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Home charge points (purchase/problems/questions) (See mod note post#1)

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 153 ✭✭choo choo man


    Hi All,

    I received a letter from the ESB stating that my house will be upgraded to a smart meter in the coming weeks. Next year i would like to connect a car charger to the meter as i hope to get an electric car next year. Can i get a connection for a charger installed at the same time as installing the new meter? This will allow me to get a charger installed possibly next year .



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭Thumper Long


    Smart meter is completely separate to an EV charger, I don’t know enough but the knowledgeable here will tell you to reject the smart meter and if it suits your usage get a day / night meter if the sums add up



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 19,822 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    As Thumper said, politely reject the Smart meter as you’ll need the cheapest cost which is currently night rate and you can’t currently get that with a Smart Meter



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,420 ✭✭✭...Ghost...


    Who quoted this and what county?

    I have existing Type-1 in place but might extend the line by 4 or 5m to reach the M3 charger port easily. Getting a Zappi2 or similar for €650 after grant sounds alright to me.

    Stay Free



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,479 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    EV Ready for installation in Dublin.

    So far they're the only place to give me a discounted price so far, only other two quotes I've got are standard prices but there will obviously be less labor with pre-wired. They were also the only place to get back to me within 24 hours.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 340 ✭✭ElitesTeam


    Can someone give some advice on this.

    I got a second hand ABL charger (32 amp) flashed it. I got an electrician to quote for install. He says it will be very expensive as a part he needs is €200 load balancing with electric shower. I was under the impression that €400 inc labour would do it. He did seem to keen on the charger as it didnt have built in things like load balancing or something. He didnt give me a quote yet but didnt sound too optimistic and tho a new charger might be better off.

    Should I give up on this charger and get a newer one OR get a second opinion?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,324 ✭✭✭✭Calahonda52


    You need to distinguish between a load balancing option or a simple priority switch option which the 200 extra looks like.

    Priority switch, if car is charging, will prevent shower from running, or vice versa, depending on the setting.

    Load balancing, which is done in the charger will reduce power to charger if shower comes on.

    The ABL does not have that as you need a CT on the mains, back to the EV charger, to track the overall load and keep it below the house fuse limit.

    Post edited by Calahonda52 on

    “I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 42,182 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    The ABL unit cannot load balance from memory.


    You need a priority switch that means when the shower turns on, it kills power to the charger to stop your main fuse blowing.

    €200 sounds correct.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,321 ✭✭✭✭KCross


    He’s right. It doesnt have any load sensing so needs a priority switch to be installed which adds the €200 to the price. It will do the job fine after that.

    A new load sensing charge point would be better but you’ll be paying a lot more than €200 extra for that! ;)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,420 ✭✭✭...Ghost...


    I've a "dumb charger" too and a priority switch fitted for the electric shower. Shower has priority, so if car is charging and shower is then turned on, the car stops charging. When shower is turned off, the car starts charging again.

    Stay Free



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 340 ✭✭ElitesTeam


    Ok thanks guys.

    Does an EO mini basic v1 have load balancer/priority switch built in?

    Post edited by ElitesTeam on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 340 ✭✭ElitesTeam


    Also what did you guys pay who had a ABL fitted with load balancer by a electrician?



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 42,182 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Most people paid very little as the ABL was the free charger given out by ESB many years ago.

    It would be no reflection on the prices your being quoted now.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 340 ✭✭ElitesTeam


    Got the quote of €870 in vate for the install plus the €300(€1170) I paid for the charger.

    Does not seem worth the effort. I prob will just go the route of getting a new one 😥



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 19,822 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    Be aware the Priority Switch has a big enough footprint too, may impact your decision if space an issue. Mine barely fitted as house old and very little room left for consumer unit expansion



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭dingbat


    Installer called up today. We're putting in a tethered charger and he wasn't overly keen on putting it directly onto the external insulation given the extra weight of the cable.

    He didn't outright refuse, but that wasn't the point. He was a nice chap with a good practical head on him and during our conversation he suggested a solution I hadn't considered - a place for a pedestal that would be far more discreet than anything I'd previously envisaged.

    What price - generally speaking - is a pedestal?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,420 ✭✭✭...Ghost...


    I want to upgrade from a 60/80A main fuse to a 100A fuse. This means upgrading the tails to 25mm^2 from the consumer unit to meter box, which is 5m away on the same wall. The new tails would be run through the cavity wall (same as existing run) or externally to the side entrance and back into the house which would be about 7 or 8m of cable. What would this likely cost?

