[BillTheButcher]

Hello,

As mentioned here, I'm in the process of getting quotes for a home charger installation. While I wait for replies from local installers, I'd appreciate some advice...

Knowing as little as I do about such things, I'm extremely wary of being ripped off so I'd really appreciate some guidance about which companies you lot would currently recommend.

(I've checked the usual review sites and, as usual, there's a fairly mixed bag.)

The ones that keep popping up in searches are:
PodPoint
BP Chargemaster
Smart Home Charge

Are they generally trustworthy/competent? Are there any others that you'd recommend?

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[dk6780]

It's all down to the luck of the draw, particularly as some use contractors as well as their staff. You need to know what you want and how it should be done. I'd suggest getting a local installer recommended by others. Where in the country are you?

 

[Jrtev]

Depends what you want in all honesty.

Cost?
Design?
Solar?

If I'm running it from a garage DB I want it with o-pen incorporated in the unit I also want a adaptive fuse.

Do you want a app that tracks your usage? WiFi connection important?

 

[BillTheButcher]

It's all down to the luck of the draw, particularly as some use contractors as well as their staff. You need to know what you want and how it should be done. I'd suggest getting a local installer recommended by others. Where in the country are you?

I'm waiting for a quote from a local installer at the moment. I'm just exploring all of my options.

I'm in Oxfordshire.

Depends what you want in all honesty.

Cost?
Design?
Solar?

If I'm running it from a garage DB I want it with o-pen incorporated in the unit I also want a adaptive fuse.

Do you want a app that tracks your usage? WiFi connection important?

An app would be useful but not essential. The same for a WiFi connection.

Solar: not applicable.

Design: the priority is simplicity and reliability. I don't mind paying for something decent but, for example, I'm locked into a fixed tariff for the next 12 months so the ability to use variable rate charging isn't important.

 

[AndyN]

Hi, Had quotes from 4 "local" installers andit was my preferred option when starting out however 2 of them were the most expensive of the 11 quotes I had and 1 of them was double what I eventually paid. I went with homezap which came via gocharged from this very site. Excellent install by Intelligent Electrics.
I don't think the local guys can buy the equipment at prices to compete with the national companies.

 

[EVCC]

Hi I work for the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code for Home Chargepoints. We launched last year and you can find information on the code at www.electric-vehicle.org.uk. We are a non for profit who run other codes and schemes too including the Chartered Trading Standards approved code RECC. EVCC raises standards for installers of home chargepoints and is there to protect consumers. Should you choose an EVCC member then they must comply with our standards which apply to sales, the contract, cancellation rights, after sales etc. We also have a dispute resolution service.

Our current members are listed on our website. If you are worried about being ripped off we might have some guidance for you or if you go with an EVCC member then the installer should provide you with certain protections.

Good luck with you chargepoint install.
Lorraine EVCC

 

[Jimbobbly]

Hello,

As mentioned here, I'm in the process of getting quotes for a home charger installation. While I wait for replies from local installers, I'd appreciate some advice...

Knowing as little as I do about such things, I'm extremely wary of being ripped off so I'd really appreciate some guidance about which companies you lot would currently recommend.

(I've checked the usual review sites and, as usual, there's a fairly mixed bag.)

The ones that keep popping up in searches are:
PodPoint
BP Chargemaster
Smart Home Charge

Are they generally trustworthy/competent? Are there any others that you'd recommend?

Thank you very much in advance.

I initially went with Podpoint as they were Peugeot’s recommendation.
Payment was required before any indication of installation time was offered (which should have rung alarm bells).
No communication from them, unless initiated by me, and almost impossible to get someone to speak to.
So I’ve cancelled and I’m awaiting a refund.
Have now gone with Homezap, who have some good reviews, and have an installation date committed to before requiring payment.

 

[SM0]

Similar experience here. Went with Andersen as they appeared to provide premium service. They took my money up front, promised max 6 week to install, and all subsequent communication has had to be instigated by me chasing up. Now into tenth week.

 

[Forty_Two]

Hello,
Knowing as little as I do about such things, I'm extremely wary of being ripped off so I'd really appreciate some guidance about which companies you lot would currently recommend.

I am in the same position as you. Only electricians on the G'ment list of approved installers can claim for the grant and people being what they are, notwithstanding that it is your Grant, the Government grant is for YOU, the installer believes it is his, so his starting point is - that's my £350 for filling the form in and then I'll charge £xxx for fixing the charger to the wall and plugging it in. They know you've got to choose from that list and they will keep pushing up their fee until you and I refuse to pay. I am writing to Boris to ask him to stop the grant as it isn't reaching the consumer. And, I am researching just how difficult it is (or not) to install it myself..

