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Electric vehicle charging points

Red Kite is committed to supporting our tenants to reduce their carbon emissions and keep their homes sustainable. Electric vehicles are a crucial step towards decarbonising our transport system and reducing air pollution through zero tailpipe emissions.

Installing an electric vehicle charging point

If you want to have an electric vehicle (EV) charging point installed, you’ll need to ask for our permission before the installation takes place. We want to support you to make your home more sustainable, so we’ll grant permission whenever we can, but please keep in mind the following:

  • We won’t grant permission if you don’t have a private driveway at your home. Shared parking spaces make the installation and monitoring of EV charger usage significantly more complex, and this is not something we’re able to support at the moment
  • You will need to pay for the install yourself – government funding is available to help with installation costs
  • It is up to you to choose a reliable product, and a reputable installer to carry out the installation Any making good arising from the installation (e.g. damage to brickwork, plasterwork etc.) will be your responsibility to correct. Your installer should do this
  • You must have permission from us before the installation takes place - apply for permission to install an EV charging point. We recommend that you get in touch as soon as possible to discuss your plans and requirements for an EV charger. This will help to minimise any delays
  • We strongly recommend that you also have in place home contents insurance, and that you let your insurer know you are installing an EV charger. This is because our buildings insurance will cover damage to the structure of the building, but it won’t cover damage to your possessions or repair/replacement of the charger itself, should there be a fire or other accidental damage caused by your EV charger
  • EV chargers will typically have one outlet to allow one car at a time to be connected. As the charger will be metered via the home’s electricity meter, it can only serve a single home
  • You charger should be in a secure location and externally mounted.

Selecting Your Charger

There is a wide range of chargers and configurations available on the market. In most cases, you do not have to buy the charger from the retailer (or their partner) where you bought your vehicle - there are many companies you can buy or rent a charger from.

The website Rightcharge is an independent comparison site for EV chargers which allows you to review options for electricity tariffs that are specifically designed for EV chargers. In most cases they will suggest the best value for money choices for home charging EVs.

You must select the charger and connection arrangement – tethered or untethered - that suits your home and vehicle.

Installation

EV charger installation must be carried out by a competent electrician who is registered with either NAPIT or NICEIC. Their registration confirms they are accredited to undertake work in accordance with Part P of the Building Regulations.

Your installer will advise you on the best position for the charge point, but here are some things to consider:

  • Do you want the charge point to be hidden or in view?
  • Where is the charging port on your EV?
  • How long is the charging cable? A cable can present a very serious trip hazard - cables must not be left trailing across footpaths and pavements, or left overnight.
  • Will the charger need access to your home wifi to take advantage of smart tools such as remote charging and access to off-peak energy tariffs?

Your installer may advise you that a junction box needs to be installed to provide an additional outgoing circuit for the EV charger. We will allow your installer to add a junction box, providing it meets current safety standards.

If your installer tells you that your electrical consumer unit does not meet current standards, it will need to be replaced with a new unit, with enough outgoing circuits for the existing installation and the new EV charger. You will need to pay for this work, but the installation itself is something that we would arrange through our specialist electrical contractor, and we would then recharge the costs to you. You can tell us whether you need a new consumer unit when you request permission for the EV charger.

When the electrician has finished the installation, they will issue a certificate provided by their accreditation body.

Funding

If you are a Red Kite tenant, you may be able to use the government's EV Chargepoint Grant to help pay for installing an EV charger. Contact an OZEV-authorised installer - they will be able to tell you whether you are eligible, and access the funding, either £350 or 75% of the cost of buying and installing a socket (whichever amount is lower).