    Stay Free



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 19,822 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    myEnergi sell a pedestal, pricing on their website (Zappi charge point only obviously)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭Manion


    Why so you feel you need to upgrade your power supply?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,420 ✭✭✭...Ghost...


    We use a lot of power. Charging 2 EVs alone would max out the current fuse and that's before considering the base-load. I think if nothing else, it's prudent to upgrade.

    Stay Free



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,709 ✭✭✭Heroditas


    Wait due the Mini Pro 3 to come out in the next couple of months



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 19,822 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    Have you considered an outside socket for charging the second EV if the other one is charging. I did this 3yrs ago when we moved to a two EV house but we've never actually needed to use it



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭Manion


    I got paranoid about the power supply a year or so ago, ran the numbers and convinced myself I would need an upgrade.

    When we got the charger and actively monitored power usage, found there was plenty of head room.

    Anyway, the upgrade cost is on the ESB website.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,259 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    Use load balancing chargers. It’s rare that you would need to charge for more than a few hours each night.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,321 ✭✭✭✭KCross


    Are you upgrading to 16kVA(80A) or 20kVA(100A)? The 16kVA, which they call the "enhanced supply", costs €1744 for the ESB to do their bit but you'll have to pay an electrician to also assess and upgrade your house before ESB will do anything with their fuse.

    Your electrician costs could literally cost anything depending on what he finds in your install.... bad earth, upgrade to tails, or any other issues he finds. You need your electrician to come out and assess that first.


    I've 16kVA and there is plenty to spare for 2 EV's, heat pumps etc.

    20kVA, if that's what you are going for, is overkill in my opinion and will cost you alot more than the 16kVA upgrade.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,420 ✭✭✭...Ghost...



    I have 2 outdoor sockets already. One connected to the Rolec and another I added last year when I was building electric gates. The reason we would need 2 charge points is that 1 car is a Leaf and the other will be a M3. The Leaf has the 6.6OBC. Using a granny charger is just not something we will downgrade to.


    The 60/80A fuse is really a 60A which will allow short spikes up to 80A (which is how the ESB guy explained it). It was he who suggested I upgrade when he came out to replace the last fuse in December. I have seen 2 60A fuses blow in the house since getting EVs and both occasions were when both EVs were plugged in. I learned that if we needed both cars charged, then we needed to use the EVSE on the 3.3 OBC and then use the granny charger on the 6.6 OBC car to spread the load. With 2 cars charging at up to 32A each, I would rather have a higher ceiling....even with load balancing on the new EVSE. I don't know what the base load is at night when we charge the cars, but just as an idea, we set the dishwasher and washing machine to turn on after midnight. Some lights are always on (kids). My eldest often games on his PC after working late. The oven might be turned on....the water pump can run intermittently when bathroom is used. I have a pond which runs 2 pumps 24/7 and a UV filter. Other stuff is left in standby mode. I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea.

    Upgrading the tails is not urgent, but I would prefer it get done while i'm having a new charger installed.

    Stay Free



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,321 ✭✭✭✭KCross


    The 60/80A fuse is really a 60A which will allow short spikes up to 80A (which is how the ESB guy explained it). It was he who suggested I upgrade when he came out to replace the last fuse in December. I have seen 2 60A fuses blow in the house since getting EVs and both occasions were when both EVs were plugged in.

    So you have a 12kVA supply (60A fuse). The 16kVA supply (80A fuse) will do fine. That will be €1744 plus your electricians fees.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,420 ✭✭✭...Ghost...


    According to the ESB electrician, he said the fuse upgrade is free, but the tails upgrade can be done by any RECI. He did say the RECI would only be able to bring the tails from the CU to a junction box in the meter unit and that ESB would make the final connection and fuse upgrade. Maybe I misheard.

    Stay Free



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,508 ✭✭✭Manion


    I'd be more alarmed at blowing the main meter fuse repeatedly. Something is not quite right about your setup for that to happen so often considering your fuse board should protect the meter in most instances.

    I'm running an EV, Heat pump, AC, induction hob, electric cooker and two 1kw gaming computers off a standard supply. The house has a water pump. All house lights are LED though. You can pick up a pretty cheap power monitor and see what's actually using the electricity, it might be a fault.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,321 ✭✭✭✭KCross




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