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

zg3409

Gael23 wrote: »

How much are we talking for the Andersen?

I think that's the most expensive one you can buy. If you have to ask you can't afford it!

Badger242

Hi All. We recently bought a 2015 Nissan Leaf and need to buy a home charger. I have the grant sorted but can't decide on what one to go for.

I'm looking to get an untethered one to future proof agaist any future Type 2 car. We have an air to water heat system so will need one that can load balance.

It doesn't need to have any fancy apps, timers, solar power compatibility, etc. I also an electrician mate who can install. Does anyone have recomendations on some cheap options? I like the look of the EO mini Pro 2. Any thoughts? Thanks.

the_amazing_raisin

Badger242 wrote: »

Hi All. We recently bought a 2015 Nissan Leaf and need to buy a home charger. I have the grant sorted but can't decide on what one to go for.

I'm looking to get an untethered one to future proof agaist any future Type 2 car. We have an air to water heat system so will need one that can load balance.

It doesn't need to have any fancy apps, timers, solar power compatibility, etc. I also an electrician mate who can install. Does anyone have recomendations on some cheap options? I like the look of the EO mini Pro 2. Any thoughts? Thanks.

EO Mini with the ALM module should cover your needs. Make sure your friend is reci certified, you might need to provide a test cert to claim the grant money

barrymanilow

Hi there,


Asking for a family member,

Would anyone know where I could get a home electric car charger at the best price so that their electrician could install it?

It's for a KIA Exceed if that helps. Ans it doesn't have to have any of the bells and whistles like bluetooth etc , just the most basic.

There are various companies I see that provide them but from what I see they kind of insist that their own guys install it.Is it possible to just buy the unit itself for our own electrician to then put in ?


Thanks

Gumbo

I’m Assuming you are not availing of the grant?

There’s some for sale on adverts currently.

I ordered a new 32a QUBEV unit the other day from the uk for €231.

Sparks15

Can one apply for the home charger grant from SEAI without the EV Grant Application ID? It’s one of the fields on the application form but I don’t have this info to hand yet. Just want to have the application in so that it’s ready to go when I get the car.

AndyBoBandy

Sparks15 wrote: »

Can one apply for the home charger grant from SEAI without the EV Grant Application ID? It’s one of the fields on the application form but I don’t have this info to hand yet. Just want to have the application in so that it’s ready to go when I get the car.

Yes you can. Doing it this way means you’ll need to submit a copy of the logbook with your final application.

Radharc na Sleibhte

Does everyone switch to a night rate meter as soon as they install the charger? I commute a huge 1.5km, so charging will be very rare. They suggest 30% of usage should be at night to justify a night rate in an urban area, even more in rural where I am. Should I see how I go first for a while?

Do I have to (and should I) wait until I have the car to apply for the charger grant?

Car not due to arrive for another 8-10 weeks. First EV and I’m so excited.

P.S: is there a good online resource for info and advice?

Thanks for any help

Useful thread here I think for "what to get sorted" when getting the first car - https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058143119

the_amazing_raisin

Radharc na Sleibhte wrote: »

Does everyone switch to a night rate meter as soon as they install the charger? I commute a huge 1.5km, so charging will be very rare. They suggest 30% of usage should be at night to justify a night rate in an urban area, even more in rural where I am. Should I see how I go first for a while?

Do I have to (and should I) wait until I have the car to apply for the charger grant?

Car not due to arrive for another 8-10 weeks. First EV and I’m so excited.

P.S: is there a good online resource for info and advice?

Thanks for any help

Well the night rate has the advantage that you can run your dishwasher and washing machine at night and they're cheaper. But as you say it might not make sense right now. It'd be a good idea to take regular meter readings before and after getting the car to see how much you're using

You don't need to wait for the EV to apply for the grant, however you'll need to send a copy of the registration cert to claim the money in this case, so you won't get the money until you get the car. Something to be aware of if you're getting a charger installed before the car arrives

Which EV did you go for? Most of them have an owners thread on boards, they can be good for model specific advice

the_amazing_raisin

Since we're in lockdown and most construction activity will be stopping, does anyone know what the story will be for getting a charger installed?

I'd presume it's still allowed as an essential work as it's required by many EV owners for their own mobility

Of course it's up to the electrician installing it as to whether they'll take the job at the end of the day, but it'll be interesting to see if any of the big companies stop doing installations

barrymanilow

Gumbo wrote: »

I’m Assuming you are not availing of the grant?

There’s some for sale on adverts currently.

I ordered a new 32a QUBEV unit the other day from the uk for €231.

