Electric car charging points Electrician

Thinking About an EV Charger at Home? Here's Everything You Need to Know Before You Book

gazza — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:06:24 +0000

Thinking About an EV Charger at Home? Here's Everything You Need to Know Before You Book

gazza Fri, 06/19/2026 - 15:06

Switching to electric? A home charge point is one of the best decisions you can make. Here is what the installation involves and what to think about first.

More cars on Bedfordshires driveways are electric every year, and for most EV drivers, home charging is how the vast majority of miles get topped up. A dedicated home charge point is faster, safer, and considerably better for your car and your circuit than using a standard plug. Here is what getting one installed actually involves and what to think about before you go ahead.

Why a standard plug is not good enough

Technically, you can charge an electric vehicle from a standard 13-amp socket, and in an emergency, that is useful. But it is not a sensible day-to-day arrangement.

Charging from a standard plug is slow: 12 hours or more for a meaningful charge on most modern EVs. Plus, it places a sustained, continuous load on a socket and circuit designed for intermittent use, not overnight sessions. Dedicated charge points charge faster and do so on a circuit that is rated for the purpose.

Which type of charger suits most homes?

The vast majority of home installations use a 7kW single-phase unit. This will bring a depleted battery back to full over a typical overnight charge, around six to eight hours for most current EVs. For drivers who cover high daily mileage and need faster turnaround, a 22kW three-phase unit is available but requires three-phase power at the property, which is not standard in most domestic settings. Your electrician can confirm what your property can support.

What the installation involves

Installing a home EV charger is not a plug-and-play job. It is a notifiable electrical installation that must be carried out and certified by a registered electrician. The work
typically involves:

Assessing the consumer unit to confirm it has spare capacity for the dedicated circuit
Running a correctly rated cable from the consumer unit to the charger location
Mounting the charge point unit, usually on an external wall or inside a garage
Testing and commissioning the complete installation
Issuing an Electrical Installation Certificate on completion

All work must comply with the current wiring regulations and Part P of the Building Regulations.

Government grant funding

EV chargepoint grant funding has changed several times in recent years, and the eligibility criteria and available amounts continue to shift. The current position is set
out on gov.uk, and it is worth checking before booking, particularly if you are in a flat or rental property where the eligibility rules differ from a standard owner-occupied house.

Do you need off-street parking?

You do need to be able to park within reasonable cable distance of the charge point location. This is usually a car on a driveway or in a garage, but a wall-mounted unit
with a cable long enough to reach the vehicle is a common and perfectly workable solution even without a garage. What you do not need is off-street parking in the formal planning sense — a drive will do.

Thinking about getting one installed?

I install EV charge points for homeowners across Bedfordshire. Whether you have a clear sense of what you need or you are still working it out, get in touch and I will
give you a no-obligation quote based on your specific setup. Get in touch today!

Electric car charging points

EV Charging

Bedford

What Electrical Work Can You Legally Do Yourself and What Needs a Qualified Electrician?

gazza — Fri, 15 May 2026 11:59:28 +0000

What Electrical Work Can You Legally Do Yourself and What Needs a Qualified Electrician?

gazza Fri, 05/15/2026 - 12:59

Some electrical jobs are fine to do yourself. Others are legally restricted to qualified electricians. Here is how to tell the difference before you start.

There is a common assumption that all electrical work in a home requires a qualified electrician. There is an equally common counter-assumption that you can do
whatever you like if you know what you are doing. Neither is accurate. The legal position in England and Wales is more nuanced than either, and understanding it
properly can save you both money and significant problems down the line.

What you can legally do yourself

Certain minor maintenance tasks are not covered by Part P of the Building Regulations and can be carried out by a competent homeowner without notification
or certification. These include:

Replacing a like-for-like socket, switch, or ceiling rose
Changing a fuse in a plug or at the consumer unit
Fitting a new light fitting in place of an existing one
Replacing the flex on a lamp or other portable appliance
Installing battery-operated devices such as smoke alarms or doorbell systems

The key qualifier in all of these is 'like for like'. Replacing an existing single socket with a single socket of the same type is minor maintenance. Adding extra sockets to a circuit, or doing any work in a kitchen or bathroom, is a different matter entirely.

What must be done by a registered electrician

Part P of the Building Regulations governs most significant electrical work in domestic properties. Work in this category must either be carried out by an
electrician registered with a government-approved competent persons scheme — such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA — who can self-certify the work, or be separately notified to your local authority building control department. Notifiable work includes:

Adding any new circuit in the property
Any electrical work in a kitchen, bathroom, or other special location
Replacing or upgrading the consumer unit
Installing outdoor sockets, garden lighting, or external circuits
Wiring for an EV charger, hot tub, pool, or outbuilding

The Building Regulations guidance on gov.uk covers Part P in detail if you want the authoritative version.

Why this matters when you come to sell

Electrical work that should have been notified and certified but was not becomes a legal problem at the point of sale. Solicitors routinely ask for Building Regulations completion certificates or Electrical Installation Certificates for any work carried out in the property. If you cannot produce one, you may need to commission an inspection to verify the work retrospectively, or in some cases, have the work redone entirely.

The cost of getting it right the first time is almost always less than dealing with it later.

A grey area: permitted development and minor alterations

Some jobs feel borderline, adding a socket to an existing ring circuit in a living room, for example, or extending a lighting circuit in a loft conversion. These are technically notifiable under Part P, but because they are being done by a registered electrician the self-certification process handles the compliance side without any further steps
from you. The key is using someone who is actually registered and will issue the correct documentation on completion.

If you are not sure, just ask

I am always happy to give a straight answer before any work starts. Drop me a message or call 07881 627 423 and I can tell you in plain English what the job
requires.

Additional Circuits

Bathroom Electrics

Doorbell and Smart Doorbell Installation

Lighting Installation

Like For Like Electrical Replacement

Outside lighting

Outside sockets

Smoke alarms

Summer house lighting

Summer house sockets and power

Additional Circuits

Bathroom Electrics

Doorbell and Smart Doorbell Installation

Electric car charging points

Garage sockets and power

Garden lighting

Garden power and new circuits

Hot tub electrics

Kitchen Electrics

Lighting Installation

Like For Like Electrical Replacement

Summer house lighting

Summer house sockets and power

Kings Reach, Biggleswade

All aspects of domestic and commercial electrics

gazza — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 10:36:13 +0000

All aspects of domestic and commercial electrics gazza Wed, 11/10/2021 - 10:36

Smoke/Fire Alarm installation and replacement

FuseBoard Upgrades
Additional Circuits
– Rewires
Extensions/ Conversions
LED Lighting
Testing and inspection
Fault finding
Landlord Checks
Electrical Maintenance
Extra Sockets and Lighting

Additional Circuits

Consumer unit upgrades

Decking lighting

Downlights

Electric car charging points

Electrical Condition Reports (EICR)

energy saving

EV Charging

Extension electrician

Fault finding

fuse board upgrades

Fuse Box upgrades