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Survey Sunday: we asked how much home charging SHOULD cost, you answered

For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey about how much Electrek readers think it would cost to add EV charging systems to their homes. After receiving over twenty-four hundred responses, here’s what you told us.

In our previous survey, we asked readers why they chose to install solar panels at home. In the recap, many of our commenters mentioned having their systems systems pull double duty — charging home backup batteries and topping off their electric cars. That got us thinking: as more and more first-time EV owners look into the many benefits of home charging, how much do they expect to pay for home charging?

Based on over 2,400 responses, this is what you told us.

What do you expect to pay for home charging?


By the numbers; original content.

The most positive surprise was that more than a third of Electrek readers who responded to the poll already had 240V outlets in their garage, so they expected to pay effectively $0 – their homes are EV ready now!

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Of the remaining 64%, 44% were fairly evenly split between a relatively straightforward ~$500-1,000 wiring job with a few wiring or panel upgrades while only about 18% expected to spend over $1,000 due to having an older home, a detached garage, or for some other (apparently pricey and/or inconvenient) reason.

Navigating the questions


EVSE installer; via Qmerit.

Just like you would for home solar, we’d recommend getting a quote from several installers before making a decision. One of our trusted partners, Qmerit, offers a quote-sourcing service called PowerHouse. The service scans pricing from thousands of completed electrification installations across North America to provide the best quotes that take regional variability into account and work with homeowners to “bundle” chargers, installation, and even batteries.

America has arrived at an inflection point in which all of the technical, policy and financial elements are in place to support a societal shift toward whole-home electrification. Now what’s needed is a comprehensive way to assemble these complex elements into a simple, financeable, home-energy retrofit that makes it easier to implement.

QMERIT FOUNDER TRACY PRICE

Top comment by Steve Zodiac

Liked by 7 people

My garage is at the bottom of the garden and the supply comes in the front and runs through the house. The extortionate cost of installing a 7Kw supply down there and the disruptive house works needed made me do the calculations and, even accounting for 12.5% losses I worked out I can charge on a granny charger for 17 years before I'm actually paying more ( I don't have the option of the smart meter needed for low overnight rates). I've been living on one for three years now and, even though I live in a 240v country, I'm actually turning the rate down from 2.2kW to 1.7 to save the plug getting rather warm.

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Qmerit says its new bundling program can flag the potential for federal, state, and local utility incentives like the ones we’ve covered from Illinois utility ComEd and others that can reduce or even eliminate the upfront costs of home installations for many.


Original content from Electrek.


If you drive an electric vehicle, make charging at home fast, safe, and convenient with a Level 2 charger installed by Qmerit. As the nation’s most trusted EV charger installation network, Qmerit connects you with licensed, background-checked electricians who specialize in EV charging. You’ll get a quick online estimate, upfront pricing, and installation backed by Qmerit’s nationwide quality guarantee. Their pros follow the highest safety standards so you can plug in at home with total peace of mind.

Ready to charge smarter? Get started today with Qmerit (trusted affiliate).

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Author

Avatar for Jo Borrás Jo Borrás

I’ve been in and around the auto industry for over thirty years, and have written for a number of well-known outlets like CleanTechnica, Popular Mechanics, the Truth About Cars, and more. You can catch me at Electrek Daily’s Quick Charge, The Heavy Equipment Podcast, or chasing my kids around Oak Park, IL