Thanks,

If they were availing of the grant should they go more expensive , is that what you mean? Or can you only get the grant if you go via certain installers?

That sounds like a great price . They are simple folk , they just want to plug the car into the wall and charge it like a phone.

Maddic_Irl

Radharc na Sleibhte wrote: »

Does everyone switch to a night rate meter as soon as they install the charger? I commute a huge 1.5km, so charging will be very rare. They suggest 30% of usage should be at night to justify a night rate in an urban area, even more in rural where I am. Should I see how I go first for a while?

Do I have to (and should I) wait until I have the car to apply for the charger grant?

Car not due to arrive for another 8-10 weeks. First EV and I’m so excited.

P.S: is there a good online resource for info and advice?

Thanks for any help

I have read that the ESB are rolling out smart meters to every home (FOC) regardless of electricity supplier, afaik though it has been delayed due to the current situation. These would eliminate the need to a separate night meter but you will have to wait until suppliers offer plans to take advantage.

I will be waiting for this before considering PV panels or similar, it will present a different calculation for ROI depending on individual setup.

Cyrus

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

I have read that the ESB are rolling out smart meters to every home (FOC) regardless of electricity supplier, afaik though it has been delayed due to the current situation. These would eliminate the need to a separate night meter but you will have to wait until suppliers offer plans to take advantage.

I will be waiting for this before considering PV panels or similar, it will present a different calculation for ROI depending on individual setup.

apparently they cant switch your meter if you are on a day night rate.

Dohvolle

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

I have read that the ESB are rolling out smart meters to every home (FOC) regardless of electricity supplier, afaik though it has been delayed due to the current situation. These would eliminate the need to a separate night meter but you will have to wait until suppliers offer plans to take advantage.

I will be waiting for this before considering PV panels or similar, it will present a different calculation for ROI depending on individual setup.

While they are rolling out smart meters, they still have not adequately addressed those who have surplus electricity through solar or other means.
With the old meter if you were putting electricity back into the grid, the meter counted back. The smart meter does not, so even though you are generating electricity, you get nothing for it. The smart meter will tell what surplus you are providing, but ESB will not compensate you accordingly.

KCross

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

I have read that the ESB are rolling out smart meters to every home (FOC) regardless of electricity supplier, afaik though it has been delayed due to the current situation. These would eliminate the need to a separate night meter but you will have to wait until suppliers offer plans to take advantage.

I will be waiting for this before considering PV panels or similar, it will present a different calculation for ROI depending on individual setup.

There is no separate night meter. It doesnt matter if you are on a 24hr rate or a day/night rate you still have one meter. The existing digital meters have 3 readouts.... total (i.e. 24hr rate), day and night. When the meter read comes to your house he will read out the values that apply to you but its one meter.

There is no reason to hold off on Solar because of Smart meter rollout. Smart meters allow you to monitor your whole house usage more closely and it removes the need for someone to come to your house to read the meter so billing will be more accurate but it wont make any difference to your Solar PV choice.

Now, if you said you were holding off on Solar PV until Feed-in-Tariff came in, then that would be a different matter. Personally I wouldnt hold out for FiT either... it will be small money and not a major deciding factor on whether SolarPV is worth it or not... more icing on the cake than the cake itself!

KCross

Cyrus wrote: »

apparently they cant switch your meter if you are on a day night rate.

That was true for me when I asked. If I took the smart meter they wanted me to go back to the 24hr rate as their backend software could not yet handle day/night rate. It was only setup for 24hr rate. That was over a year ago. They must be close to sorting that out at this stage.

Until they address that, they can keep their smart meter!

Cyrus

KCross wrote: »

That was true for me when I asked. If I took the smart meter they wanted me to go back to the 24hr rate as their backend software could not yet handle day/night rate. It was only setup for 24hr rate. That was over a year ago. They must be close to sorting that out at this stage.

Until they address that, they can keep their smart meter!

thats a shambles :rolleyes:

Maddic_Irl

Cyrus wrote: »

apparently they cant switch your meter if you are on a day night rate.

KCross wrote: »

That was true for me when I asked. If I took the smart meter they wanted me to go back to the 24hr rate as their backend software could not yet handle day/night rate. It was only setup for 24hr rate. That was over a year ago. They must be close to sorting that out at this stage.

Until they address that, they can keep their smart meter!

Same with my parents house, the swapped out a night meter and had to go on day rate only, they installed a digital meter (smart?) at the same time.

