Home Chargers

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 09:52
Home Chargers - jchinuk
"How do I stop electricity theft from my home charging point?"

Was a recent question to "Honest John", both my neighbours are qualified electricians, one retired, I asked them the question.

They both suggested an isolation switch for the charging point INSIDE the home, obviously you would need to remember to switch it on, but you would only have a 'live' charging point when you were charging your vehicle.
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Sat 3 Apr 2021 10:10
Home Chargers - skidpan
"How do I stop electricity theft from my home charging point?" Was a recent question to "Honest John", both my neighbours are qualified electricians, one retired, I asked them the question. They both suggested an isolation switch for the charging point INSIDE the home, obviously you would need to remember to switch it on, but you would only have a 'live' charging point when you were charging your vehicle.

Awaiting "issue solved" post but in the meantime why on earth do people even need to ask. Its so incredibly obvious to have a secure remote switch and to render the original question totally crackers.

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 10:22
Home Chargers - elekie&a/c doctor
As an add on to this post, (genuine or not) , a charging point installation requires an rcd at source. (Fuse box/ distribution board ) . To protect the circuit from damage or if it gets pulled off the wall etc .
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Sat 3 Apr 2021 10:23
Home Chargers - Wee Willie Winkie

I can't see how electricity theft from home chargers would be a problem. A full charge (50kw) using my charger would cost £2.50 at cheap rate or £7.32 at peak rate, and would take nearly 7 hours. I'm sure a strange car parked there would be noticed. Besides, I can remotely lock the charger from being used, using the app.

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 10:29
Home Chargers - skidpan

As an add on to this post, (genuine or not) , a charging point installation requires an rcd at source. (Fuse box/ distribution board ) . To protect the circuit from damage or if it gets pulled off the wall etc .

Didn't mention that since not all dis boards are easy to get at. Ours is in a kitchen cupboard and you pretty much need to empty it to get at the breakers.

I can't see how electricity theft from home chargers would be a problem. A full charge (50kw) using my charger would cost £2.50 at cheap rate or £7.32 at peak rate, and would take nearly 7 hours. I'm sure a strange car parked there would be noticed. Besides, I can remotely lock the charger from being used, using the app.

I appreciate that the cars have apps but was not aware the charging points had apps.

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 10:35
Home Chargers - _

Didn't mention that since not all dis boards are easy to get at. Ours is in a kitchen cupboard and you pretty much need to empty it to get at the breakers.

I have a flat that I rent out, and the electrician who did the last safety certificate insisted on the access to the fusebox and rcd,s had to be kept clear at all times.

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 10:51
Home Chargers - skidpan

Didn't mention that since not all dis boards are easy to get at. Ours is in a kitchen cupboard and you pretty much need to empty it to get at the breakers.

I have a flat that I rent out, and the electrician who did the last safety certificate insisted on the access to the fusebox and rcd,s had to be kept clear at all times.

Probably because its a rented property. Our last inspection was carried out in April 2016 and no such requirement was noted.

One house we lived in had the fuse box located so that you needed steps to access it, another had it in the cupboard under the stairs. Where we are now is simple, take out the cat food and bingo, access to dis board.

In the MIL's council property it was also in a kitchen cupboard and considering her age and height (4'6") was totally inaccesible.

Edited by skidpan on 03/04/2021 at 10:52

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 14:08
Home Chargers - Steveieb

My college friend who worked in the electricity industry arranged to get a coil wound big enough to wrap around his meter.

When he next received his bill it appears to have speeded up the meter not slowed it down !

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 17:49
Home Chargers - Andrew-T

When he next received his bill it appears to have speeded up the meter not slowed it down !

The only effective arrangement is to keep an old-style analogue meter as long as possible after installing solar panels, which send the meter into reverse. Sadly the suppliers take steps to install a digital meter which isn't fooled.

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 17:46
Home Chargers - Andrew-T

Didn't mention that since not all dis boards are easy to get at. Ours is in a kitchen cupboard and you pretty much need to empty it to get at the breakers.

That seems a clumsy arrangement for a man of your obvious principles, Skidpan. Was the cupboard built around an existing dis-box ?

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Wed 7 Apr 2021 15:51
Home Chargers - skidpan

Didn't mention that since not all dis boards are easy to get at. Ours is in a kitchen cupboard and you pretty much need to empty it to get at the breakers.

That seems a clumsy arrangement for a man of your obvious principles, Skidpan. Was the cupboard built around an existing dis-box ?

Not clumsy at all. Simply remove boxes of cat food and access is easy.

The did board is located on an outside wall where it was placed after an extension was built in the 70's, the meter etc is on the wall behind it. A fitted kitchen then concealed it. In the early 2000's it was rewired with a new larger dis board in the same location. A few years later a new kitchen was fitted with the unit over the dis board pretty much as before.

5 years ago extra circuits were taken out of the dis board for loft conversion works.

All done by NICEIC sparkies and approved by Council Building Control.

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Sat 3 Apr 2021 18:12
Home Chargers - Wee Willie Winkie

Yes, I have an Ohme smart charger. I can set the maximum ppkw charge cost in the app. My cheap rate is 5ppkw, so if I set the maximum to, say, 1ppkw it won't allow a charge at all. All my charging is controlled by the Ohme app, rather than controlled by the car.

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Wed 7 Apr 2021 15:39
Home Chargers - Electric Leaper

I've got a New Motion charger and you need to tap it with the access card before it unlocks and allows you to charge.

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