Last updated 7 October 2026
The main benefits of a home EV charger are cheaper charging on an off peak tariff, a full battery every morning without visiting a public charger, and a safer, faster connection than a three pin plug. A 7.4kW smart charger costs £900 to £1,300 + VAT to install with us. If you rent or own a flat with private off street parking, the government chargepoint grant can take up to £500 off; most homeowners with a driveway cannot claim it.
This guide covers what you gain, what it costs, who can get the grant and how the running cost maths works out. For how the charger itself is wired and how smart charging links to your tariff, see our guide to how a home EV charging point works.
The benefits of charging at home
- Lower cost per mile. On a time of use tariff the car charges overnight at the off peak rate rather than the standard daytime rate. The worked example below shows the size of the gap.
- A full battery every morning. You plug in when you get home and the charger finishes the job overnight. No detours, queues or waiting at a public charger.
- Faster and safer than a three pin plug. A 7.4kW charger on its own protected circuit replaces long, heavy loads on a household socket, and includes the DC fault and open PEN protection that EV charging needs under BS 7671.
- Smart control. Every new home charger in Great Britain must be smart by law, so you can schedule charging, check costs in an app and, on many units, link the schedule to your tariff.
- Ready for solar. Every charger we fit is solar ready, so it can charge from your own panels when you add them.
What a home charger will not do
Honest limits matter as much as the benefits. A home charger does not help if you have no off street parking. It does not make the car charge faster than its own on board charger allows. And we know of no reliable evidence on how much, if anything, a charger adds to the value of a house in the North East, so we do not count it as a benefit.
What a home EV charger costs to install
A standard 7.4kW smart charger, fully installed, costs £900 to £1,300 + VAT with us. We also offer two fixed price packages.
| Package | Chargers | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart, 7.4kW | Ohme Home Pro or TeltoCharge | from £995 + VAT | App scheduling, tariff control, cable run up to 15 metres, 3 year warranty |
| Premium, 7.4kW solar ready | Hypervolt Home 3 Pro or myenergi Zappi | from £1,195 + VAT | Solar surplus charging, load management, voice control, cable run up to 15 metres, 3 year warranty |
Cable runs beyond 15 metres, consumer unit upgrades and earthing upgrades are chargeable extras, quoted after the survey. Where the consumer unit needs replacing as part of the job, a consumer unit upgrade bundled with an EV charger is £750 to £1,000 + VAT. Our consumer unit replacement in Aberdeen page explains when a board needs changing.
The EV chargepoint grant: who can claim it
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) runs the EV chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners. From 1 April 2026 it pays 75% of the cost of buying and installing a chargepoint socket, up to a maximum of £500, and the schemes are funded until 31 March 2027.
| Your situation | Can you claim? |
|---|---|
| You own and live in a flat, with a private off street parking space | Yes, if the other conditions are met |
| You rent any residential property and have private off street parking | Yes, with written permission from your landlord |
| You own and live in a house with a driveway | No, unless the house is converted into flats and you live in one of them |
| You are a lodger in a home where the owner lives | No |
| You are moving house, or have claimed the grant before | No |
You also need an eligible vehicle (owned, on order, or leased or used as a work vehicle for at least 6 months), and the parking space must be off street, private, clearly defined and accessible to you at all times. You need proof of your right to use it, such as permission from the freeholder of a block of flats.
How the grant is claimed
- Get a dated quote from an OZEV authorised installer. Ours is EVHS/WCS14254.
- Gather your permissions: from your landlord, freeholder or property manager, and from the council if the building is listed.
- Apply online with the quote, a utility bill in your name at the address and your tenancy agreement if you rent.
- Once OZEV approves the application, we fit the charger and claim the grant on your behalf. It is paid to the installer, so you pay the balance.
Because the grant is 75% capped at £500, any quote above about £667 receives the full £500. On our Smart package at £995 + VAT (£1,194 in total), an eligible renter would pay £694.
Other schemes and what they mean in the North East
- Landlords can claim up to £500 per socket through a separate landlord scheme.
- On street parking: a separate £500 grant exists for households installing a cross pavement solution, such as a charging channel. In the city, Aberdeen City Council’s EV charging FAQ currently says a charging cable cannot run across a public pavement, so check with the council first. In the shire, any cable or channel across a public footway needs Aberdeenshire Council’s permission.
- Scottish funding: the Energy Saving Trust domestic chargepoint funding in Scotland was limited to rural, remote and island households under an income cap and is currently closed. Do not plan around it.
Running cost maths: home charging on an off peak tariff
Ofgem’s price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 puts the average electricity unit rate at 26.32p per kWh for people paying by Direct Debit across England, Scotland and Wales. There is no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Off peak EV tariffs charge less overnight; Ohme’s own comparison uses 8p per kWh for smart overnight charging. Use your own tariff rates in place of these.
| Example | At 26.32p per kWh (price cap average) | At 8p per kWh (illustrative off peak) |
|---|---|---|
| Adding 40kWh in one overnight session | £10.53 | £3.20 |
| Charging 2,000kWh at home over a year | £526.40 | £160.00 |
On those assumptions, moving 2,000kWh a year to the off peak rate saves £366.40 a year. Against a Smart package at £1,194 including VAT, that is a payback of a little over three years from tariff savings alone, before any grant. Drive more and it pays back sooner; drive less and it takes longer. To work out your own figure, take the kWh you add each year from the car’s app and multiply by the difference between your peak and off peak rates.
Two cautions. Off peak tariffs usually charge a higher rate outside the cheap window, so check what the rest of your household use will cost. And the 2,000kWh figure is an assumption for the example, not an average.
Is a home charger worth it for you?
- Usually worth it if you have off street parking, drive most days and can move charging to an off peak tariff.
- Worth checking first if your consumer unit is old or full, your supply is looped with a neighbour, or the parking space is far from the board. These add cost, which the survey will price.
- Not workable yet if you only have on street parking in Aberdeen city, because the council currently says a cable cannot cross the pavement.
For a fixed written price, see our EV charger installation in Aberdeen, our EV charger installation across Aberdeenshire, or, if you are near the town, EV charger installation in Ellon.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth installing an EV charger at home?
For most drivers with off street parking, yes. The saving comes from charging at an off peak rate instead of the standard rate, plus the convenience of a full battery every morning. Use the running cost maths above with your own mileage and tariff.
Can I get a grant for an EV charger in Scotland?
Renters and flat owners with private off street parking can claim up to £500 through the OZEV chargepoint grant. Homeowners living in a house generally cannot, and the Scottish Energy Saving Trust funding is currently closed.
How much does it cost to install a home EV charger?
£900 to £1,300 + VAT for a standard 7.4kW smart charger with us, with fixed price packages from £995 + VAT. Long cable runs, consumer unit upgrades and earthing work are quoted separately after a free survey.
Does an EV charger add value to my house?
We know of no reliable figure for the North East, so we do not promise one. A charger is a practical feature for a buyer with an electric car, but buy it for the running cost savings and convenience, not as an investment.
How long does installation take?
Most installs take 3 to 4 hours on the day, with the power off for around 30 minutes while we connect the new circuit.
Can I charge from a normal three pin socket instead?
You can, but it is slow, puts many hours of heavy load on a household socket, and does not give you smart scheduling. A dedicated charger is the safer long term option for daily charging.
Book a free survey
Faithful Spark Electricians is a NICEIC Approved Contractor (620239) and an OZEV authorised installer (EVHS/WCS14254), and a Tesla approved and Evec approved installer for EV chargers. Call 07304 027013 or use our contact page to book a free survey. If you qualify for the grant, we handle the claim.