KCross wrote: »

There is no separate night meter. It doesnt matter if you are on a 24hr rate or a day/night rate you still have one meter. The existing digital meters have 3 readouts.... total (i.e. 24hr rate), day and night. When the meter read comes to your house he will read out the values that apply to you but its one meter.

Sorry, yes thats what I meant, I'm no expert just comparing to my old analog meter.

KCross wrote: »

There is no reason to hold off on Solar because of Smart meter rollout. Smart meters allow you to monitor your whole house usage more closely and it removes the need for someone to come to your house to read the meter so billing will be more accurate but it wont make any difference to your Solar PV choice.

Now, if you said you were holding off on Solar PV until Feed-in-Tariff came in, then that would be a different matter. Personally I wouldnt hold out for FiT either... it will be small money and not a major deciding factor on whether SolarPV is worth it or not... more icing on the cake than the cake itself!

I mentioned that this would depend on each individuals situation, in fairness you would not know mine. I have underfloor heating supplied by a heat pump, the underfloor is the biggest cost contributor to my electricity bill. With the smart meter and tariffs that allow different rates at different times (maybe this is what you mean by Feed-in-Tariff's?) I can use the underfloor like a storage heater. The resulting reduction in my bill would extend the ROI on PV panels significantly. I am holding off because I know I may be wrong in my assumptions and if so I would like to know, have ordered a Zappi just in case of PV or similar further down the road.

KCross

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

I mentioned that this would depend on each individuals situation, in fairness you would not know mine. I have underfloor heating supplied by a heat pump, the underfloor is the biggest cost contributor to my electricity bill. With the smart meter and tariffs that allow different rates at different times (maybe this is what you mean by Feed-in-Tariff's?) I can use the underfloor like a storage heater. The resulting reduction in my bill would extend the ROI on PV panels significantly. I am holding off because I know I may be wrong in my assumptions and if so I would like to know, have ordered a Zappi just in case of PV or similar further down the road.

I was referring to this comment from you

I will be waiting for this before considering PV panels...

Smart meters should not really influence that decision. I have UFH/HP also.

UFH will primarily be in operation when Solar PV is producing the least amount for you (~Oct-Mar). Then trying to second guess the weather and cloud cover to heat your UFH from what little Solar PV you have during those winter months is going to do your head in for little financial gain. So, I would not agree that it will "extend the ROI on PV panels significantly". It will have minimal effect.

Solar PV is going to generates masses of excess during the summer and thats when you want Feed-in-Tariff which is where ESB will pay you for the excess... so they reduce your bill in the summer.... smart meters will be capable of recording what you have exported but we dont have a FiT yet so its all a guessing game on FiT.

TL;DR... Solar PV and UFH/HP are not really linked in the overall scheme of things and should not influence your decision to put in Solar PV or not. One exception.... you can use SolarPV to generate hot water which will reduce the need for the HP to come on in the summer to heat your hot water.

Good choice on the Zappi.... that is exactly the type of device you need to soak up excess Solar energy in advance of FiT coming in (assuming the car is at home during the day) as its a fully automated device.

Maddic_Irl

KCross wrote: »

I was referring to this comment from you



Smart meters should not really influence that decision. I have UFH/HP also.

UFH will primarily be in operation when Solar PV is producing the least amount for you (~Oct-Mar). Then trying to second guess the weather and cloud cover to heat your UFH from what little Solar PV you have during those winter months is going to do your head in for little financial gain. So, I would not agree that it will "extend the ROI on PV panels significantly". It will have minimal effect.

Solar PV is going to generates masses of excess during the summer and thats when you want Feed-in-Tariff which is where ESB will pay you for the excess... so they reduce your bill in the summer.... smart meters will be capable of recording what you have exported but we dont have a FiT yet so its all a guessing game on FiT.

TL;DR... Solar PV and UFH/HP are not really linked in the overall scheme of things and should not influence your decision to put in Solar PV or not. One exception.... you can use SolarPV to generate hot water which will reduce the need for the HP to come on in the summer to heat your hot water.

Good choice on the Zappi.... that is exactly the type of device you need to soak up excess Solar energy in advance of FiT coming in (assuming the car is at home during the day) as its a fully automated device.

Some excellent points there, thank you! I see the points you are making but I am looking at it from another point of view, not just ROI but also opportunity cost. As you have pointed out PV would do little to reduce my main cost contributor, smart meter with night rates might and if not, any investment I make would be targeted at that for a quicker ROI. I appreciate your comments, gave me more variables to consider including the possibility of FiT which I would need to consider in any ROI assessment.

Apologies that this has gone off topic somewhat, valuable info there for me at least.

