popular EVs in the UK) would cost approximately £5.86 for six hours of off-peak energy through Octopus.

That compares to 63p/kWh at a rapid charger network when charging during off-peak hours, or around £50 for a single charge, or 39p/kWh at an off-peak destination charger or around £30. If you're charging on the road at standard pricing times, the prices will likely be even higher.

As you can see, it's hugely beneficial to charge at home and it's where the biggest cost savings can be found by switching to an EV.

We've created a handy "cost to charge" tool that helps explain in further detail all the differences between home energy prices and what you could pay out on the road. It's highly customisable, so you can put in the exact details for your own EV, mileage and preferred energy supplier.

 

It's faster (and safer) than charging using a three-pin plug

It is possible to charge up an EV with a standard domestic three-pin plug, but it will be a lot slower than having a 7kw home charger. In fact, having your own dedicated home charger will top up your EV approximately three times faster than a domestic plug.

Charging an EV with a three-pin plug can take over 24 hours, compared to six or seven hours with a 7kw home charger.

It's also a lot safer. Dedicated home chargers are designed specifically for charging EVs and carrying the energy needed over sustained periods.

Home chargers are also weather proof, impact proof and feature safety and security features as standard.

 

You might be wondering...

 

Can I mount my home charger on a post?

Installing your charge point on a post can mean some upfront work, such as digging trenches to bury the cabling for the charge point, but it does open up some charger installation options in terms of where you can locate your electric car charger.

Mainly, it means you are not restricted to mounting the home charging unit to a wall, which obviously reduces the number of physical locations to have a charging point installed.

A post could allow you to install your home charge point "in the middle" of your driveway. You probably won't want your charging point installed there, but hopefully you get the idea. 

It can involve more work and, therefore, more cost for the installation though. The best thing to do is to start the quoting process (by requesting a quote and completing our Online Site Survey) and point out where you'd ideally like the EV charger and if you'd like it mounted on a post. Our in-house technicians can then assess the possibilities for home charging and provide you with an accurate cost.

 

Can I mount my EV charger on a fence?

Mounting home charge points on a fence is unwise, because a fence is a temporary structure and could fall down in bad weather – and parking electric cars next to things that could fall over isn't wise.

Fences are usually made from wood and mounting EV chargers and electricity supply cabling would be risky, both for damaging the EV and the risk of electric shock.

Another thing to consider is the amount of sunlight a car charger might be exposed to. Surface-fixed cables should not be exposed to prolonged sunlight unless they are a suitable type.

Black thermoplastic (PVC) cable sheaths contain carbon black which resists the effects of sunlight. White or grey cable sheaths are likely to deteriorate with prolonged exposure to the sun and should always be shielded.