We have put together some guidance and useful links that we hope will be beneficial to you when buying an EV and considering whether or not to install an EV chargepoint in your home:
REAL’s guidance
REAL, as part of its work on its Renewable Energy Consumer Code, produced consumer guidance which explains the main features of EV chargepoints and sets out the issues you should consider when deciding whether to install one in your home. The guidance explains how you can link a chargepoint to a solar PV and battery storage system, and even export electricity back to your home or to the electricity grid and lists the questions you should ask your installer before deciding to go ahead.
Go to REAL EV Chargepoint Guidance
You might also find REAL’s guidance on Demand Side Response useful.
Go to REAL's Demand Side Response Guidance
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice’s is a great source of independent information. Acknowledging the growth in the number of electricity tariffs tailored for EV owners and users, Citizen’s Advice has undertaken an analysis of these tariffs to help you identify which might work for you. The results of this analysis have been published in a report called Take Charge.
Read Citizens Advice Take Charge Report
Co Charger
Co Charger is a platform that lets you share a charge point within your local community.
Co Charger is developing a community that helps to accelerate electric vehicle adoption. Through the app, people who cannot charge a vehicle at home, should be able to do so within a walking distance of their home.
To become or find a host visit their website here.
Energy Saving Trust Scotland (EST Scotland) Domestic Chargepoint Funding
The domestic charging funding has now closed for 2024, if you are interested in being contacted if the fund reopens then please complete the register of interest form on their website.
If you’re a consumer who lives in Scotland, a grant of up to £300 may be available from EST Scotland.
This funding is available via two streams:
- Rural EV owners - for applicants living in rural areas of Scotland
- Used EV owners - for applicants who purchases their EV thorugh the Used EV Loan
To be eligible for this funding, installations must be carried out by an OZEV and EST approved installer.
You will need to make the application to EST Scotland directly and before you have your home chargepoint installed. You will not be eligible for the grant if you have already had the installation completed.
You should go to EST Scotland’s website for more information on its grant, full eligibility criteria and how to apply.
EVA England
EVA England was founded to offer a voice for current, new and prospective electric vehicle drivers and accelerate the transition to an electric England.
EVA England's aim is to support and represent EV drivers in England, to offer unbiased advice on all things electric vehicles, provide guides and tips for current and prospective drivers, as well as grow an empowered community of EV drivers in England. By joining EVA England you can have your views about electric vehicles heard as well as the opportunity to engage with others in the EV community.
To find out more or join visit their website here.
love your EV
love your ev can help you find an electric car to fit your journeys, a home charger with the right features, or check for cheap and green energy tariffs that can also make the most from your solar panels and battery, using their handy comparison tools found on their website here.
Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)
OZEV is a team working across government, connected to the Department for Transport and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to support the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles. Its website contains relevant news, research and statistics, and information on EVs, its EV Chargepoint Grant and the Workplace Charging Scheme.
The EV Chargepoint Grant
The EV Chargepoint Grant, administered by OZEV, is for residential and commercial landlords, social housing providers or property factors seeking funding to install EV chargepoints in rental and leasehold properties, and funds a portion of the cost of eligible installations (i.e. those that meet OZEV requirements), currently up to a maximum of £350.
To access the grant, a landlord must first register. Installers approved by OZEV can then make claims for work completed on their behalf.
Landlords can receive up to 200 grants a year for residential properties, and a further 100 for commercial properties. These may be across a number of properties and installations or just for one property.
EV Grant for Households with On-street Parking
This scheme was launched on 18 March 2024 and runs until 25 March 2025 which provides support for electric vehicle (EV) drivers to cover the costs of purchasing and installing EV charge points at residential properties if they also install a cross-pavement charging solution. You can receive 75% off the cost, up to £350.
You are eligible for this grant if:
- Own or rent and live in a residential property
- Have adequate on-street parking as defined by your local planning and highways authority
- Have permission from the local planning and highways authority to install a cross-pavement charging solution between your home and the approved parking space
- Will install a cross-pavement charging solution before the charge point installation
- Own an eligible vehicle
Guidance on all the EV Chargepoint Grants can be found here
Purely-EV
Ready to buy an Electric Vehicle (EV) but don’t know where to start?
The team at Purely EV Ltd can offer impartial and independent advice to help you choose the right EV to suit your specific needs. They work for you, not the car manufacturers and receive no commission from them. Whether you want to buy or lease a car or a van, they are here to make your EV buying journey go smoothly. Find out more at www.purely-ev.com
Zap-Map
Zap-Map is a UK-wide map of chargepoints which allows you to locate and navigate to available chargepoints (mainly public chargepoints).
Zap-Map also provides advice and help for EV users, and cost and savings calculator tools so you can get an idea, for example, of how much an EV will cost to charge when charging using a home chargepoint or at a public chargepoint.