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EV charger wired from the meter point - difficult to route from fuse board

dmac2006

Hi folks,

Looking for advice in 2026 please, from anyone who has gone through the process for getting an EV charger installed at the mains meter. I'll try keep this short.

I want the charger installed at the meter point (front of the house to the side), not run all the way from my main fuse board (which is in the basement). I have a detached dormer, private driveway.

It would mean wiring through multiple rooms internally, or a very long way around the house externally - a lot of disruption.

When a registered electrical contractor inspected the house, he pointed out that there is no customer isolation switch at the meter. He said this is now required and is also a safety issue, especially as the main board is not easily accessible. I have a smart meter.

He advised that the safest and cleanest way to install the EV charger is to have an external customer isolation switch close to the meter and feed the charger from there. Or we have a lot of disruption going from the distant fuse board.

So he said that I contact ESB Networks to ask why there is no isolator and how to get one installed.

Their reply was basically that they treat this as a “tails upgrade” job, which requires a fee, a completion certificate from the electrician, before they will install the isolator.

The problem is that no electrical works have been done yet, so there is no certificate to submit at this stage.

So I seem to be stuck in a loop:

ESB want a certificate before they install the isolator, but the electrician needs the isolator in place before doing the EV charger properly. He has nothing to certify, as no works are carried out.

My questions please:

Has anyone here successfully had ESB install an external customer isolation switch at the meter?

Done it specifically for an EV charger, and avoided running new cables all the way from a distant fuse board?

What was the process that actually worked for you?

I'm a little frustrated about the whole thing, it's a bit confusing, and definitely a put off getting an EV.

I'm sure others have come across this issue like me.

Thanks so much in advance for any pointers.

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Comments

NinjaTruncs

Are they asking for a certificate of the current house? It's been a while but I think before I could get my EV charger installed I needed to get the tails upgraded. Before they would do that I had to get an electrician come out and do an assessment of the house which was submitted as part of the tails upgrade. Are they asking for the same before they'll come out and do your isolation switch.

smuggler.ie

Not spark here, could be wrong.

What your electrician advise re this ESB response?

Providing isolator is not ESB responsibility, they would be looking for cert re isolator install/tails to it, whether it includes link to EV charger or not.
If not possible to accommodate under one cert, might require two as separate jobs: tail swap to isolator, EV thereafter

How the F€@&*! "smart" meter was installed without isolator puzzle me. I thought it was requirement by regs at the time.

JL spark

full house test and cert then for isolater to be fitted by ESB , only way ,

smuggler.ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124224656#Comment_124224656

in your opinion/knowledge:
could "smart" meter be installed without isolator sw and still comply to regs a the time?
Isolator sw does not modify any house internal wiring(dont see how) - why does it require new cert?

Lenar3556

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124225149#Comment_124225149

The smart meter upgrade programme didn’t involve fitting isolators. Older installations didn’t have them. Overcurrent protection and isolation was provided by the ESB fuse.

When an EV board is being fitted at a metering cabinet, many contractors will connect the tails live to the new main overcurrent device if there is no isolator present, or alternatively ESB can be engaged for a small fee to do a temporary isolation. There is no cert required.

The new installation should be certified in accordance with IS10101 but that doesn’t involve ESB.

Flinty997

Not sure of the terminology. For mine I didn't want an EV board at the fuse board. I needed a cert or report from the electrician saying it was too difficult to reach the fuse board then got isolator and mini external fuse board and charger at the meter. The was an additional cost to all this.

smuggler.ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124227420#Comment_124227420

As always, depend who you get talking to
: "So he said that I contact ESB Networks to ask why there is no isolator and how to get one installed."
well…
: " "The smart meter upgrade programme didn’t involve fitting isolators" . Now, you are REC and you should know better than i, who is responsible for isolator install, and what is the least expensive solution to fit it within compliance , i am listening. "

Sorry for sarcasm here

Lenar3556

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124227990#Comment_124227990

I haven’t seen the installation so have no idea what is or isn’t required.

A DNO isolator isn’t likely to a major issue one way or the other. An ‘isolator’ in the form of a main overcurrent device will be fitted by the electrical contractor as part of his EV board install anyway.

The electrician may not have wanted the job. Might be helpful to get another proposal.

smuggler.ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124228325#Comment_124228325

Hope you didn't take it as rant, i quoted your response for what OP should ask from his REC.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124227521#Comment_124227521

was your fuseboard maxed out? you don't need an dedicated board, it just needs 1 extra breaker

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229395#Comment_124229395

Like the OP access was a bit awkward crossing the house and I didn't want the trunking. Also the electrics in house were thrown up in the Celtic Tiger so I wanted a bit of separation. At some point the house may get an extension at which point we'll have to rethink the main board.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229760#Comment_124229760

a good residential sparks wouldn't run trunking though a house.

Flinty997

Do you have to drag cables all over the place? Is it a nice to do, not a need to do. Even its become industry standard or a requirement.

Cerco

I thought EV chargers were prohibited in the meter box a couple of years ago. Was there a change in the rules or was I imagining it?

17larsson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124242075#Comment_124242075

A board can be put beside the meter box and the charger wired from there, as long as all regs are met

dmac2006

Thanks again for the advice folks, interesting feedback.

I've decided to go with the Zappi 2.1 tethered and booked the install with Fokearn.

Fokearn seem very on the ball. They confirmed it will be a standard install - taking supply from the meter point instead (because of the very long distance to the fuse board) with an enclosure that houses and protects the RCBO and the SBD.

Going with the Zappi as I'm planning solar down the line and it seems the best fit long term.

Thanks again for all the feedback.