Home charger cost effective or not?

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TimF
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Post by TimF »

Minor point to note with Ohme - prices quoted on their website for installing a home charge are (inevitably and reasonably) "from". What isn't stated is that those prices may exclude VAT. I've been charged £550 PLUS VAT for supply and installation of a Home Pro. The ex-VAT cost of an installation at the advertised £550 would be £458.33. Was the £550 (ex VAT) amount on the invoice a coincidence? What have others been charged?

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Utumno
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Post by Utumno »

The Ohme Go pricing (on the same page) is VAT inclusive (I have an Ohme Go on the Octopus offer and paid £199 inc VAT)

Assuming it is a bog standard install, then I would have expected your Ohme Pro to be "from £550 inc VAT" so it may be that additional equipment on top of a standard install (longer cable run ? special isolator ? ) is raising the price.

If none of that is specified on the order and it really is a standard installation, I'd be declining to pay unless at point of order/quotation it was very clear that it was £550 plus VAT.
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Post by monkeyhanger »

As above. The Web page doesn't mention VAT at all and supply only of their equipment as per the Octopus offers is known to be VAT inclusive, so you'd have to assume that all items on that page are.

Did you get a proper quote when you made contact with an installer through the "book an install" link , prior to work having taken place?

If not, you should've been advised how much the job would cost and how much unforseen works would cost if they didn't survey your place prior to the install. If they've put in a MATT-E device or earthing rod as standard and no additional unforeseen work was done, they should have been totally transparent about the work's cost prior to starting it.

My Ohme cost me £614 fully installed, but that cost was invoiced and agreed prior to work taking place.
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sidehaas
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Post by sidehaas »

I think the£550 is a 'from' price because the actual price depends on who the installer company is that you are assigned (assuming you go through the Ohme website). For me this was 'the car charge people' whose standard price was either £600 or £650 (can't remember which, but not £550.) I didn't argue the toss as they were a bit flexible about it being a 'standard install' - they had to drill through three walls and it took the leccy a full 8-9 hour day. If you are tight for cash and it's a simple job then I'd ask why they have quoted you more than the£550, but you might get told it's their standard price and that's that. I suspect the price on Ohmes website is to be taken with a pinch of salt. You aren't actually buying anything directly from them.
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smuj
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Post by smuj »

I’m having my Hypervolt charger installed in a couple of weeks. Here’s the quote

166A81F7-999D-42F7-BC96-95FACCAA54A6.jpeg

I found it amusing that the cost of parts plus installation came to (drum roll) exact same as grant. Ta da.
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monkeyhanger
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Post by monkeyhanger »

sidehaas wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:44 am I think the£550 is a 'from' price because the actual price depends on who the installer company is that you are assigned (assuming you go through the Ohme website). For me this was 'the car charge people' whose standard price was either £600 or £650 (can't remember which, but not £550.) I didn't argue the toss as they were a bit flexible about it being a 'standard install' - they had to drill through three walls and it took the leccy a full 8-9 hour day. If you are tight for cash and it's a simple job then I'd ask why they have quoted you more than the£550, but you might get told it's their standard price and that's that. I suspect the price on Ohmes website is to be taken with a pinch of salt. You aren't actually buying anything directly from them.
It's exactly that. The Ohme website quotes a minimum price and then puts you in touch with an installer. The installer should provide a comprehensive quote up-front and may or may not choose to survey your property beforehand.

They should not do the work without a quote and then interpret Ohme's minimum price as plus VAT.

If I were TimF, i'd be having words with trading standards if a quote wasn't provided upfront, or if there was such a quote upfront and it didn't stipulate anywhere about prices given being subject to VAT.
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TimF
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Post by TimF »

All fair comments. Yes, I should have got a formal quote from the installer - without that I have effectively given them carte blanche to charge whatever they feel like. The Ohme webform to order the charger and installation includes a comprehensive DIY survey, with dimensioned sketch of where the consumer unit is and where the charge point should go, plus photos of the unit, meter, earthing etc and the external site.

Total cable length from external junction box directly behind the consumer unit to the junction box to which the charge point "tail" connects is around 7.5m, so some additional charge was expected. Clearly it was a coincidence that this extra just happened to make the ex-VAT cost £550.
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Post by monkeyhanger »

My Ohme installation didn't go too smoothly, but all the inconvenience was at the installer's end - surprised they didn't charge me more!

For my £614, a guy cane down from Glasgow to Newcastle to do the survey, then came back to install 2 weeks later. After installing, they did the earthing test and it failed, so the electricity board were called out and confirmed it was the supply to the house at fault, so over the next week they dug a hole in the pavement outside my house and fixed it. The installers came back down from Scotland and checked the earth again to sign off the job.
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Post by colonelpurple »

This a long discussion:) I use Zappi with Octopus go, and since the equivalent fillup on my last ICE was £55 vs £1.5 on the ID3, I would say 17 fillups or so pay for the whole Zappi installation (mine was more expensive since my garage is at the end of my garden)

As the car was delivered in July, that makes the Zappi installation pay for itself by the end of July already. So the answer to the OP's question is yes.

