How to install an Electric Charger Station at home

There are a huge number of benefits attached to electric vehicle ownership, the most obvious being the positive impact on the environment and scaling down our reliance on petrol stations and fossil fuels in general. 

There’s also a wide range of practical advantages to be found by making the decision to install an electric charging station in your home. No more time-consuming visits to public charging stations, just park, plug in, and in just a few hours, hey presto, a fully charged electric vehicle. 

A home charger is the most cost-efficient, convenient, and safest way to charge your EV and the most popular charging solution for electric vehicle owners everywhere.

At Evergreen, we have a number of EV chargers in our range, including the myenergi Zappi. This British-designed intelligent device allows you to charge your electric car with the surplus energy generated from your PV panels or wind turbines. The perfect combination of smart, innovative engineering and ecologically sustainable performance.

Here’s a handy guide to installing an EV charging station at home.

How to charge an electric car at home

There are generally two decisions to make when choosing your home charging solution. Do you opt for a domestic three-pin socket or a dedicated EV charge point?

It’s important to remember when making this choice that a domestic charging socket is not designed for everyday use. We’d encourage you to keep a standard 3 pin UK plug compatible charger in your boot for overnight visits or emergencies, but certainly do not rely on them for your day-to-day needs. Installing a dedicated home charging point is always the most practical, safest, and cost-effective solution.

A home charging station is also, by some distance, the more time-efficient option. The maximum current a domestic socket can extract is 3kW, meaning it can take up to 13 hours to recharge a standard electric vehicle.

How to get a home charger installed

There are plenty of car manufacturers out there who offer free or heavily discounted home chargers when you buy or lease a new electric vehicle. Be sure to be extra vigilant with these types of deals, however, as often these seemingly cost-friendly bundles might not suit your particular needs or they might not be quite the bargain they first appear.

At Evergreen, we ensure that the process is made incredibly straightforward. After completing the online form, you will be contacted by us to arrange an appointment for our engineer to attend your property to carry out the initial consultation, after which we will provide a quotation. If you are happy to proceed, we will book a date for the installation.

Where to put a home charge point

There are a number of things to consider before deciding where to place your new home charging station.

The first, perhaps most obvious practical feature to think about is where the charging port is on your electric vehicle. At the front, on the side or located where you’d normally find your fuel filler cap? Work out where your car will be parked overnight, and install your station in correlation to your vehicle and the charging port’s position.

It’s also a smart idea to measure the length of the charging cable. If your vehicle is parked on a private drive, you want to try and limit any potential trip hazards as much as possible.

Meanwhile, because your charger will need access to your home Wi-Fi signal to utilize the range of smart technology available, it’s worth thinking about the location of your router before choosing an installation position.

How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

Electricity tariff

The unit rate for electricity in the UK is constantly rising,  this can also be subject to your location and your home energy tariff. Importantly, a home charging station should always be cheaper than using a public charger.

The beauty of an Evergreen installed system, is that if you’re taking full advantage of the energy you’re putting back into the grid throughout the day from your already installed wind turbines or PV panels. So, essentially, you’re charging your car for free!

EV energy tariffs

You will notice a rise in your domestic energy bills with an EV plugged into the mains. This doesn’t necessarily equate to an eye-watering dent in your monthly household bills, however. Indeed, the Energy Saving Trust make it clear that you can save as much as £300 by switching to the cheapest fixed-rate energy tariff.

Elsewhere, many smart home charge points will automatically find the cheapest time to charge your electric car, but it’s worth noting that rates will differ depending on your postcode. That said, these kinds of tariffs have been devised with electric car owners in mind, so they’re generally the best option for the needs of the EV driver.

How can we help?

Home charging is a simple, affordable and effective way to charge your electric car. And, with the increased benefits of choosing Evergreen as your home charging station provider, and by taking advantage of the surplus energy generated from your solar and wind energy systems, it’s the smartest EV charging solution available. If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch with the team here at Evergreen and let us find the right EV charging option for you!