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An EV charger installation from Faithful Spark takes 3 to 5 hours and leaves your property with a fully certified, grid compliant charging point. But the steps you take before the installer arrives have a direct bearing on how smoothly the day goes and how quickly you drive away with a full battery. This checklist covers the 10 things every Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire homeowner should do before their EV charger installation appointment.
1. Locate your consumer unit and check access
The EV charger circuit runs from a dedicated breaker in your consumer unit (fuse board) to the parking location. The electrician needs clear, unobstructed access to your consumer unit to install the new breaker and run the cabling. Before the install day:
- Clear any stored items from around or in front of the consumer unit. Many Aberdeen homes have consumer units in under stair cupboards or utility rooms that accumulate clutter over time.
- Make sure the consumer unit door can be fully opened without obstruction. A consumer unit that cannot be fully opened adds time to the job.
- If you have a second distribution board in a garage or outbuilding, note its location and make sure the electrician knows about it at the survey stage.
If you are not certain where your consumer unit is, check the area near your electricity meter. In Scottish homes the meter and consumer unit are often together in a hallway cupboard, utility room, or on the ground floor near the front or rear of the property.
2. Decide on the charger location and clear the wall
You will have agreed a charger position at the survey, but before the installer arrives it is worth revisiting that location physically. Ensure the agreed wall area is clear of any items that were not there at the survey: a new shelving unit, a bicycle, or a stored bin in front of the intended mounting position can add time to the job and occasionally requires rescheduling.
If the charger is going on an external wall, check whether any guttering, pipework, or meter tails run close to the agreed mounting position. These are not necessarily barriers but the installer needs to know about them. A quick photo of the wall and the surrounding area taken on the morning of the install and sent to us avoids surprises.
3. Note where the cable will need to run
The cable from the consumer unit to the charger location passes through the fabric of the property. On the day of the install, the electrician follows the route agreed at survey. Before the day arrives, make sure that route is accessible:
- If the cable passes through a garage, clear a path along the walls where the cable will be run in trunking or conduit.
- If the route passes through a loft space, ensure the loft hatch is accessible.
- If the cable exits through an exterior wall, confirm there are no recent additions to the outside of the property (a newly installed planter, trellis, or CCTV camera at the planned exit point) that were not present at the survey.
4. Check your broadband and WiFi reaches the charger location
Smart EV chargers require a WiFi connection to communicate with their app platform. If your WiFi router is at the front of the house and the charger is going on the rear wall or in a garage 15 metres away, the WiFi signal may be marginal or absent at the charger location. Check the signal strength on your phone at the proposed charger position before the install date.
If the signal is weak, a WiFi extender or mesh network access point positioned near the charger location is the easiest fix. These cost £25 to £60 + VAT and can be set up before the electrician arrives. Installing the charger with a confirmed WiFi connection on the day means the commissioning and app setup can be completed in one visit without a return trip.
5. Download the charger app in advance
Every smart charger we install has an associated app: myenergi for the Zappi, the Ohme app for the Ohme Home Pro, and the Easee app for the Easee One. Download the relevant app on your phone before the install date and create an account. The installer will pair your charger to your account during commissioning and walk you through the initial setup. Having the app already installed and the account already created saves 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the job and means you leave the install day with a fully configured system rather than a partially completed setup.
6. Confirm your energy tariff plans
If you are planning to switch to a dedicated EV electricity tariff (Octopus Go, Intelligent Octopus, EDF GoElectric, or similar) to take advantage of the cheap overnight rates, the switch process takes 4 to 6 weeks. Starting the switch as soon as you have confirmed your install date means your cheap overnight rate will likely be active by the time you plug in for the first time. Waiting until after the charger is installed delays your savings by 4 to 6 weeks unnecessarily.
If you are moving to Intelligent Octopus and want full smart scheduling through the Ohme charger, you will need your Octopus API key at commissioning. This is available in the Octopus online account under Account Settings. Note it down before the install day so you can enter it into the Ohme app during setup.
7. Notify your home insurer
Adding a permanently wired electrical installation to your property is a material change that some home insurance policies require you to notify. Check your policy wording or call your insurer before the install date. Most insurers are straightforward about EV charger additions: they may add a note to the policy and confirm that a certified NICEIC install meets their requirements. An uncertified install is a different matter and can create coverage gaps, which is one of the reasons NICEIC certification matters.
The Electrical Installation Certificate that Faithful Spark issues at the end of every job is the document your insurer will ask to see if they want evidence of compliance.
8. Check whether factor or planning consent is needed
For flat owners and tenement property owners in Aberdeen, factor or freeholder consent may be required before an EV charger can be installed. This is a legal step that needs to be completed before the install day, not on the day itself. If Faithful Spark has identified a consent requirement at the survey and you have not yet received written confirmation from your factor, contact them to chase the approval before the install date.
