With around 80% of electric vehicle (EV) drivers charging their cars at home, installing a home charging point is evidently worthwhile! But what is a home charging point and what are the perks of installing an EV charger? Read on to find out more.
What is an EV home charging point?
Similar to topping up the battery life for your EV from a public charging station, a home charging point simply involves charging your car from the comfort of your own home.
You can charge your electric vehicle from your home via one of two ways:
- By making use of the slow charger provided with the EV. This process uses a standard 3-pin plug to take power from your domestic supply.
- Installing a wall charging point on the side of your house or in a garage. This standalone EV charger is wired directly into your domestic electricity supply.
What are the key differences between a slow charger and home EV Charger?
- Using a standard 3-pin plug can take over 24 hours to fully charge your EV whereas a home charging point is able to deliver faster charging times in a safe and reliable manner.
- A home wall charging point does not require various cables running through the house. An EV can be easily and quickly plugged into the externally mounted charging point.
- Different types of home wall chargers can be purchased, including fast charging units and ‘smart’ units giving you extra features! For example, Smart units, can be programmed remotely to charge your electric car at certain times.
- A professional electrician would be required to install a home charging unit.
What are the key benefits of having a home EV Charger installed?
1. Convenience.
Topping up your electric vehicle at home is a stress free perk of EV ownership. By installing a home EV charger you have more control over when you can charge your car and for how long. Gone are the days of having to leave early for work to fuel up. Or having to use your Satnav to find the closet petrol station. Now, you can simply charge your car outside your front door.
Compared to the standard public chargers, home EV Chargers charge a lot quicker! It typically takes 4 to 6 hours to fully charge an electric car using a Level 2 charger (mounted wall chargers that possess around 240 charging volts). With home EV charging there is no waiting around a public charging point for hours. You can simply leave your car plugged in overnight while you sleep and wake up to a fully charged car!
2. Saftey.
Keeping your EV at home is safer for both you and your car. Charging your EV in a public space can take a while (as previously mentioned). While your EV is topping up at a public location such as a parking lot, your vehicle is exposed to risks including theft, vandalisation and to the natural elements such as hailstorms. Topping up your Electric vehicle in the comfort of your own home helps avoid all these potential dangers.
3. Charge your Car From Green Energy.
Modern home charging points, are compatible with renewable energy sources such as Solar PV or Wind Energy. This means instead of paying for dirty energy from the grid, you can charge your EV on your surplus green energy! As long as you have a system installed of course. Charging your electric car at home with solar or wind power is one of the most cost-saving and green solutions available. Nonetheless, if you don’t have a renewable energy system installed there is no need to worry. There are other ways to reduce your carbon footprint. With a home EV charger the power is in your hands, and you can choose a green energy tariff to provide power to your home and your EV!
4. Boost your property's Value.
With over 200,000 electric car owners in the UK, having an EV Charger installed can be an attractive addition for any potential home buyers. It is expected that an EV-ready driveway will see an average of £11.7k added to the average UK house’s value. The fact that this premium is far more than the cost of installing a home charging point makes home charging even more enticing.
5. Save and Earn by CHarging at home.
By installing a home charging station you can have access to cheaper charging. With the ability to choose when you charge and for how long, you can charge your car during cheaper off-peak hours. When electricity prices are at their lowest. Furthermore, by renting out your EV charger through Peer-to-Peer (P2P) charging schemes you can actually make money from owning a home EV charger.
6. Hassle free.
The process of installing a home charging point is totally easy. Installing a charging point on your driveway is permitted development and does not require planning permission in most cases. Finding an EV installer is simple too! For example Deege Solar are OLEV approved installers, trained to install several of the leading brand’s EV Chargers.
Get an EV Charger installed today
To finalise, installing a home EV charger is an overall great investment. Not only suitable for homes, but businesses, universities and communities too.
You can get an home charging point installed in the UK if you:
- Own the property, or you have permission from your landlord
- Have your own off-street parking
- Have a WiFi connection at home
If you meet the criteria above and are interested in having an electric car charging point installed please get in touch with team Deege Solar. We install EV Chargers on a Nationwide scale in the UK, and provide free consultations.
