EV Charger
Installing an EV charger at home is the most cost effective and convenient way to charge your electric vehicle.
What is an EV charger?
Instead of running on petrol, an electric vehicle (EV) runs on electricity. When the EV’s battery has run down, it needs to be charged up again. This is where an EV charger comes in. You can think of it like a petrol pump, but instead of filling the car’s tank with petrol, it fills the car’s battery with electricity.
You can charge an electric vehicle from a mains socket, but it’s best to get a dedicated home charging point. This is also known as a wallbox or charging unit. It’s much quicker to charge an EV from a charging point than using a mains socket.
How does EV home charging work?
You can use electricity from your home to charge your electric vehicle. The electricity will come from the electricity grid or, if your home has them, renewable systems like solar panels or a wind turbine.
You’ll need off-road parking – such as a driveway or a garage – if you want to charge your EV at home. Once the charging point is installed, it’s simply a case of plugging the charger into your car.
Before installing a charging point you’ll need to decide:
- What power rating of wall charger to install
- Whether to install a tethered or untethered charger
- What type of connector you need
The most common options are 3.6kW and 7kW. The first thing to check is your EV’s charging rate. You should be able to find this in your vehicle’s manual.
To get the fastest charging time, you’ll want to choose the power rating that’s closest to your vehicle’s charging rate. For example, if your vehicle has a charging rate of 3.3kW, it can only receive electricity at the rate of 3.3kW, so you should go for the 3.6kW charger. You’d get no immediate benefit from a 7kW charger as the maximum charge your vehicle can receive is 3.3 kW.
However, it might be worthwhile if you’re planning to upgrade to an your EV with a higher maximum charge rate in the near future.
You may decide to install a lower power rating of charger in order to save money on the charging point itself. So even if your vehicle’s charge rate was closer to 7kW, you might still opt for a 3.3kW charge point.
Charging points can either be tethered or untethered.
If your charger is tethered, then the charging cable is permanently fixed to the charging point. It’s a lot like a petrol pump, where you can’t detach the hose.
If your charger is untethered, then you can plug and unplug the cable from the charging point. You might want to do this if you need to switch between a type 1 and type 2 connector.
Just as different countries have different types of plug, there are different EV charger connectors.
In the UK and Europe, the type 2 connector is most common. It has seven pins.
In Asia and America, the type 1 connector is most common. It has five pins.
Your vehicle’s manual should tell you which type your EV uses.
Pros and cons of EV home chargers
- Charging at home can be cheaper than using public charging points.
- Can be combined with solar panels to save money and further reduce carbon emissions.
- No need to search for a public charge point or wait for one to become free.
- Unlikely you’ll be able to fast-charge at home. Fast charging (22kw and above) requires a “3-phase” grid connection which is usually only available for business premises. Most homes in the UK have a “single phase” connection.
- You’ll need off-road parking, such as a drive or garage.
EV charger costs and funding options
Costs
The cost to buy and install an EV charger varies, but is usually £450 – £1,200. As a general rule, the more power the charger supplies, the more expensive it is. Remember, there’s no immediate benefit to getting a powerful charger (e.g. 22kW) if your vehicle takes a significantly lower power rate (e.g. 7kW).
It’s a good idea to get quotes from at least three installers to check you’re getting the best price on installation.
Funding
Home Energy Scotland offers a charging at home grant towards buying and installing a home charging point. Applications for 2024 are now closed, but you can sign up for notifications about the 2025 fund on the Energy Saving Trust website.
The UK Government offers a charging point grant if you rent or own a flat. The grant gives you £350 or 75% off the cost of buying and installing a socket. You can check your eligibility and apply through the gov.uk website.
How to use an EV home charger
As with charging a mobile phone, it’s simply a case of plugging your charging point’s cable into your electric vehicle.
It’s also a good idea to look into tariffs that offer off-peak electricity rates. This means you can charge up your car when electricity is cheaper, e.g. overnight.
Changeworks delivers Home Energy Scotland in the south east and Highlands and Islands on behalf of the Scottish Government and Energy Saving Trust.
As well as providing free, impartial expert advice to thousands of people every month to help them to keep warm in their homes for less, they identify funding opportunities for households seeking to install energy efficiency measures.
For more information, give Home Energy Scotland a call on 0808 808 2282 or email and the team will be happy to help you.