EV charging
Alliant Energy installs smart EV chargers for homes and workplaces across Lancashire and Greater Manchester. NICEIC-certified installers. 7kW–22kW chargers, solar-compatible. Workplace Charging Scheme grant available. Installations typically completed in one day.
*The 5-Year Workmanship Warranty covers Alliant's own installation and labour — distinct from the manufacturer's product and performance warranties (up to 30 years on panels), which cover the equipment itself.
The cost case
The average UK driver covers 7,400 miles a year. In an electric car averaging 3.5 miles/kWh, that's around 2,115 kWh of electricity annually — about £500 on a standard home tariff, or as little as £150 on an overnight smart tariff like Octopus Intelligent.
Do the same mileage on public rapid chargers at 65p/kWh and you're paying over £600 a year — more than double the home cost, and approaching the fuel bill for a small petrol car. The economic case for home charging is straightforward.
| Charging method | Typical rate | Cost per 100 miles | Annual fuel cost* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public rapid charger (50kW DC) | 55–80p/kWh | ~£17–£23 | ~£1,250–£1,700 |
| Public slow charger (7kW AC) | 35–55p/kWh | ~£10–£16 | ~£740–£1,185 |
| Home charger, standard tariff | ~24p/kWh | ~£7 | ~£515 |
| Home charger, overnight smart tariff | ~7–10p/kWh | ~£2–£3 | ~£148–£222 |
| Home charger + solar (excess generation) | ~0–3p/kWh | ~£0–£1 | ~£0–£74 |
*Based on 7,400 miles/year, 3.5 miles per kWh. Smart tariff rates vary by supplier and tariff.
Solar + EV
The single biggest lever for improving solar payback is having a high-demand use for the electricity you generate. An EV is exactly that — a large battery that needs regular charging, parked at home exactly when solar generation peaks.
A standard 3-bed home might self-consume 40–50% of solar generation. A home with an EV can push that to 70–80% — dramatically reducing the amount exported at low SEG rates, and replacing public charging costs entirely.
Real-world result
A customer with Package 2 solar (8 panels + 5.76kWh battery) and an EV on Octopus Intelligent reported a combined electricity and fuel bill of under £400/year — down from over £2,800 before solar.
If you have an EV — or plan to get one — tell us when you request your solar quote. It changes the optimal system size, battery capacity and inverter spec.
Home EV chargers
Most UK homes use a 7kW (32A single-phase) home charger — the sweet spot between installation cost and charging speed. At 7kW a typical 60kWh EV charges from 20% to 80% in around 5–6 hours: perfect for an overnight charge.
The more important question is which charger. Smart chargers — with app control, solar integration and tariff scheduling — differ meaningfully from basic dumb units.
| Charger | Max power | Solar integration | Smart tariff | App | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zappi (myenergi) | 7kW | Designed for it — Eco/Eco+ modes charge from excess solar | Time-of-use scheduling | myenergi app | Solar owners — the standout choice |
| Ohme Home Pro | 7.4kW | Compatible | Best-in-class Octopus integration — auto-charges cheapest slots | Ohme app | EV owners on Octopus tariffs |
| Wallbox Pulsar Plus | 7.4kW | Compatible | Scheduled charging | myWallbox app | Compact installation, tight space |
| Hypervolt Home 3 | 7.4kW | Partial | Scheduled charging | Hypervolt app | UK brand, strong warranty support |
| Pod Point Solo 3 | 7.2kW | Not supported | Basic scheduling | Pod Point app | Straightforward home charge, no solar |
The Zappi. Its Eco and Eco+ modes automatically direct surplus solar generation into your car rather than exporting it at low SEG rates — so your car is powered, as far as possible, by free electricity.
On an Octopus tariff, the Ohme Home Pro's automatic slot-based charging is hard to beat — it finds the cheapest available grid slots without you having to set a schedule.
We're not tied to any one manufacturer. We install whichever charger best suits your setup, and we'll give you a clear recommendation when we quote.
Workplace & commercial
With over 1.4 million EVs on UK roads and growing, employees increasingly choose roles — and stay in them — partly based on whether they can charge at work. For fleet operators, charging at the depot overnight at 7–10p/kWh instead of relying on public rapid chargers at 55–80p/kWh is a significant operational saving.
