How to use your electric vehicle (EV) home charger.

Home chargers: making life with an electric car simpler.

Home electric vehicle charging has the potential to save you time, hassle and money. You can give the charging station queues a miss and forget about having to plan your route via public chargers. Instead you can simply plug in at home and wake up to a fully charged electric car every day.

What is an EV home charger?

A home charge point is a wallbox (simply a box on the wall of your home) that is designed specifically for electric vehicle charging. Technically, you can charge your car by simply plugging it into the mains using a normal plug socket, however a home charger is quicker.

Home chargers can also make EV charging safer, with features that ensure safe charging for your electric vehicle. Some home chargers also include options like scheduled charging to take advantage of low electricity rates, remote control via apps and energy usage monitoring.

If you own an electric car and are able to install a home charger, it can make your life much easier. Check out our home chargers for more information on how to get one installed in your home.

Charging at home: the savings potential.

Charging your electric car at home, particularly during off-peak electricity hours can be a lot cheaper than using public chargers. While the actual savings you can make will depend on your energy tariff, where you live, and the type of public chargers you'd otherwise use, home charging can certainly save you money over the lifetime of your EV.

Choosing an EV tariff backed by renewable electricity.

If you’re worried about using lots more energy when charging your electric car, you can choose a tariff like Next Drive, which is backed by 100% renewable electricity.

The tariff also gives you lower overnight energy prices, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re using renewable electricity, and getting low prices too. And with smart charger apps you can program your electric car to charge only at the cheapest time. Win-win!

How do I get a home charger?

With us, you can get an electric vehicle charger in 4 easy steps, and we’ll sort your installation hassle-free.

1. Choose your charger. Pick the right electric vehicle charger for your needs.

2. Get a quote. We’ll need a few details about your home and where you’d like your charger.

3. Book your free video survey so our surveyor can check where you’d like your charger and send you a personalised quote.

4. Get it installed by our professional engineers.

Get support buying your electric car charger.

To encourage more people to switch to electric vehicles, the UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) can provide grants to reduce the costs of electric vehicle charging points.

Currently, you can also get a grant of up to £350 towards the cost of installing an electric car charger at your home. To make the process even smoother, E.ON takes the hassle out of it by applying for this grant directly on your behalf, further reducing the cost and simplifying your transition to electric vehicle charging at home.

If you’re an existing E.ON Next customer, you can get £50 off an EV charger for your home. T&Cs apply.

How to charge an EV at home.

While specific instructions for different EV chargers will vary, here’s the basics of how to charge an EV with a home charger.

The first step to electric vehicle charging at home is to install a charger. For more details on this, see our handy guide below on how to get your own EV charger installed.

What to consider for a home EV charger.

You’ll need to think about factors like charging speeds, which are usually around 7kW for most homes. You should also consider whether you’d like any smart features in your charger. It’s worth checking too if there are any government grants you can apply for for support with installing your EV charger at home.

Connect and charge up.

Once you’ve had your electric car charger installed, you can get started. Simply plug your charger cable into your car’s charging port. Depending on your charger’s power and your car battery size, you should be able to fully charge your EV in hours or overnight.

Make the most of smart features.

All of the home EV chargers we offer use smartphone apps. You can use the E.ON Next Home App to schedule charging during off-peak electricity hours. This could save you money and help you keep on top of your energy usage. The E.ON Next Home App is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Want to know about EV charger installation?

We've put together a guide to electric vehicle charger installation, including what to expect on the day, what's included and answers to your questions. Learn about EV charger installations.

How to use your home EV charger with the app or RFID card.

If you’ve not used a home charger before or just need a reminder, this will show you how to use your electric car charging point at home.

1. Ensure that your EV charging station and your vehicle are ready for charging.

2. Plug in the charging lead into the EV charging station and your vehicle. Please refer to the vehicle’s handbook if you’re having trouble with this.

3. Start the charging session via the RFID card you got when the charger was installed or the E.ON Home app. You can boost or schedule charging with the app. The blue light will flash every 2 seconds.

4. The green light will flash for up to 10 minutes during the randomised delay stage. The RFID card can override this stage if used again.

5. The EV charging station will standby and show a solid green light until the vehicle accepts the charge. If it’s not accepting, check the schedule time of the charge in the app and ensure the EV is in park and locked.

6. The blue light will pulse when the vehicle is charging.

7. The blue light will be solid when the electric car is fully charged or the charging session has been suspended.

8. Use the same method you started the charge with to end it. For example if you started with the RFID card, end it with the RFID card.

9. Remove the charging cable from your EV. Again refer to your vehicle’s handbook if you’re struggling to do this.

10. If the light on the home charger is solid red, turn the EV charging station on and off again.

Do I need an EV tariff?

Electric vehicle tariffs are designed to offer you cheaper electricity overnight when your car is charging. At E.ON Next, we have a dedicated tariff for EV drivers, Next Drive, which offers lower overnight charging prices and is backed by 100% renewable electricity. You can find out more about our Next Drive EV tariff.

Control your EV charger with the E.ON Home app.

Enjoy full control of your EV charger with the E.ON Home app.

• Set your charger timer for the cheapest off-peak rates and see how much you've saved.

• Track your energy use and stay on top of your spending.

• View our chargers.