Why is it so difficult to get a quote from electricians and other trades? I’ve had a couple come over and look at an EV charger installation - it’s not an overly tricky install, with just 1 paving slab to lift and a cable to route through a garage - they’ve even said it’s not a difficult job to do and that they have availability in x number of weeks etc.
But then they go silent… with no quotes or anything sent over.
Is this just how the world is these days?! I’m not going to quibble over the cost, I just want (need) one installed in the next 6 weeks or so.
What do I need to do?!
Anyone able to recommend an EV charger installer in Bristol?!
Probably the way of Trades these days, they feel they can be rude as they've got so much demand!
See if Oli @ https://cotswold-ev.co.uk/ can be tempted your way; not only is he a top electrician, he's a pretty handy mtb'er as well!
I wish I could be that rude with my work haha
Thanks for the suggestion - I'm pretty sure I bumped into him at Barry Sidings a couple months ago - asked for a poke around his Buzz (if his website's imagery is representative!) and he mentioned he was an installer - I just didn't get his details as I wasn't in a position to get a van at that point!
https://www.checkatrade.com / ?
Click on Electrician and there's a EV charging category
I used checkatrade to quote for a fence recently and was inundated with friendly buildy types wanting the job. Was done within a couple of weeks
I've used checkatrade for sparkies and plumbers with good results.
Basically go in the website punch in a description of the work required and they field the job to a bunch of trades that are registered with them and they call you back or email you back.
Would recommend.
They have to pay to be registered on there too and they are all vetted so you know they are qualified, so it cuts down on the potential cowboy aspect too.
Oli (Cotswold-EV) did my charger install at the start of last month. He's done other electrical work for me before and did the ev charger install for my in-laws, my line manager and other friends. He was good at talking though options and recommending suitable chargers at different price points. He spent time making sure everything was set up and working and checking I understood how to do the things I needed to do. Very tidy work as well. I was the other guy you spoke to that day at Barry Sidings when you had a look at his ID Buzz @hungrymonkey.
I wish I could be that rude with my work haha
I don't - I actually like helping people.
In forty years I've only told one customer to piss-off out the door and never come back!
Relieved it's not just me that finds this - I thought it was just my unpleasant personality. Maybe it is. It's next to impossible to find a tradesperson who's interested to come and give you a quote, and even when they come and tell you a price for a job, they then disappear into the forest and don't respond to phone calls or texts. I've used Checkatrade and to be fair I did find an excellent tiler (at a price) but roofers in particular seem to be a bunch of absolute wasters.
I have a hypervolt, they offer an installation service through their network of installers. I originally was going to get them to install but as I was needing other work done I went with a local fitter
https://www.hypervolt.co.uk/products/home-3-pro/overview
They have to pay to be registered on there too
Yep, which makes the trades the customers of Checkatrade. Why would a customer pay to be on a site that has negative reviews of them? Answer - they wouldn't - hence why I wouldn't base any decision on what you see on Checkatrade.
They have to pay to be registered on there too
Yep, which makes the trades the customers of Checkatrade. Why would a customer pay to be on a site that has negative reviews of them? Answer - they wouldn't - hence why I wouldn't base any decision on what you see on Checkatrade.
I'd agree with this. Used checkatrade once and had a terrible experience. Never again. Get recommendations from neighbours and go from there.
If its any consolation, I've paid my energy supplier (Octopus) to fit mine and they've taken my money and left me to sort the install myself via their abysmal booking system with absolutely no idea if I'm going to get an appointment next week, month or century
Anyone able to recommend an EV charger installer in Bristol?!
BS4 electrical services did mine. Reasonable job, reasonable price, turned up on time.
What's a ballpark figure for an install? All the companies that come up on my socials now I've had impure thoughts about an EV are around £1k.
Thanks @ransos I'll take a look.
@doomanic I too saw the 'installed for £950' type adverts. I'm assuming that's for a charger fitted to a wall directly next to the meter and fusebox, as the one quote I now have back is very much not in that £1000 ball-park 😭
Mine was £1.7k but that was from the meter at the front to the driveway behind the back garden. They did a neat job with the cable.
https://www.cw-electrical.co.uk/ did mine a couple of years ago (North Bristol), had good service from them and had no problems with the install since. Cost £1323 inc. a Hypervolt charger
They have to pay to be registered on there too and they are all vetted so you know they are qualified, so it cuts down on the potential cowboy aspect too.
It's not as strict as they make out, unfortunately. We've had a rep phoning us for months now trying to get us on the platform. They're only really interested in the comission.
I paid about £1300 for my install but that was 20m cable run, higher spec charger and an 8m tethered cable rather than the standard 5m and a separate fuse box straight off the incoming supply.
Mine was £800 fitted (£500 Ohme charger £300 fitting in Stockport but was a very short run from main fuse box through a single wall).
Your main problem timing wise may be permission from your DNO for the install. My sparky sorted all that though.
Your main problem timing wise may be permission from your DNO for the install. My sparky sorted all that though.
My Octopus-arranged installer solved that problem by not getting DNO permission. Some time after the install I got a call from DNO telling me they needed to come to my property for a pre-install survey. I told them the CP was installed already. They sighed and said yes, that happens a lot. Anyway, they sent an engineer who checked it out and upgraded my fuse for free at the same time.
I'd always been cautious of tradesman recommending sites - this was on Tuesdays Ripoff Britain
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/49m76LGjYJx3XKMR2GZHWlH/trader-recommendation-sites
Which is why I stated my actual experience of using checkatrade. As did mattyfez.
Your main problem timing wise may be permission from your DNO for the install. My sparky sorted all that though.
Assuming you have a suitable fuse already it's post install notify dno not ask permission.
The onus on a suitable fuse is on the sparky.
We just got one installed at mums on 80amp fuse and told the dno but the sparky did say this was based on there being no electric shower and no immersions or other large current draws.
At my own house I need to remove the electric shower to have a 7kw charger as I have solar , batteries and twin immersions and electric hob/oven + two 16 amp outlets in the garage driving welder and compressor and so the sparky explained even with diversity there was high potential for blowing the main fuse.
But in answer to Tom's question....I phoned a local sparky and he quoted .
We got a zappi Glo fitted for a shade over 800 quid with a 3m run from the fuse board.
I found mine through https://www.gov.uk/electric-vehicle-chargepoint-installers
He was just round the corner in North Bristol and was excellent - a 45m run of cable including lifting and resetting my garden path to put the cable underneath.