Similarly, if your property is in a conservation area or is a listed building, any required planning or Listed Building Consent should be confirmed in writing before the install proceeds. We flag these requirements at survey and can guide you through the process. For a full overview, see our guide on planning permission for EV chargers in Scotland.
9. Have your vehicle documentation ready for grant paperwork
Some OZEV grant schemes require confirmation that you own or have ordered an eligible plug in vehicle. The relevant documentation is typically a copy of the vehicle’s V5C registration certificate, a purchase agreement, or a lease agreement. If you have ordered a vehicle but it has not yet been delivered, the order confirmation document usually suffices. Having this to hand on the install day means the grant application paperwork can be completed in one go.
Faithful Spark handles the grant application on your behalf and will tell you exactly which documents are needed for your specific situation before the install date. For a full overview of what grants are available, see our guide on EV charger grants in Scotland for 2026.
10. Make sure someone is home for the full installation window
EV charger installations take 3 to 5 hours on a standard domestic property. A complex install (older consumer unit, long cable run, listed property) may run to a full day. Plan for someone to be available at the property for the full installation window. The electrician needs access to the consumer unit and the parking location throughout, and will need to turn off the main supply briefly at the point of connecting the new circuit.
Pets should be secured away from the working areas, particularly from the consumer unit location and the cable route. Working with an anxious dog or cat in the way creates risk and slows the job. Children should similarly be kept clear of the working zone during the installation.
At the end of the install, the electrician will commission the charger, connect it to your WiFi, set up the app, run a test charge cycle, and walk you through the operation before leaving. Budget 15 to 20 minutes at the end of the day for this handover. If you have questions about charging schedules, tariff setup, or solar diversion modes, this is the right time to ask them.
What to expect on the day itself
A standard Faithful Spark install follows this sequence:
- Arrival and walkthrough. The electrician confirms the cable route, charger position, and any on the day changes with you before starting work. Takes 5 to 10 minutes.
- Consumer unit work. The new 32A circuit protection is installed. The main supply will be briefly off during this step. We give you a heads up before switching off.
- Cable installation. The cable is run from the consumer unit to the charger location via the agreed route. Depending on the complexity of the cable run, this is typically the longest single step in the installation.
- Charger mounting and connection. The charger unit is fixed to the wall, the cable is terminated, and all connections are torqued to specification.
- Testing and commissioning. The circuit is tested against BS 7671 requirements, the charger is powered up, WiFi is connected, and a test charge confirms the installation is working correctly.
- Certification and handover. The Electrical Installation Certificate is completed and emailed to you. Building Standards notification is filed through NICEIC. You receive a walkthrough of the charger operation and app.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be present the whole time?
Yes, ideally. The electrician needs access to different parts of the property at different stages of the install. While you do not need to watch the work throughout, you should be available to answer any questions that arise (for example, if a cable route issue is discovered mid job) and to be present for the final commissioning and handover.
What if the consumer unit is too old or too full?
If a consumer unit upgrade is needed, Faithful Spark identifies this at the survey and includes it in the quote. If the issue only becomes apparent on the install day (which is uncommon but does occasionally happen), we will discuss the options with you and confirm any additional cost before proceeding. We do not carry out additional work without your agreement.
Can I get the charger installed before my EV arrives?
Yes. Some homeowners install the charger weeks before their car is delivered, particularly if there is a long lead time on the vehicle order. The charger will sit ready on the wall, connected to your supply, waiting for the car. When the EV arrives, you simply plug in. No further visit is needed.
Will the install create much disruption inside the house?
The level of internal disruption depends on the cable route. An install where the cable runs externally and directly between the consumer unit and the parking location has minimal internal impact. A cable route that passes through rooms, under floors, or through the loft will involve more internal access. We discuss the route at survey and agree on a minimal impact approach before the install date.
What do I receive at the end of the install?
You receive: the Electrical Installation Certificate emailed to you on the day, confirmation of the Building Standards notification filed through NICEIC, the charger commissioned and connected to your WiFi and app, a walkthrough of the charger operation, and the manufacturer’s warranty documentation. The Faithful Spark 12 month workmanship warranty covers the installation itself.
Book your EV charger installation
If you have not yet had your survey, get in touch. Faithful Spark surveys are free, cover all 10 checklist points above, and result in a written, fixed price quote within 48 hours. Serving Aberdeen, Peterhead, Ellon, Fraserburgh, and the wider Aberdeenshire area.
Faithful Spark Electricians. NICEIC approved. OZEV listed. Local Aberdeen team. Serving Aberdeen, Peterhead, Ellon, Fraserburgh and across Aberdeenshire.
