There are only a few weeks left to apply for a UK government grant to help with the cost of getting an electric vehicle home charging point installed if you own your house.
The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme is an official grant that provides a 75% contribution – up to a maximum of £350 – towards the cost of a charging point and its installation. The main requirements are that the applicant owns, leases or has ordered a qualifying vehicle and has appropriate off-street parking.
From April 2022, the scheme will no longer be open to homeowners living in “single-unit properties” – in other words, detached, semi-detached and terrace houses and bungalows, so the charging point will need to be installed by 31 March and probably booked by February.
However, the scheme will remain open to homeowners who live in flats, and people in rented accommodation.
The cost of installing a home charging point varies, depending on the type you go for, although quotes typically come in at between £500 and £1,000.
Many drivers need to act now or they will miss out, says Steve Tigar, the chief executive of loveelectric, a company that helps employers provide staff with electric vehicles via salary sacrifice.
To take advantage of the grant, drivers for whom the scheme is closing must order their charging point by the start of February, he adds.
Bear in mind that once you have found an installer you are happy with, you may have to wait five or six weeks for the work to be done.
“Installers are currently very busy, and often they will want to do a site survey before they get to work. But they are vital to the process, as it is they who apply for the EVHS grant on your behalf,” Tigar says.
The government says that any necessary third-party permission for the work – such as from a freeholder or managing agent of a block of flats – must be obtained by the applicant before the installation is done. “This will be needed for rented or leasehold properties where it’s the renter or the leaseholder applying,” it adds.
