What Can Homeowners Expect to Pay for an EV Charger Installation?
EV charging rebates in British Columbia have been a resounding success. For years, BC Hydro provided excellent options to help homeowners, business owners, and residents of multifamily strata invest in charging infrastructure to make the EV ownership experience even better. Now, with rebates for single-family homes largely dropping off for the time being, what can homeowners expect an EV charger installation to cost?
Here at TCA Electric, our highly experienced EV charging experts have worked with numerous BC residents to add chargers to their homes. Even without rebates, EV charging can be very reasonably priced for homeowners while adding cost savings to the electric vehicle ownership experience. Let’s take a look at the typical cost of an EV charger installation—and what factors may impact that figure.
EV Charger Installation Cost
For most single-family EV chargers, the installation cost will generally start at around $600. This is just the figure for the installation, however; the charging device itself may cost anywhere from around $600 to $1,000 depending on the exact brand and model you want for your home. This means the total cost to purchase and install an EV charger will come in at around $1200 and up.
Of course, that minimum cost is just a baseline, and it’s important for homeowners to be aware of other factors that may cause the final total to increase or decrease. So not, let’s break down some of the most important cost factors.
Where Is Your Charger Located?
One of the most important factors when it comes to the cost of your EV charger installation is your preferred charging location. For instance, if you want your charger installed in your garage, and your electrical panel is located right nearby, the installation will be very straightforward. This minimizes the time and materials required to install your charger and means the final price will likely be closer to the minimum.
Unfortunately, not all homes are laid out this way. For many homeowners, their preferred charging location may be on the opposite side of their home from where the electrical panel is. In these cases, more labour will be required to plan out and run wiring from the panel to your charging location, increasing the final cost.
Do You Care More About Efficiency or Aesthetics?
If a significant amount of wiring is required for your EV charger installation, there’s another cost factor to consider: Do you care more about aesthetics, or taking the most direct path from your panel to your charger?
Taking the more direct route will generally be simpler and less expensive, but it could interfere with the overall aesthetic of your home. On the other hand, taking a more circuitous route, routing wiring underground, or disguising the wiring using something like electrical conduit will all take more effort and materials—and therefore cost a bit more.
Will You Need to Upgrade Your Service?
For some homeowners, the most important cost factor will be the type of electrical panel they currently have and the level of service their home currently receives. While most newer homes will have at least 200 amps of service—usually plenty for an EV charger—some may still have 100-amp panels. For those with only 100 amps, installing an EV charger may first require a panel upgrade or the addition of another device to prevent overloading your panel.
In other words, those with smaller panels may need to pay for additional services that will add to the ultimate cost of completing an EV charger installation.
TCA Electric Will Work with You to Plan a Cost Efficient EV Charger Installation!
Here at TCA Electric, our professional electricians strongly believe in the power of planning ahead. We’ve found that this often leads us to much more cost-effective solutions that meet the needs of our customers efficiently and effectively.
If you’re interested in EV charger installation, but you’re worried about the cost, we’ll work with you to identify the solutions that make the most sense not just for your budget, but for your lifestyle and your future plans. Ready to join the EV charging revolution? Contact our team today for a quote!