Granny Charging Scheduling

[kpatrick77]

Was due to get a Wallbox home charger today however my DNO has came in last Friday and said that a 6 month and £800 cable upgrade to my rural property is needed. I have contested this after finding out the company installing grossly overestimated my peak electricity usage. Anyway ....

I have switched to EDF and due to start getting 4.5p per kWh overnight electricity prices in a few weeks. Would something like this be suitable to try get some scheduling done ? Seems like the power rating is suitable and has an automatic cut off. I will be parking my car next to a shed which has its own mini consumer unit fuse box too. Any reason not to?

Thanks.

Amazon product ASIN B08X2H9NRK
Timer Socket

 

[Kithmo]

Who told (or asked) the DNO, is it a requirement in Scotland ?
I can't recall my DNO being involved when I had my Pod Point installed, unless Pod point contacted them.

 

[kpatrick77]

Who told (or asked) the DNO, is it a requirement in Scotland ?
I can't recall my DNO being involved when I had my Pod Point installed, unless Pod point contacted them.

I am not sure.

I bought a wallbox off Scottish Power. Who subcontracted out to company who I sent pictures too/asked some questions about electricity usage and said that the DNO approval had to be done before they installed. Maybe because I am trying to get the £350 back off the UK government (unlikely now)?

I am really annoyed as I took out a 10kW electric shower last year and definitely had the hob, oven and shower on all at once!!!!!

 

[Alb]

The DNO has to be notified of an EV charge point installation.

 

[Ozzie1989]

Yes the electrician would have to notify the DNO as the potential consumption of the property has changed. DNOs need this information to plan the infrastructure in your area and ensure it can cope with any increased demand.

If you have mainly electric items (e.g. shower, oven, hob) then the electrician will report a potential demand to the DNO. Now you could contest with the DNO to agree that your charger will be fitted with a Load Monitoring device and throttle back the charger when you turn on other devices, but they may still have concerns particularly if you are overhead fed and maybe (if rural) have your own or shared mini transformer.

This is less of an issue in built up areas, as cable buried underground has a more stable temperature and is generally rated higher than house capacity, lots of people upgraded to 100a fuses for free because of this.

The countryside is a different beast with lots of long runs for few houses so are often not as highly rated. Also a nearby farm could have paid to upgrade supply, which means now you need to pay to upgrade the next part of the infrastructure to cope with the demand from both of you etc.

 

[kpatrick77]

Thanks for the replies.

Any advice on using a timer as mentioned above whilst I wait for the 7kW charger ?

 

[Ozzie1989]

Should be ok as long as it's properly rated. Just make sure nothing flammable is stored near or in the shed this will give you valuable extra time to fight the fire yourself should one start. I would also test it during the day to ensure it doesn't get too hot before leaving overnight.

 

[Jomarkh]

How many hours is your 4.5p rate for? You may not get much charge into the car at 2.2kwh from a 'granny'

 

[Slipstream]

You'll probably have to have your main fuse upgraded if yours is less than 100amps.your DNO should do this foc.

 

[Slipstream]

You'll probably have to have your main fuse upgraded if yours is less than 100amps.your DNO should do this foc.

 

[kpatrick77]

How many hours is your 4.5p rate for? You may not get much charge into the car at 2.2kwh from a 'granny'

5 hours! Hopefully better than nothing!!

You'll probably have to have your main fuse upgraded if yours is less than 100amps.your DNO should do this foc.

Yes part of the £800 upgrade was a £90 cost for a 100A fuse upgrade . Actual cost of works was over £4000 but they seem to have dropped the price as it’s upgraded for many properties.

Appeal due to be completed this week so hopefully I can get back on track with 7kW charger.

 

[Ozzie1989]

You'll probably have to have your main fuse upgraded if yours is less than 100amps.your DNO should do this foc.

This is a misconception born on EV forums by people who are not electricians and love to spread rumours

I have a 60a fuse with load monitoring, works fine for me, in my situation, and would for many millions of people.

Now if you have electric heating, double electric oven, induction hob and 2 electric showers, and you want to use them all at once whilst charging your car, that's a different story!

Most people will charge overnight and the 32a draw from an EV charger will be less than their load at peak time during the evening.

 

[phillycee]

Recommend do what Ozzie recommended. I tried using a timer socket from screwfix and although it was rated 13a it got worryingly hot during a test run after about an hour or so.

So its not something I'd feel comfortable leaving overnight and risking burning the house down. It maybe the timer sockets you found work better.... but the rule is test a few times and make sure nothing gets too hot (check the pins)... I might revisit the timer socket later and try another model later on... but its not urgent (I can charge at work and for free at the 1 mile away tesco)... so I've never bothered installing a 7kw charger... granny charger is enough for top ups.

Its always good to check socket temps with the granny lead, even though its only 10A ...heat can build up on some installations.

I've noticed you can get 8A granny leads - I wonder if they would work with the MG and offer a safer option to use a timer socket plug... such a pain that the MG doesn't have a built in charging timer...would make life so much easier

 

[Ozzie1989]

Yes you can buy aftermarket adjustable granny chargers. Lots go down to 6a so if you were worried and assuming you have the time, that would definitely be an option

 

[phillycee]

Yes you can buy aftermarket adjustable granny chargers. Lots go down to 6a so if you were worried and assuming you have the time, that would definitely be an option

I had seen them, just wondered if any MG quirks stopped them working. 8A would still be fast enough for the weekly milage I tend to do