At Home Tales, we work hard to provide our clients with excellent design packages for their home extensions in London. Our services encompass a multitude of layers, from handling initial concept designs to submitting for planning permission to producing structural drawings and calculations. As we work primarily with homeowners to create a home extension, we are cautious of new legislation that may arise each year which may affect their proposal. That is why in this post, we would like to cover everything to do with electric car charging points in the lead up to the government’s announcement to halt any sales of traditional petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. This may affect your home in different ways, whether you own a flat, home-to-rent, or intend on building your home from scratch.

What is an electric car charging point?

An electric car charging point is equipment that provides a source of electricity to an electric vehicle. These appliances can also be called an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and works to recharge electric and hybrid vehicles as quick as 10 minutes to an hour. Some charging stations are free and subsidised by the local council, which may now become more prevalent due to the rising climate change concerns. Generally, the use of these EVSE points are chargeable to the owner by month or year. There are also standard and fast charging times, dependent on the type of car you have and cost at the specific EVSE.

How they affect your property

You might be seeing more and more electric car charging points popping up around your neighbourhood and on modern homes, and this is no coincidence. In an effort to ditch petrol cars and implement positive changes to help the environment, this year, a new law has been introduced in the UK that requires new build homes and buildings to include such appliances in their proposals. The step was taken to work towards London’s bid to become carbon neutral by 2050. This means about 145,000 will be installed throughout the UK each year.

Even if you do not have an electric car, having an electric car charging point installed from initial build will futureproof your property, as it requires complicated wiring within your exterior walls. It has also been found that installing an EV charger can add value to a house by up to £6,000. Installing a EVSE charger in a home can cost around £800, which homeowners will be able to apply for financial support from the government for. Overall, we think it’s a great investment. Although this new law only applies to new builds, self-build properties, and those applying for change-of-use into a dwelling house, homeowners and property investors alike may want to install these charging points near their properties as it changes from being a feature that adds luxury to becoming the new standard. If you are leasing your property or renting for Airbnb, having the charging points will ensure you cater to all types of tenants.

In the UK alone, EDF energy have found that there are over 42,000 charge point connectors in an excess of 15,500 locations, with EVSE sales increasing by 70% a year. This ultimately means there are more EVSE points available than petrol stations. Most of these car charging points can be found in London and Southeast England, and from these statistics, it can be argued that we should expect much more of them showing up on our streets in the near future. Their growth in convenience and popularity is due to growing climate change concerns, and rising cost of petrol/diesel, especially with current issues i.e. Brexit and the war in Ukraine. Tesla and other hybrid cars can now be seen all over London. Large scale renovations (such as in flats or workplaces) will be affected, as any project that proposed over 10 parking spaces will need these charging points installed.

If you are looking to undertake a home renovation or extension project, why not give our friendly team of professionals a call? Reach us by phone on 02070432378 or via email at hello@hometales.co.uk, we would love to hear from you! Alternatively, book in a telephone consultation with a senior member of our team by clicking here. This allows you to fit in a discussion for a time that best suits you, and you can choose from a standard or Plus consultation. We will be able to discuss the feasibility of your project and explain our process a bit further with you.