With around 80% of electric vehicle (EV) users charging their vehicles at home, having a home charging outlet is clearly beneficial! But what exactly is a home charging station, and what are the advantages of installing an EV charger? Continue reading to learn more!
What is an EV Home Charging Station?
A home charging point, like topping up your EV’s battery life at a public charging station, simply includes charging your car from the comfort of your own house.
You have two options for charging your electric vehicle from home:
- Using the slow charger that came with the EV. This procedure draws electricity from your household supply via a regular 3-pin socket.
- Installing a charging station on the exterior of your house or in your garage. This standalone EV charger is hardwired into your home’s power source.
What Are the Primary Advantages of Installing a Home EV Charger?
1. Convenience
Having the ability to charge your electric car at home is a stress-free benefit of EV ownership. Installing a home EV charger gives you greater control over when and how long you can charge your car. Gone are the days when you had to leave work early to fuel up. Or having to use your GPS to find the nearest gas station. You may now charge your automobile just outside your front door.
Home EV Chargers charge much faster than typical public chargers! A Level 2 charger takes typically 4 to 6 hours to completely charge an electric vehicle (mounted wall chargers that possess around 240 charging volts). There is no need to spend hours queuing at a public charging station with home EV charging. Simply leave your car plugged in overnight while sleeping and wake up to a fully charged vehicle!
2. Safety
Public charging stations aren’t always located in safe areas. And if you leave your car plugged in to charge, it is prone to being stolen.
By having a home charging point installed, you can easily protect your car from being stolen. An EV charger plugged into your home’s electricity supply is connected to the primary security system, which will sound an alarm if anyone tries to disconnect the charger.
Public charging stations aren’t always located in safe areas. And there’s always the risk of your car getting stolen while you leave it plugged in.
By having a home charging point enabled, you can easily protect your car from being stolen. An EV charger plugged into your home’s electricity supply is connected to a central security system which will sound an alarm if anyone tries to disconnect the charger.
3. Saving Money
You can save money by installing a home charging point. There is no need to use the petrol station to refuel your car. You will not need to spend money on petrol or diesel to fuel your electric car.
Installing a home EV charger is not a costly task either. You can purchase a standalone home EV charger for as little as £750. You will also benefit from a Government grant if you are eligible, which could cover up to 75% of your installation costs.
4. Help the Environment
When you install a home charging point, you are helping the environment. By using a home charging point, you are no longer using petrol or diesel to fill up and fuel your vehicle. Instead, you will be using clean energy to charge your car. This is a massive step towards reducing carbon emissions, helping our environment and the air we breathe.
5. Boost Your Property Value
Installing a home charging point can also boost the value of your property! There are countless instances in which installing a home EV charger has increased a property’s value. This is because having a home charging point enables the property to appeal to a wider range of buyers. For example, a home charging point means that you can sell your property to an electric car owner and to a buyer who does not have a vehicle.
Conclusion
With such a vast range of benefits, installing a home charging point simply makes sense. It is not a costly task, and the installation process doesn’t require extensive work for the electrician. It is easy to install and benefits the environment. Try a home EV charger and reap the benefits.
Need an electric car charger? Design Electrical is an electrical contractor based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with certification from the NICEIC electrical safety body to provide electrical contract services to domestic, commercial and industrial clients. Contact us today!