A home charge point is a dedicated circuit running from your consumer unit to a wall mounted unit, protected and earthed to suit the specific installation. It looks like a small job from the outside, and on a modern house it often is. On older properties, flats and homes with limited spare capacity, the surrounding checks matter far more than the unit itself. This guide walks through what a competent installer looks at, in the order they look at it, so you know what questions to ask before you accept a price.
The supply check comes first
Before anything else, the incoming supply is assessed. The installer needs to know the main fuse rating, the earthing arrangement at the cutout, and the realistic total demand of the property once a charger is added. A typical domestic charge point draws around 32A continuously, which is comparable to an electric shower except that it can run for hours rather than minutes.
Where the main fuse and existing demand cannot comfortably absorb that, the answer is not to guess. Either the charge point is fitted with load management so it reduces its output when the house is drawing heavily, or the supply is upgraded through the network operator. Load management is usually quicker, cheaper and entirely legitimate; a supply upgrade is occasionally unavoidable on older or heavily loaded properties.
Earthing arrangements and why they matter outdoors
Most UK homes use a network earthing arrangement where the earth is provided by the supply cable. Outdoor equipment that you can touch while standing on the ground introduces a specific risk if that supply earth is ever lost. There are two accepted routes: install an earth electrode dedicated to the charge point, or use a charge point with built in protection that disconnects if the earth reference drifts outside safe limits.
Modern units very commonly include that built in protection, which is why the electrode route is now less frequently needed. It is still worth asking which method your installer intends to use, because it affects both the price and the amount of digging in your garden.
Cable route, position and practical living
The physical route from the board to the charge point drives most of the labour cost. A garage directly behind the consumer unit is a short run in trunking. A charge point on the far side of a house, with a driveway between, may need a route through a loft, along a soffit, under a floor or through a duct. Ask to see the proposed route marked out before work starts.
Position the unit for how you actually park. The charging socket on your car may be front right, rear left or centre front, and cables are typically five to seven and a half metres. Mounting the unit where the cable has to be stretched across a walkway creates a trip hazard you will live with every day.
Protection, RCD type and the consumer unit
An EV circuit needs protection suited to the type of fault current an electric vehicle can produce, which is not the same as a lighting circuit. In practice this means either a specific RCD type at the board or a charge point with equivalent protection built in. Your certificate should record which arrangement was used.
If your existing board is full, or is an older unit without modern protection, the installer will either fit a small dedicated enclosure alongside it or recommend a board change. A dedicated enclosure is a perfectly reasonable solution and avoids forcing an unrelated upgrade into the same week.
Notification, certification and paperwork
A new circuit for a charge point is notifiable work. You should receive an electrical installation certificate for the new circuit and confirmation that building control has been notified through the installer's scheme. Keep both with your property documents; they matter at sale and for any warranty claim on the unit.
The manufacturer will usually also register the unit for its own warranty, and many require commissioning data such as earth loop impedance to be submitted. Ask for a copy of the test results, not just a receipt.
Smart features worth having
Scheduled charging is the feature that pays for itself, because it lets you charge on an off peak tariff without remembering to plug in at a particular hour. Solar diversion is worth having only if you already have panels and a meaningful export surplus during the day.
Tethered units, with the cable permanently attached, are more convenient day to day. Untethered sockets are tidier, less prone to cable damage and easier to replace if a cable is cut or worn. Neither is technically superior.
- Scheduled and off peak charging control
- Load management to protect the main fuse
- Solar surplus diversion where panels are fitted
- App or key based access control on shared driveways
What can make a job more complicated
Listed buildings, shared driveways, flats with communal supplies and detached garages on a separate submain all add steps. None are barriers, but they change the survey. A detached garage fed by an old submain, for example, may need that submain replaced before it can carry a charge point at all.
- Detached garages on undersized or unknown submains
- Shared parking with no clear allocation of a supply
- Consumer units that are full or obsolete
- Long cable routes crossing finished rooms
Living with it
Once commissioned, a charge point needs almost no attention beyond keeping the cable clear of the ground and checking the enclosure after storms. Test the built in protective device periodically using its own test button, in the same way you would test an RCD at the consumer unit. If the unit reports a fault through its app, note the code before power cycling it, because the code is what tells an engineer whether the issue is the vehicle, the unit or the supply.
Common questions
- How long does installation take?
- A straightforward installation is usually half a day. Long cable routes, board changes or an earth electrode can extend it to a full day.
- Can I install a charge point myself?
- No. It is a new circuit and notifiable work, and it must be certified by a competent person.
- Will my main fuse cope?
- Often yes, especially with load management. The installer checks the fuse rating and existing demand as part of the survey.
- Do I need a new consumer unit?
- Not always. A dedicated enclosure beside the existing board is common where the board is full but otherwise sound.
- Tethered or untethered?
- Tethered is more convenient, untethered is tidier and easier to replace. Both are safe and compliant.
Thinking about a home charge point? We survey the supply first and tell you honestly whether it is a simple job or not.
Related guides
- What a Home EV Charger Installation CostsThe unit is a fixed price. Everything around it is where quotes diverge.
- EV Charging for Flats and Shared DrivewaysThe electrical problem is usually simple. The ownership and metering questions are the hard part.
- Do I Actually Need a Consumer Unit Upgrade?An old board is not automatically a dangerous board, but some of them genuinely are.