KCross

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

Some excellent points there, thank you! I see the points you are making but I am looking at it from another point of view, not just ROI but also opportunity cost. As you have pointed out PV would do little to reduce my main cost contributor, smart meter with night rates might and if not, any investment I make would be targeted at that for a quicker ROI. I appreciate your comments, gave me more variables to consider including the possibility of FiT which I would need to consider in any ROI assessment.

Apologies that this has gone off topic somewhat, valuable info there for me at least.

Are you not already on a day/night meter? With a HP and an EV you should have a day/night meter already and that’s free to get. You don’t need a smart meter for that.

As I understand it, the smart meter will add a 3rd time period to the current two time periods. I think initially the idea is to add a 5-7pm tariff. If they go with that you can change your HP an EV timers to avoid that time period. You don’t need to wait for smart meters though. You should be on a day/night meter right now and Solar PV is a separate decision.

There is also the possibility that current Solar grants will get reduced when they bring in FiT so waiting might not help there either. Have a look at the Renewable Energy forum to get an idea of costs and generation figures etc.

Good luck either way.

Maddic_Irl

KCross wrote: »

Are you not already on a day/night meter? With a HP and an EV you should have a day/night meter already and that’s free to get.

I have just one of the old analog meter, house was built 2003.

I didn't know that, thank you. I was only aware of the older day/night system with two analog meters, I must look into it, cheers!

Badger242

cruisey1987 wrote: »

EO Mini with the ALM module should cover your needs. Make sure your friend is reci certified, you might need to provide a test cert to claim the grant money

Thanks for reply. He is certified. So no need for the Pro model? Also, any one able to purchase an EO mini online and how much? Asked for a quote from the EO website and they will only give one as long as one of their registered electricians lined up to install.

slave1

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

.... have ordered a Zappi just in case of PV or similar further down the road.

Run at least two Cat 5 cables from Consumer Unit to your Zappi, you’ll need this if you ever get PV so simple and inexpensive to do so now while running the power cable

zg3409

Maddic_Irl wrote: »

I have just one of the old analog meter, house was built 2003.

I didn't know that, thank you. I was only aware of the older day/night system with two analog meters, I must look into it, cheers!

Beware smart meters.
There are 3 basic meter types

1) with one mechanical or digital dial, only one rate 24 hours
2) A night rate with 2 displays mechanical or digital, fixed night hours
3) Recently installed smart metres. At present these CANNOT do night rate, or any rate except normal 24 hour rate. In the future they may have fancy options or rates, but none are actually available yet.

For EV a night Meter is best, but beware unless you are doing a fair commute it might not make sense as the day cost is slightly higher. It cab save a good bit if you have a long commute. After first year you can calculate the savings and switch back to 24 hour plan without changing the Meter.

You can't get a smart meter if you are on night rate now, as they can't do night rate. So all my neighbours got a smart meter, but I was not offered one and would have refused it anyway.

403 Forbidden

zg3409 wrote: »

Beware smart meters.
There are 3 basic meter types

1) with one mechanical or digital dial, only one rate 24 hours
2) A night rate with 2 displays mechanical or digital, fixed night hours
3) Recently installed smart metres. At present these CANNOT do night rate, or any rate except normal 24 hour rate. In the future they may have fancy options or rates, but none are actually available yet.

For EV a night Meter is best, but beware unless you are doing a fair commute it might not make sense as the day cost is slightly higher. It cab save a good bit if you have a long commute. After first year you can calculate the savings and switch back to 24 hour plan without changing the Meter.

You can't get a smart meter if you are on night rate now, as they can't do night rate. So all my neighbours got a smart meter, but I was not offered one and would have refused it anyway.

I hope its possible to change soon! I've got a smart meter (new build) and will be keen to switch to day/night as ill have the EV and running a heatpump.

ffocused

Has anyone got any experience with AmonEV in Naas?
They are the only company who have come back to me with a quote for a charger install.

rx8

ffocused wrote: »

Has anyone got any experience with AmonEV in Naas?
They are the only company who have come back to me with a quote for a charger install.

I've sent you a pm about the installer that did mine. They mostly do zappi's, but will also do Rolec and Garo ones.

podge3

cruisey1987 wrote: »

By meter board you mean the ESB meter?


Short answer, yes, but with complications


You can't connect it directly into the meter, you'd need to add another board beside the meter box with 2 connections, one for the EV charger and one for your house


The house fuse board then becomes a sub board of the fuse board outside

Probably a stupid question but can the new board not be connected in parallel to the existing?