EV charger installation and fuse upgrade questions

MWT

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82106484#Comment_82106484

Frustrating as it may be, they will attend and remove the existing 100A fuse and replace it with 80A so you will not be stuck on 60A limits for too long hopefully.

lohr500

Agree. It seems a bit of a farce, but if it gets the increased capacity I need to run everything officially during the off peak period, then it will of been worthwhile.

I have no idea if they will charge me to downgrade their fuse. I hope not.

FreeBear

I have a 60A fuse… The Ohme installer didn't fit the current sensor correctly, so my charger knows nothing about whole house consumption.

MWT

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82106601#Comment_82106601

… that is not a good thing …

FreeBear

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82107409#Comment_82107409

Agreed, not good. But the charger has been off line for a couple of years now and fixing it is not a high priority.

itm2

Just getting back to my OP…UK Power Networks came today and upgraded my main fuse to 100A. They also upgraded the meter tails to 25mm, and confirmed that all of the consumer tails were already 25mm.

I've just been on the phone to UKPN to ask them whether I need to seek their approval before getting the EV charger installed. Their answer really amounted to: "it depends on the installer - they each have a different way of working". Which wasn't what I expected. I also asked the engineer doing the fuse upgrade the same question and he said that I didn't need to seek approval, and that I was now "fully future-proofed".

The installer that has quoted the best price for the EV charger installation so far has not mentioned any contact with UKPN to date. I was thinking I should just give them them the go-ahead to do the work, assuming that "install first, notify later" would be fine.

Any views on the wisdom of that approach?

dunstonh

When our Podpoint was installed, this was the process.

1. A Podpoint engineer came to inspect the site and ascertain the work required. We needed multiple things.
2. Meter tails needed to be upgraded and an isolation switch installed. EDF turned up next day to fit those. That was a bloody miracle.
3. Our own electrician was required to do some modifications to the circuit board and some relay switches.
4. We needed a 100 A fuse to replace the 60 A, and UK Power Networks came out and did that and replaced the cable from the post to the property. 100 A was installed. However, this was before the news that they restrict them to 80 A in most cases now.
5. Once those things were done. The Podpoint installers came back out and installed the Podpoint.

I possibly wouldn't go with Podpoint doing what I know now, although I have not researched alternatives. Podpoint needs a constant and steady Wi-Fi signal. Previously, it was getting a signal, but it was towards the end of the wireless mesh, and occasionally it would temporarily lose signal. When that happened, the Podpoint would automatically start charging. And you don't want it charging during peak hours. We resolved it by getting an extra satellite for the mesh Wi-Fi to ensure that the signal was as steady as it could be

FreeBear

I wouldn't recommend Ohme products - Found their after sales response to any problem in dire need of improvement. They also use a mobile phone signal to phone home - No idea who pays for the sim, but it isn't me. And once the 3G/4G networks get turned off, you have an expensive wall ornament.

Oh, and the transparent plastic panel on the front comes unstuck after a couple of years of being mounted on a South facing wall. The plastic also goes brittle, so needs to be protected from knocks.

lohr500

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82107804#Comment_82107804

There is some useful info on this website, although I don't know if it is accurate or not.

https://upvolt-energy.com/upvolt-blog/ev-charger-installation-requirements-in-the-uk/

It seems to suggest that having pre-approval from the DNO may be a wise move from a house insurance point of view.

Based on the content in the link, I think I would contact your installer and ask about the DNO approval. If they say they will submit the notification after the install, I would ask them for the timeline on that.

And also to confirm that they are registered with a government-authorised competent person scheme and that they will issue a compliance certificate after the installation has been completed.

lohr500

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82106521#Comment_82106521

Northern Powergrid contacted me yesterday to advise that the fuse change to 80 Amps would be free of charge.
They have scheduled a visit for the end of September to carry out a survey and possibly change the fuse at the same time subject to what the survey reveals.

Pod Point are installing the charger on Wednesday next week, so based on the latest Northern Powergrid correspondence I am hoping to convince the installer to set the whole house max load at 80 Amps when doing the commissioning. As the installer will probably pull the main fuse to isolate the mains, he/she will see that there is a 100 Amp fuse in place.

I have access to the Installer App anyway, so if they insist on setting it to 60 Amps and want to charge me for a second visit to set it at 80 Amps once the fuse has been "upgraded", then I may well tweak the setting myself 😊