Installing a electric charging port at home

QrizB

Per the current tariffs at https://octopus.energy/tariffs/ , Go is 9.5p/kWh off-peak rather than 8p and five hours not six but otherwise identical.

The extra 1.5p means born_again would have paid an additional £4.39 in April. I don't know what effect the shorter off-peak period would have had, but at least some of the off-peak use would have moved to the daytime rate. If 6kWh moved (200Wh a day), that's a further £1.20.

So let's say that IOG saved them £5.59 in April. If that same saving applies year-round, it would be £68 a year.

Reed_Richards

So a saving of £68 a year versus Go but about £900 extra (compared to a granny charger) for a wallbox charger compatible with IOG. That means after a bit more than 13 years the IOG-compatible wallbox charger would have paid for itself.

The trouble is that we have no idea how the tariffs will change, even over the next twelve months. Nor do we know how the requirements placed on chargers will change. Maybe a bidirectional charger (and permission to suck some charge out of your car when necessary) will be the next thing to give you the cheapest rate for charging?

QrizB

So a saving of £68 a year versus Go but about £900 extra (compared to a granny charger) for a wallbox charger compatible with IOG.

If born_again has one of the 99%+ of homes that lacks a suitable BS1363-2 EV-rated socket, though, the cost difference will be less than £900.

I have no real idea what an electrician would charge to install such a socket, but it might be £2-300?

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81985955#Comment_81985955

Sorry but if you can not notice that even charging as little as 20kWh over a month makes IOG cheaper than the variable tariff, not sure how much clearer it needs to be.

So a saving of £68 a year versus Go but about £900 extra (compared to a granny charger) for a wallbox charger compatible with IOG. That means after a bit more than 13 years the IOG-compatible wallbox charger would have paid for itself.

Not how I would work out repayment period. Payback is in your reduction in fuel costs between ICE & electric. Which for me was 9 months.

But there is no price on convivence & time. I would still be needing to add further charge on daughters car with a granny, rather than it being finished overnight.

I could also factor in increase in house value.

Our electric bill is the same a month now, as it was pre 2 EV's.

Reed_Richards

one of the 99%+ of homes that lacks a suitable BS1363-2 EV-rated socket

Is that a real number @QrizB? Does "homes" include flats and other dwellings that aren't on the ground floor?

I would have thought that the harder and therefore more expensive it is to install the outdoor socket, the correspondingly harder and more expensive it is to install the charge point? So wouldn't the price of installing either increase by about the same amount depending on difficulty?

A better counter to my contention would be to point out that you can buy an Indra Smart Pro charger for about £400, it would seem. If that costs about the same to fit as the BS1363-2 EV-rated socket then the difference is only £300 instead of the £900 I have been stating. Although any charge point requires a DNO application, doesn't it? Presumably that adds to the installation cost?

Reed_Richards

Not how I would work out repayment period. Payback is in your reduction in fuel costs between ICE & electric. Which for me was 9 months.

@born_again paid back the cost of their wallbox charger in 9 months based on the saving over fuelling an ICE vehicle. I paid back the cost of my granny charger in under 1 month on that basis. Which is better?

born_again

You miss several points. What works for you does not work for others.

A granny would never work for us. Even on our low usage.🤷‍♀️ 20kWh a month & IOG saves you money over variable 🤷‍♀️

A new external BS approved socket, would require a new consumer unit in the house (no space) so our cost would be far more than the £200 I mentioned before. Where the charger is wired directly into the meter box & does not require the consumer unit touching.

Shall we just agree to disagree then.

Cornucopia

It's no more a "one size fits all" than Petrol vs. Diesel.

People need to run their own numbers - all the info they need is out there, and most of it is mentioned on this thread.

When I first got my EV, I did a rough estimate using my Smart meter, and 70% of my electricity usage was home EV charging - getting an EV tariff was a no-brainer.

Heedtheadvice

Undoubtedly a simple granny charger is cheaper than a more complex wall box smart charger. Even factoring in the additional cost of an IP rated exterior socket- the wall box needs pro installation under the regs and that is more costly too. In England and Wales the exterior socket needs to be pro installed too under the regs ( as a new installation ) though I bet some will DIY/bodge it!

It should be noted that some EVs are now no longer supplied with a granny charger as standard so will need to be paid for.

I guess the total difference is typically about £1000 overall between granny and full charger though prices can vary considerably.

The only advantage of a granny is cost IMHO.

There are several disadvantages such as:

Potential overheating at the mains socket. It is unlikely that the charger itself will go on fire.

A bit more plugging and unplugging ( which is really minor.

On ground equipment ( usually just trailing cable/ charger ) so very little protection in cases of flooding whereas will mounted chargers have to be at height.

Increased risk of car bodywork being at an elevated voltage ( depending upon grid/property earthing method) under fault conditions. Many wall boxes have built in protection via internal RCD and protective earth checking.

No provision for smart reduced charging power though this matters little given low current in use.

No smart interfacing to allow, for example, most efficient use of power.

Very slow charging rate. Mostly that is not an issue when very low mileage EV use or regular short journeys in use when charging can be planned well in advance. Becomes more of an issue when journeys approach EV range and turn around between journeys from home are short. A considerable charge level can take 24 or more hours.

So it all depends on individual circumstances especially if you are unlucky enough to need frequent high cost public chargers.

For me the smart features and extra safety swung it. I would not accept a safety argument that 'I have not had an issue' is valid. Buying a cheap poor granny charger can add to the risk too.

The likely hood of a risk materialising is low but the impact should the worst occur is very significant.

Qyburn

In England and Wales the exterior socket needs to be pro installed too under the regs ( as a new installation ) though I bet some will DIY/bodge it!

Installation of an outside socket connected to an existing circuit is notifiable in Wales but not England.