A guide to Charging your EV at Home
One of the main sources of anxiety future electric car buyers have is limited access to a reliable EV charging point near their home or workplace. Consequently, many customers opt to purchase home charge points with their new car, to help alleviate any concerns. What does installing your home charger entail? How much does it cost? All of your questions will be answered in this post.
If you can charge an electric car at home, you will benefit from having the most convenient and cheapest way to charge your car. Charging an electric car at home works out much cheaper than filling up a traditional petrol or diesel car, especially on an EV-friendly tariff. It is also more affordable than charging at a public rapid charger - we go into more detail about this in our blog: how much does it cost to run an electric car?
Why should you get a home charger?
If you can have an EV charger at home, it makes life a lot easier in terms of convenience and cost savings. Here are some of the reasons why you should have a home charger.
Ease and convenience
Being able to charge your electric car from the comfort of your own home is the most convenient charging option. Many electric car drivers put their cars on charge at nighttime, so when they wake up they have a full charge to use during the day.
The added benefit of doing this is that you can make full use of the lower energy tariffs at nighttime, due to the demand for energy being lower. Many electric cars also come with the ability to schedule charging via an app, so you can fully optimise when you charge.
Generally, having an EV charger at home will make your life easier because you will have the freedom to charge whenever you like. There are also apps now, like Co Charger, where you can rent your driveway to your neighbours to make the switch to an EV more accessible.
Savings
Paying for a home charger can save, and even, make you money. Having a personal charger means that you decide when you charge (off-peak hours) and how long you charge for. You can find the right charging routine that is the most cost-effective for you.
As mentioned previously, apps like Co Charger mean you can make a small profit when someone uses your EV charger which is a bonus!
Time and efficiency
A dedicated home charger is more efficient to use than a 3-pin plug cable inside your home. Rapid chargers, like the ones you find at motorway services, will charge your car faster but you won’t have to worry about waiting for your car to charge.
Impact on property value
Given the increasing demand for electric cars in the UK and the fact that the sale of internal combustion engine cars will be banned by 2030 - electric cars are the way of the future.
Hence, having a home charger attached to your property can potentially boost your property value significantly. It has been estimated that if your driveway has access to a home charger, the selling price will be 30% more than one without. This is likely to rise as demand for electric cars grows year-on-year.
What should you consider before setting up a home EV charger?
There are several things you should consider before installing a home charger, we have listed the top three things you should bear in mind.
Do you have off-street parking?
To have a home charger, you do need to have off-street parking - like a garage or a driveway. Without off-street parking, alternative methods include using the public charging network or charging at work.
Do I have enough electric capacity to support a home charger?
Almost all homes are capable of supporting an EV charger, but not all homes will support it at the full rate of 32A, whether it be for regulatory reasons, or electrical capacity reasons. Your household electric infrastructure needs to be instructed by a qualified technician so you’re aware of your options. Importantly, both single-phase and three-phase homes are capable of supporting home charging.
How fast can I charge my car at home?
| Types of Chargers | Estimated range per hour | |
|---|---|---|
| 4.6kW (20A) | 23-25km | |
| 5.7kW (25A) | 28-30km | |
| 7.4kW (32A) | 30-35km | |
| 11kW (3 x 16A) | 50-55km | |
| 22kW (3 x 32A) | 100km |
The table above has been taken from JetCharge.com.
How can I get an electric car charger?
There are many electric car home charging companies to choose from. At The Electric Car Scheme, we have partnered with Smart Home Charge, the first major charger installer to be endorsed by Which? Trusted Traders. We have partnered with Smart Home Charge to provide our partners with good quality and great-priced home chargers. If your employer offers The Electric Car Scheme as an employee benefit, you will benefit from saving 30-60% through salary sacrifice on your home charger.
Following a review of the market, and taking into account customer feedback, The Electric Car Scheme offer the Easee One as the charger to include with your car if you need one. The Easee One is a smartly designed, simple-to-use charge point that comes ‘untethered’ – meaning you can connect any electric car charging cable to the unit.
You can learn more about charging your car at home with Smart Home Charge by visiting our dedicated page: Charging your electric car.
What do I do if I don’t have off-street charging?
If you do not have off-street charging available to you, there are plenty of other options available. These include off-street charging, paying to use your neighbour’s charging point, supermarket charging and rapid charging.
The government recently announced an EV chargepoint grant for households with on-street parking, which will make charging and EV adoption more accessible, which is positive. The scheme's primary goal is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicle charge points, particularly for users with on-street parking. Through the EV charge point grant, you can receive a 75% discount on the purchase and installation costs of a socket, capped at a maximum of £350.
You can learn more about The Chargepoint Grant in our blog where eligibility and property requirements are covered.
If you are interested in other charging options available in partnership with The Electric Car Scheme, you can visit our page about Office Charging.
Last updated: 27/03/24
Next update scheduled: 27/09/24
