How EV Chargers in Homes Could Become the New Normal

England is set to become the first country in the world to introduce mandatory electric car charging points for new-build homes as the government continues to strive to meet its £1.5 billion Road to Zero Strategy by 2040 and bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

In July 2019, the government announced that all new-build homes could soon be fitted with electric car charge points in an attempt to further support electric vehicle drivers and improve the experience of charging by making it easier, cheaper and more convenient.

Unfortunately, the plans to implement the chargepoints were put on hold due to the challenges that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, as the crisis comes to an end, it is expected that over 350,000 homes in the UK will have EV charging points installed, particularly as the ownership of electric vehicles surged by 53.3% in 2020 and there are already over half a million hybrid and electric cars on the road.

Boris Johnson plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030 and by 2040 there are expected to be over 35 million electric vehicles on the road, so it is absolutely essential that homes become electric vehicle ready in preparation. The government policy lists the following as one of its long-term ambitions:

“It is our intention that all new homes, where appropriate, should have a charge point available. We plan to consult as soon as possible on introducing a requirement for chargepoint infrastructure for new dwellings in England where appropriate.”

This means that EV chargers in homes could soon become the new normal and become as standard as owning a washing machine. As more and more people make the change from combustion engines to electric, worries over the practicality of it all will be minimised and we’ll see more potential buyers purchasing electric vehicles as the trend increases.

Will My Bills Go Up?

Of course, in order to charge an electric vehicle you will need lots of electricity which will cause a rise in your electricity bills, however, this is actually a lot more affordable than petrol and diesel. Statistics also show that home charging is cheaper than using public charging points and vehicle owners could save around £1,000 a year by using home charging points instead of public charging.

What About Older Homes?

For people with electric vehicles living in an older home, you will need to arrange the installation of an electric vehicle charging point yourself, however, it isn’t all bad news as the government is running the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme to help with the cost of the installation.

Through the scheme, you could save up to 75% at a cap of £350 on the cost of installing a new EV chargepoint at your home. You must apply for OZEV authorisation in order to be eligible for the scheme and the government will then process your application, add subcontractors to your account and add new chargepoint models to your account ​within a 30 working day period.

A One-Stop Shop for the Rise of Electric Vehicles

National Energy Direct is a fully accredited multi utility connections company working nationwide across England, Scotland and Wales. We’re offering a one-stop shop service for implementing electric vehicle charging for domestic properties, business premises or large roll out of EV charging stations for commercial parks. From the installation of new electricity mains to the designing and installation of the charging stations themselves, you can count on us to prepare your business for the rise of electric vehicles.

Check out our electric vehicle charging brochure here, including all the information you need about the installation of EV charging stations with National Energy Direct. Alternatively, get in touch with our team to discuss our services further.