EV Charger Compliance Warning

Expert warns millions of British homeowners could face fines for EV charging installations as cowboys take over the market

An electrical expert has sent out a warning that thousands of British homeowners are living in homes that are non-compliant with electrical standards for their EV charging points. Many British homeowners are not aware that they could potentially face prosecution under Building Regulations for uncertified EV charging points being fitted to domestic homes.

Charanjit Mannu, Director at Elec Training, a specialist electrical training centre in the West Midlands, says he has seen an increase in EV ownership has been met with an increase in unqualified installers fitting these charging points that should be governed by strict and robust legal requirements. This is leaving homeowners at serious risk both financially and physically.

“The market for home EV charging has grown at an exponential rate, which training and compliance has just simply not been able to keep up with” Mannu said. “What we are seeing is a large number of installations being carried out by those who do not understand Part P of the Building Regulations”.

This concern is not a minor one. Under the Building Regulations 2010, any electrical work carried out in a ‘dwelling’ must meet all requirements set out in Part P, and any charging point installations must also comply with Approved Document S. This approved document came into effect in 2022 and particularly focuses on the legal frameworks for EV charging infrastructure across any new or existing residential building. If Local Authority finds that any works does not comply with legal requirements, they have the right to prosecute those responsible.

Approved Document S stipulates that every charging point must be run on a dedicated circuit, it must be capable of providing a minimum nominal output of 7kW and installed in line with BS EN 61851 and the IET Code of Practice for Electrical Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation. It must also meet requirements of BS 7671 and this is the wiring regulations that governs all domestic electrical installations within the UK.

“Most homeowners do not know any of these regulations exist. They research online and someone sends them a low-cost quote. They turn up with a charger unit and fits it off an existing circuit. This is not compliant with UK legal requirements and is a massive fire risk.” Mannu says.

The regulation also states that any installer working on a residential setting notifies a building control body or is registered with a government approved scheme. Registration with a scheme allows the installer to certify their own work and then go on to notify the relevant authority, a process where non-qualified installers often skip.

Mannu points out that the consequences land on the homeowners as well as the installer. “When you come to sell your property, this non-compliant installation with show up during conveyancing. This may result in the work having to be redone at an additional cost or removed entirely. Also, this can invalidate your home insurance if a fire is linked to the charging point.”

Approved Document S is clear in identifying responsibilities for this type of building work lies with the agents, designers, builders, installers and the homeowner. If regulations are not followed, all parties carry the legal responsibilities, even if the homeowner unknowingly contracts an unregistered installer, they are not protected.

“There is a dogma that fitting an EV charger is simple, but it isn’t” Mannu says. “The earthing arrangements, the calculations of the load, the cable sizing, circuit protection and positioning requirements under Approved Document S all of these require appropriate training and competency.”

The positioning specifics laid out in the regulation state that each point or future connection location must be suitable for the vehicles with charging inlets in varying positions, that parking accessibility is considered and all routes from cables must be safe and are in a clear, unobstructed path from a metered electricity supply, these are compliant with BS 7671 and BS 8300-1.

Mannu provides further advice by stating homeowners can ask any installer whether they are registered with an approved competent person scheme, whether installation will be informed to building control and ask for a copy of the indemnity insurance for working on dwellings. If your installer is unable to answer or provide these, look for an alternative installer.

Karen Mills, Business Psychologist from KPF Services stated “When a homeowner is not familiar with technical work, they will often rely on indicators such as market value price and online reviews of companies to judge whether an individual or company is competent to do the work. Asking for evidence of qualifications and insurances helps move that decision from a working assumption to a proper verification.”

“The cost of getting your EV charging infrastructure fitted legally is significantly less than getting it done illegally, in terms of fines, insurance disputes, safety incidents, remedial work can all add up” Mannu said.

With EV adaptations increasing across the UK and with government targets persuading more drivers to turn to electrical vehicles, the pressure is on for compliant installation and this is only going to increase. Mannu believes that it is imperative to raise the standard of training and to inform homeowners of their obligations to be better informed in making decisions.