.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electric-vehicle-homecharge-scheme-authorised-installers

 

[oldwelshgit]

I am in the same position as you. Only electricians on the G'ment list of approved installers can claim for the grant and people being what they are, notwithstanding that it is your Grant, the Government grant is for YOU, the installer believes it is his, so his starting point is - that's my £350 for filling the form in and then I'll charge £xxx for fixing the charger to the wall and plugging it in. They know you've got to choose from that list and they will keep pushing up their fee until you and I refuse to pay. I am writing to Boris to ask him to stop the grant as it isn't reaching the consumer. And, I am researching just how difficult it is (or not) to install it myself..

.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electric-vehicle-homecharge-scheme-authorised-installers

HMMM..yeah..dont know why i bother but go ahead.. he may read it before it ends in MARCH 2022..

 

[Jeremy Harris]

And, I am researching just how difficult it is (or not) to install it myself..

If you wish to install a charge point yourself, then in addition to being competent and understanding the relevant parts of the wiring regs (specifically Section 722 that covers charge point installations) then all you need is to have access to the required test gear (at a bare minimum gear that can measure voltage, low resistance continuity, insulation resistance, earth loop impedance and RCD trip times and trip current). In order to be able to complete the safety testing you will also need access to a vehicle test box, so that the charge point can be turned on to enable the functional and live testing (without this there is no easy and safe way to turn the charge point on to do these tests).

To comply with the law, you will need to make a building regulations inspection application to your local building control body, requesting that they inspect the installation for compliance with part P of the building regs (fully qualified electricians are usually members of Part P bodies that allow them to do this inspection and lodge the certificate). You will also need to get your DNO to upgrade your main fuse, as it is only 60 A I think (from another post here). When the work is completed you will need to notify the DNO that a charge point has been installed - there's often an online process to do this, but it may not be open for consumers to use, so that may mean finding some other way to do this.

 

[Forty_Two]

If you wish to install a charge point yourself,

I would prefer not to install it myself but I find it very difficult to accept being ripped off and whilst I understand that all the electricians on here believe that their 3 year apprenticeship deserves £500 for half a day of their time - I do not. It is simply (as was said earlier) market forces which comes down to the price goes up and up and up until the market refuses to pay (and in this case resorts to DIY)

 

[GarryL]

I just had my Indra Smart Pro installed by Matt of Severn Sparks in Gloucestershire. It was a reasonably straightforward installation in my case, although did require a mini CU to be fitted outside the meter box. The cost to me was the cost of the unit, so the grant effectively went to Matt. I think that's fair enough really -- although it was only a few hours work on site, there's the travel, communication, prep, and form filling to be done.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

I would prefer not to install it myself but I find it very difficult to accept being ripped off and whilst I understand that all the electricians on here believe that their 3 year apprenticeship deserves £500 for half a day of their time - I do not. It is simply (as was said earlier) market forces which comes down to the price goes up and up and up until the market refuses to pay (and in this case resorts to DIY)

I don't know of anyone that charges £500 for half a day. I only know of a couple of people that charge that per day, and they are both in central London, where their operating costs are way higher than here (van parking, for example, can cost upwards of £50/day there). Here the going rate is probably closer to £250/day to £300/day.

Whilst I tend to agree that the market is driving prices up, that seems mainly to be related to an excess of demand over supply. The electrical industry has had loads of extra work coming in over the past couple of years - I know of a chap locally that literally spent a year doing little more than landlord EICRs, for example. Changes in the law led to there being a massive increase in EICR work, and that then translated into a lot of remedial work. The boom in EVs has then created a demand for charge point installations, both domestic and at workplaces, hotels, etc.

The net result has been that prices have gone up, because the bottom line is that prices always rise when there is greater demand than supply.

 

[dk6780]

Don't forget the three year onsite warranty that the installer has to provide as part of the OZEV grant. A lot got badly burnt by their experience with Rolec where they took a lot of flack from customers and had to make repeat visits.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Don't forget the three year onsite warranty that the installer has to provide as part of the OZEV grant. A lot got badly burnt by their experience with Rolec where they took a lot of flack from customers and had to make repeat visits.

Very good point. Over 90% of the repair/remedial work I've done over the past few years has been dealing with Rolec failures . . .

 

[Forty_Two]

Here's an example of what I (the end user / the customer) is up against. This morning Octopus came and installed smart meters (elec and gas) and in doing so he changed some tails and re-attached the earth bond to the new gas meter. I looked up local electricians and asked for a quote to (simply) replace the CU and the mains on/off switch. Note: I use the word simply because my quote request makes no mention of installing an EV charger. The first reply back I got is a quote for that work and additional work included new tails and earth bonding. I replied back - that work was done this morning by Octopus - he replied back - not good needs re-doing.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

FWIW, the CPC is still under-sized. The gas bond looks as if it's OK, the issue is with the CPC from the main earth terminal, it's way smaller than it should be. Nothing to do with the installer that Octopus uses, meters don't have any connection to the CPC/PE, so their work is fine. Their responsibility stops at the tails coming from the meter, though, anything on the consumer side of that point is the consumer's responsibility, anything on the DNO side is the DNOs responsibility.