I suppose if you have a tesco near you, and have the working time during the day to make sure it doesn't go over the car park time limit, you could make a case for supermarket charging, but seems a big hassle to me for a small saving
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Post by Deleted User 192 »

colonelpurple wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:05 am I suppose if you have a tesco near you, and have the working time during the day to make sure it doesn't go over the car park time limit, you could make a case for supermarket charging, but seems a big hassle to me for a small saving

The free chargers at Tesco are for customers while they're being customers, not freeloaders who decide not to get a home charger ;)
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Post by Warminster id »

scott28tt wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:32 am
colonelpurple wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:05 am I suppose if you have a tesco near you, and have the working time during the day to make sure it doesn't go over the car park time limit, you could make a case for supermarket charging, but seems a big hassle to me for a small saving

The free chargers at Tesco are for customers while they're being customers, not freeloaders who decide not to get a home charger ;)
Hi scott,
What about those that can’t get a home charger?
I assume you are being complementary with the term ‘freeloaders’ to mean someone who financially astute in the same way as negotiating a good deal on a car or getting mats included
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Post by Deleted User 192 »

Warminster id wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 9:16 am
scott28tt wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:32 am
colonelpurple wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:05 am I suppose if you have a tesco near you, and have the working time during the day to make sure it doesn't go over the car park time limit, you could make a case for supermarket charging, but seems a big hassle to me for a small saving

The free chargers at Tesco are for customers while they're being customers, not freeloaders who decide not to get a home charger ;)
Hi scott,
What about those that can’t get a home charger?
I assume you are being complementary with the term ‘freeloaders’ to mean someone who financially astute in the same way as negotiating a good deal on a car or getting mats included

I could have said "spongers" instead, as in those who take something for free without considering whether they should be using it or not, or who is paying for it.

Without a home charger, I would have considered whether the public infrastructure (ie. the parts of it genuinely made available for all EV owners, not just customers of specific venues) made it viable for me to run an EV.
Last edited by Deleted User 192 on Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cherry
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Post by Cherry »

Freeloader: a person who takes advantage of others' generosity without giving anything in return.

Sponger: a person who lives at others' expense.


What is a person who uses free Tesco charging? Clearly, not a freeloader. If they shop at Tesco then they are not a sponger.
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Scratch
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Post by Scratch »

Cherry wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:34 am Freeloader: a person who takes advantage of others' generosity without giving anything in return.

Sponger: a person who lives at others' expense.


What is a person who uses free Tesco charging? Clearly, not a freeloader. If they shop at Tesco then they are not a sponger.
Aren't you meant to only be using the Tesco chargers whilst you are actually spending money in the shop? I believe there was a thread about this previously which, rightly, mentioned about how much useful charge can you get from the time it takes to do a weekly shop? I know some people take ages in the store (my wife for one) whereas I want to get out as fast as possible. If this facility gets abused, In the opinion of Tesco, they will control it more strictly.
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Post by Deleted User 192 »

Cherry wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:34 am Freeloader: a person who takes advantage of others' generosity without giving anything in return.

Sponger: a person who lives at others' expense.


What is a person who uses free Tesco charging? Clearly, not a freeloader. If they shop at Tesco then they are not a sponger.

If they're in Tesco while their car is charging - either shopping or maybe having a cuppa in the cafe - they are a customer.

If they're not in Tesco at the time, they're loading for free (hence "freeloader") and at someone else's expense (hence "sponger").
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Post by Warminster id »

scott28tt wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:12 pm
Cherry wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:34 am Freeloader: a person who takes advantage of others' generosity without giving anything in return.

Sponger: a person who lives at others' expense.


What is a person who uses free Tesco charging? Clearly, not a freeloader. If they shop at Tesco then they are not a sponger.

If they're in Tesco while their car is charging - either shopping or maybe having a cuppa in the cafe - they are a customer.

If they're not in Tesco at the time, they're loading for free (hence "freeloader") and at someone else's expense (hence "sponger").
Oh ok well I guess everyone ( including you) has been one or both at times.
So is there any need to single out one activity?
I know you are an intelligent and informed person so there’s no need to make derogatory comments about others.
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Post by Deleted User 192 »

Warminster id wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 1:21 pm I know you are an intelligent and informed person so there’s no need to make derogatory comments about others.

My comment wasn't aimed at anybody in particular, I have a pet peeve for the use of free public chargers as if they were personal property.
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Post by Warminster id »

scott28tt wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 2:28 pm
Warminster id wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 1:21 pm I know you are an intelligent and informed person so there’s no need to make derogatory comments about others.

My comment wasn't aimed at anybody in particular, I have a pet peeve for the use of free public chargers as if they were personal property.
Ok no problem, I’ve never met anyone who feels a public charger is there own. I guess next time I plug in at Tesco and pop in for shopping I will keep an eye out for someone telling me it’s their charger lol.

I do like hearing others opinion and helpful tips, but some recent posts have been getting a little heavy so let’s keep it lighthearted and informative and respectful of others thoughts
(This comment is general and not aimed at anyone specific)

So let’s just enjoy this brilliant car weather you charge at home or in public
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Post by Deleted User 192 »

Warminster id wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 2:42 pm Ok no problem, I’ve never met anyone who feels a public charger is there own.

I've read comments online from people who leave their car charging at the supermarket while they're at their office down the road for 8 hours, or while going for lunch at a restaurant, or plug in then walk or cycle home...
Scratch
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Post by Scratch »

scott28tt wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 3:04 pm
Warminster id wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 2:42 pm Ok no problem, I’ve never met anyone who feels a public charger is there own.

I've read comments online from people who leave their car charging at the supermarket while they're at their office down the road for 8 hours, or while going for lunch at a restaurant, or plug in then walk or cycle home...

Surely it wouldn't be difficult for them to program the Tesco charger to stop charging after a certain period of time? Maybe 1.5/2 hours? Then send a message to a clamping company!
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