Charging in the cheap hours
Set the car or the charger to start charging when your cheap rate starts. Smart chargers, and most cars, can be scheduled from an app or the dashboard. Set the timer on one of them, not both, so they don't fight, and check it again when the clocks change.
Setting a schedule on the car or the charger, and making sure it fits.
Free, no obligation. One registered electrician prices a charger, not five.
- 2amwhen most cheap windows start
- 3 hoursa typical window
- Appset it on the car or the charger
- Smartthe grant needs a smart charger
Set it once
- Find your cheap hours on your bill or your plan.
- Pick one timer: the car's or the charger's.
- Set the start to the start of the window.
- Plug in every evening. It waits until the window opens.
- Check it after the clocks change and after a car update.
What will charging cost you?
Four quick taps. You see your yearly cost at home, the cost per 100 km and the saving against petrol and diesel. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want a price.
A Tesla Model Y doing 15,000 km a year on a night rate: about €407 a year at home, against about €1,783 for a petrol car.
How this is worked out
The energy is your car's real-world use per km, plus a tenth for what's lost while charging. The unit rates include VAT: a standard 24-hour rate of 34.38c a kWh, a night rate of 15.42c, and an EV tariff's cheap window at 8.84c. Standing charges are left out. Petrol and diesel are at pump prices of about €1.98 and €2.15 a litre. It's a guide to plan with; your own bill has your rates.
Will it fit?
In a 3-hour window a 7 kW charger puts back a day's driving for most people; a 3-pin plug often won't. km added in a cheap window.
Home Car Chargers guides & price breakdowns
Straight answers to what people ask most: itemised costs, specifications, planning or grants, and what to check before you book.
More guides & resources: All guides & calculator hub · Technical & trade glossary · Frequently asked questions · Charging times by car · 3-pin plug or charger · Installers by county · Claiming the grant · No driveway?
Questions people ask
How do I charge my EV at the cheap rate?
Set the car or the charger to start charging when your cheap rate starts. Smart chargers, and most cars, can be scheduled from an app or the dashboard. Set the timer on one of them, not both, so they don't fight, and check it again when the clocks change.
Car timer or charger timer?
Either, but use one, so the two don't cancel each other out.
Home Car Chargers across all 26 counties
Requests from all 26 counties go to one vetted local specialist who covers your county — from Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick to Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Waterford and Donegal. Pick your county below for local prices, specifications and advice.
What will yours cost?
Four taps to your yearly cost at home and the saving on petrol. Then, if you want, one registered electrician who fits home chargers in your county rings with a price for a charger.