We install 7kW AC units for staff car parks, 22kW three-phase units where faster turnaround is needed, and multi-bay installations for fleet operators. All commercial installations are NICEIC-certified.
| Type | Power | Suitable for | Typical installation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7kW AC (single phase) | 7kW | Staff parking, standard office | 1–8 bays, standard supply |
| 22kW AC (three phase) | 22kW | Fleet vehicles, faster turnaround | Requires 3-phase supply — confirmed on survey |
| 50kW+ DC rapid | 50kW–150kW | Customer-facing rapid chargers, large fleets | Significant infrastructure — priced individually |
Workplace chargers pair exceptionally well with rooftop solar — direct solar generation powers staff charging during the day, reducing grid draw to near zero. Installing both at once also cuts costs versus doing them separately.
Commercial solar →Vans, company cars or specialist vehicles — depot overnight charging is almost always the lowest-cost fuelling model. We design and install multi-bay systems with load balancing so your electrical infrastructure isn't overwhelmed by simultaneous charging.
EV charger grants in 2026
Homeowner note
The government's residential EV chargepoint grant was narrowed in 2022. Outright homeowners with off-street parking no longer qualify. The cost is generally covered within 2–3 years of charging at home instead of using public chargers.
Grant rules change. We'll confirm your eligibility and handle the paperwork when we quote.
The installation
Tell us your car (or expected car), your property type, where you park, and whether you have solar. We come back with a fixed-price proposal within one working day.
For straightforward domestic installs — house with a driveway, consumer unit nearby — we can often proceed from photos. Commercial, multi-bay, or complex installs get an on-site survey first.
Our NICEIC-certified electricians install the charger, run the cable from your consumer unit, and commission the unit. Commercial multi-bay installs take longer — we'll give you a clear timeline.
Every installation is signed off by our NICEIC-qualified electricians and you receive an electrical installation certificate. Required for warranty validity and grant claims.
We help you set up the charger app, connect it to your smart tariff (Octopus Intelligent, Agile, etc.), and configure solar integration if you have panels. You won't leave wondering how to get the most from it.
Frequently asked questions
A 7kW home charger adds roughly 25–30 miles of range per hour. A car with a 60kWh battery goes from 20% to 80% in around 5–6 hours — easily done overnight. A 3-pin plug (2.3kW) takes 20+ hours and isn't designed for regular use as a primary charging method.
Yes, using a 3-pin plug via a granny cable — but it's slow (2.3kW, about 8 miles/hour) and not recommended as your primary method. 3-pin sockets aren't designed for sustained high-current loads overnight. A dedicated 7kW charger is safer, faster and cheaper long-term.
In most cases, no. EV chargers are permitted development for domestic properties in England, Wales and Scotland, subject to height and projection limits. Listed buildings and some conservation areas may have additional restrictions — we flag this during your quote.
7kW is single-phase and available from any standard domestic supply. 22kW requires a three-phase supply — common in commercial premises, less common in homes. Most domestic EVs are also limited to 7.4kW AC charging, so a 22kW charger would still only charge at 7.4kW at home. For homes, 7kW is almost always the right answer. For workplaces with fleet vehicles or three-phase supply, 22kW makes sense.
Yes — a solar-compatible charger like the Zappi can direct surplus solar generation into your car's battery rather than exporting it to the grid. In practice, your car can charge for free during solar peak hours. On cloudy days or at night it falls back to grid charging, ideally on a smart overnight tariff.
Most UK homes have a 100A supply, which comfortably handles a 7kW charger alongside normal household loads. We'll confirm this during the survey. If your supply is limited, we can install a load-balancing device to prevent the charger from causing an overload.
If you're an outright homeowner in a house with off-street parking, you currently don't qualify for the government's EV chargepoint grant (eligibility was removed in April 2022). The Workplace Charging Scheme applies if you're installing chargers at commercial premises. Renters and flat owners may still qualify for the residential grant — we'll confirm your situation when you enquire.
A standard home installation is typically half a day. Commercial multi-bay installations take 1–3 days depending on the number of bays and cable routing. We'll give you a specific timeline with your quote.
We install Zappi (myenergi), Ohme, Wallbox, Hypervolt, Pod Point, and others. We recommend the Zappi for solar owners due to its purpose-built solar integration. For homes without solar but on Octopus, the Ohme Home Pro is our top pick. We advise based on your situation, not on margin.
Areas we cover
Our Nelson-based team installs EV chargers in Nelson, Burnley, Blackburn, Preston and Manchester, plus every town below across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.
Three ways to get started
Get a tailored quote in one working day. No obligation. No hard sell. Speak to a renewable energy engineer — not a salesperson — at a time that suits you.
Accreditations
MCS certification isn't a box-ticking exercise — it qualifies your system for Smart Export Guarantee payments and government grants. Our installers are also NICEIC-approved and TrustMark-registered, and every install is fully insured.
