Before installing a home EV charger, check seven things: your switchboard and supply capacity, the charging speed your car accepts, where the charger will go, Australian Standards compliance, solar and battery plans, smart features like scheduling and load management, and the install cost drivers. Most homes charge well on a 7 kW single-phase charger without needing three phase.
- Check your switchboard and supply before buying a charger.
- Match charger speed to what your car can accept. 7 kW single phase suits most homes.
- Mount it close to the switchboard and where the charge port sits.
- With solar, a solar-aware smart charger lets you charge from your own roof.
- A licensed electrician must install and certify a fixed charger.
1. Your switchboard and supply capacity
A home charger can draw more power, for longer, than almost anything else in the house. That's why it needs its own circuit and protection, and why we check the board first.
- Old boards with ceramic fuses or no spare space usually need upgrading. See when to upgrade a switchboard.
- If you already run ducted air con, a pool pump and an electric oven, load management may be needed so everything doesn't run at once.
- The supply itself may limit how fast you can charge.
We also look at your supply. Some homes have a smaller main fuse or long mains run, which limits how much the house can draw at once. Load management lets the charger share capacity with everything else instead of forcing an expensive upgrade.
2. Charger speed: what your car can actually use
A faster charger only helps if your car can accept it. Check your car's onboard AC charging limit before you buy.
| Option | Typical supply | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Portable cable in a power point | Standard 10 A point | Short daily drives, occasional top-ups. Slow. |
| Wall charger, around 7 kW | Single phase, dedicated circuit | Most homes. Fills most cars overnight. |
| Wall charger, 11 to 22 kW | Three phase | Only if your car and supply support it. |
For most Adelaide households, a 7 kW single-phase charger is plenty. Three phase is only worth it if you have it already or need it for other reasons. Read do you need a three-phase upgrade.
Think about how far you actually drive. Most people plug in each night and only need to put back a day's driving, not fill from empty. A 7 kW charger does that comfortably in a few hours for most daily commutes.
Tell us your car and where you park. We'll check your board and recommend the right charger.
3. Where the charger goes
- Close to the switchboard keeps cable runs short and cost down.
- Where the car's charge port ends up when parked. Front or side matters.
- Out of the weather if possible. Outdoor-rated chargers are fine outside, but shelter helps.
- No trip hazards. Plan where the cable hangs when not in use.
Carports and detached garages are fine, but the cable may need trenching or extra protection.
4. Compliance and safety
A fixed charger must be installed by a licensed electrician to Australian Standards, with the right circuit protection, isolation and cable sizing. We issue a certificate of compliance when it's done.
DIY or unlicensed installs can create a fire risk and cause trouble with your insurance. It's not worth the saving.
The charger should be on its own circuit with the right protection for EV charging, and outdoor units need to be rated for the weather. We'll also check that your existing safety switches and wiring are up to the extra load.
5. Solar, batteries and the future
If you have solar, an EV is a big battery on wheels that can soak up your spare daytime power. A solar-aware charger varies its charge rate to match your surplus, so you charge from your roof instead of exporting cheap and buying back dear.
- Some inverter brands, like Sigenergy, offer their own chargers that work with the system's app.
- A home battery doesn't usually charge the car much on its own, it's best for running the house at night.
- Planning a second EV? Pick a charger and circuit that can handle load sharing.
See our EV charger installation page for how we set this up with home solar.
6. Smart features worth having
- Scheduling to charge in cheaper time-of-use periods
- Solar mode to charge from surplus solar
- Load management so the charger backs off when the house is busy
- App control and monitoring to see what you've used
- Tethered or untethered. Tethered has a fixed cable. Untethered means you plug in your own lead
If you have solar, solar mode is the feature that saves the most. On a sunny weekend, the car soaks up power you'd otherwise export for very little. Pair that with scheduling for weeknights and most of your charging can avoid peak rates.
7. What affects the install cost
- The charger model you choose
- Distance from the switchboard to the charger
- Whether the switchboard needs upgrading
- Trenching, wall chasing or mounting posts
- Single or three phase, and any load management hardware
We give free, itemised quotes, with $0 deposit and flexible payment options available.
Getting the charger and solar quoted together often works out simpler, because the switchboard and cabling can be planned once. If you need board work, it's done at the same visit.