Client: Domestic Customer (Neighbours)
Project length: 1 Day
Completion date: March 2022
HF divisions involved: Electrical, Green Energy
Brief project description: We were contacted by a resident living at No. 15 who was initially enquiring about having an EV charger installed at his home. He advised us that other installers had been willing to quote but nobody had come to survey his property as the electrical installation was what can only be described as’ bit difficult’. This was because the property garage (where the EV Charger was to be installed) was located at the other end of the garden, far away from the house.
We surveyed the site and provided the customer with our quotation and breakdown of what work was required. While we were conducting our site survey, the resident at No. 15’s next door neighbour at No. 11, asked if we could also provide a quote to install an EV charger at his home, which was in the exact same situation with the garage being located at the other end of the garden from the house.
Project Challenges: During the EV installation survey, we discovered that both properties were on the dreaded looped electrical supply. It transpired that his supply in fact came from the property at No. 11 house which meant that we could not connect No. 15 or No. 11 chargers to the networks until they were successfully ‘un-looped’.
Scottish Power will not allow the connection of an EV charger with this type of supply. As a result, the customer was needing to have their home un-looped from the next-door neighbour’s electrical supply. Scottish Power were called out to install a brand new supply cable to the property – completely free of charge to the customer.
To make the project even more of a challenge, the deadline for installing chargers to gain the OZEV grant being 31st March, and the DNO stating between 7-15 weeks for a new supply to be installed meant we were up against the clock if both customers were going to be able to receive their grants.
We kept in constant contact with SPEN and through our persistence, we managed to book a date of the 25th March for their supply to be installed. The HF Electrical team completed both installations on the same day and both customers were understandably left very happy as the work was completed before the deadline and they would be in receipt of the OZEV grants before they expired.
“Superb service from your Electrician/EV Installer Graeme Sneddon. Great help dealing with Scottish Power. Not an easy job!!! Cheers”
As more and more car manufacturers release new Electric Vehicles with better range and more efficient, faster charging options, there is a growing wave of support from customers looking to make the switch from petrol and diesel powered vehicles. And with more and more of these car owners making the switch to electric vehicles, there is a strong demand for at home charging systems to be fitted.
EV charging points are not like petrol stations with universal pumps. There are multiple branded manufacturer options available and various styles of EV charging station outlets to choose from. Wall mounted 7kW EV chargers are the most common and are compatible with all current electric vehicles on sale (with exception of some hybrid models) and an average charge time for an electric vehicle will take between 6 to 7 hours (though this is getting better all the time). There are faster, more powerful charging systems and even something called ‘Rapid Chargers’ available. Our qualified EV Charger Installation team can advise you on the best fit for your EV Charging needs.
With senior-level hands-on management from initial planning to final handover, and with the opportunity to tap into a wide range of varied services and associated consultants with a skills base and command of technologies which are second to none. Working with HF Group is more than just another service contractor.
Client: Domestic Customer
Project length: 1/2 Day
Completion date: February 2022
HF divisions involved: Electrical, Green Energy
Brief project description: We were contracted to install a brand new Ohme Home Pro EV charger for a customer in Glasgow. What makes the Ohme Home Pro EV charger so special is that it has full 4G capabilities. This connects the system to its own back office and allows the customer to select which energy tariff they are using when charging their electric vehicle.
The 4G connected charger then inputs the cost per unit of electricity at the time and gives the customer an accurate cost per charge (depending on the battery level of the vehicle at the time of charging, and the target charge level they are trying to achieve). This allows the customer to see when is the best time of the day to charge their vehicle, creating real cost potential to the customer over the course of the year (for example if their tariff was on a lower rate at night time to encourage overnight charging).
Project Challenges: During the initial site survey for the EV Charging Installation, our Engineers spotted that the customers supply to their home was looped. This method of supplying semi-detached and terraced properties in Glasgow was once a popular choice and means that one cable has been taken from the main supply cable in the street to one house. Then another cable ‘loops’ from this supply to the house(s) next door.
Scottish Power will not allow the connection of an EV charger with this type of supply. As a result, the customer was needing to have their home un-looped from the next-door neighbour’s electrical supply. Scottish Power were called out to install a brand new supply cable to the property – completely free of charge to the customer.
Because our engineers picked this up during the initial home survey and highlighted the problem to SP Energy Networks at the point of application, it took all the hassle away from the customer. It is this level of detail and service that we are so proud of when it comes to electrical installations such as EV Charging Point fitting.
When the property was ‘un-looped’, SP Energy Networks informed us that the works were complete and we were able to carry out our full installation of the new Ohme Home Pro EV Charger.
“Highly recommend HF for EV Charger installation. I got several quotes but HF were the only supplier who actually did an in-person site visit. Just as well too as they spotted I was on a looped supply. They then submitted the request to Scottish Power on my behalf to have a direct supply installed to my home and helped me navigate my way through that confusing process. Once that was done the installation of the charger was spot on – an excellent piece of work.”
As more and more car manufacturers release new Electric Vehicles with better range and more efficient, faster charging options, there is a growing wave of support from customers looking to make the switch from petrol and diesel powered vehicles. And with more and more of these car owners making the switch to electric vehicles, there is a strong demand for at home charging systems to be fitted.
EV charging points are not like petrol stations with universal pumps. There are multiple branded manufacturer options available and various styles of EV charging station outlets to choose from. Wall mounted 7kW EV chargers are the most common and are compatible with all current electric vehicles on sale (with exception of some hybrid models) and an average charge time for an electric vehicle will take between 6 to 7 hours (though this is getting better all the time). There are faster, more powerful charging systems and even something called ‘Rapid Chargers’ available. Our qualified EV Charger Installation team can advise you on the best fit for your EV Charging needs.
With senior-level hands-on management from initial planning to final handover, and with the opportunity to tap into a wide range of varied services and associated consultants with a skills base and command of technologies which are second to none. Working with HF Group is more than just another service contractor.
Client: Domestic Customer
Project length: 1.5 Days
Completion date: January 2022
HF divisions involved: Electrical, Green Energy
Brief project description: Our qualified EV Charging Installers were hired to install a new ‘Wallbox Pulsar‘ Tethered EV Charging Point along with additional IP-rated garden sockets for a property in Glasgow. The electrical installation work required the consumer unit in the garage to be upgraded to a more modern unit. We also increased the size of the cable supplying this consumer unit to cope with the increased demand of the EV charger.
Project Challenges: The frontal area of the garage where the EV charging point was to be fitted was quite narrow. This meant that we could only fit a certain size of EV Charging Point. Thanks to the advances in EV Charging technology, we were able to fit a new compact charger from specialist manufacturer Wallbox to the restricted space.
Customer Quote: “I am very happy with the work carried out. Very helpful installer and overall am impressed with the work done.“
There is a growing wave of support for electric vehicles in both the commercial and consumer sectors that is currently exceeding the electric vehicle charging network. There is a great demand for charging stations across the country that needs to be met.
EV charging stations are not like petrol stations with universal pumping stations. There are different branded manufacturers and levels of charging station. Wall mounted 7kW EV chargers are the most common are are seen both in business parks and residential driveways. They are compatible with the vast majority of current electric vehicles on sale (we can advise you on the specifics) and an average charge time for an electric vehicle will take between 3 to 4 hours. There are faster, more powerful charging systems and even something called ‘Rapid Chargers’. Our qualified EV Charger Installation team can advise you on the best fit for your business needs.
With senior-level hands-on management from initial planning to final handover, and with the opportunity to tap into a wide range of varied services and associated consultants with a skills base and command of technologies which are second to none. Working with HF Group is more than just another service contractor.
