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Charger installation/ olev grant

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In short,
We bought the charger straight from the manufacturer, but now our installer is saying we can’t get the Olev grant for us because the equipment should have been bought by the installer and then the grant is claimed by him and he knocks it off from our invoice.

I assume he’s not making it up?

What is really annoying is that we didn’t read this advice anywhere.


We are charging with a three pin plug at the moment which is sufficient enough for us until this mess is fixed.

I assume everyone here went through the installer too to get the full olev grant?
 
The installer should do the grant paperwork and submission and only charge the price less the grant. AFAIK, there's not an easy mechanism to allow a customer to claim the grant from OLEV, I'm pretty sure it has to be done by the installer. If I were cynical I'd say that this was to ensure that installers can make a healthy profit on all grant-aided jobs.

When we had cavity wall insulation fitted to our old house, years ago, I was first told there was no grant funding available. I got quotes from a couple of companies, then heard that we would be eligible for a grant after all. Surprise, surprise, the price for doing the work with the grant was the same as for doing it without. I'm pretty sure some installers just view grant funding as another slice of profit.
 
Ye im being told to pay full price. OLEV to be reimbursed in around 2-3 months time. Not sure how that sits with me. May just pay on the credit card and hope for the best.
No, that's not right. The way it should work is the invoice has the full amount, minus the grant = balance payable. i.e. the installer applies for the grant on your behalf (they send you a form and you have to fill it in).
 
Back on the market now, did all the hard work and looks like a Pod point will be best suited for me. Wonder if Pod point are participating in black friday Anyway the hunt for a new installer continues.
I used Smart Home Charge but I believe they may have put installs on hold during lockdown due to too much demand. If you're not in a rush, or in case they've started doing installs again, I'd highly recommend them.
 
Back on the market now, did all the hard work and looks like a Pod point will be best suited for me. Wonder if Pod point are participating in black friday Anyway the hunt for a new installer continues.
I have a PodPoint and although it's not a particularly attractive unit, one thing for sure is that the grants available are passed on to the customer.

A £500 OLEV grant plus a £300 EST grant meant I paid a total of £59 for unit and installation.
 
Back on the market now, did all the hard work and looks like a Pod point will be best suited for me. Wonder if Pod point are participating in black friday Anyway the hunt for a new installer continues.


You cannot apply directly for the grant- you MUST allow the installer to claim:
  • "The grant works by a customer choosing an EVHS installer to install their chargepoint. The EVHS installer checks that they qualify and then applies on the customer’s behalf. The installer will bill the customer for the price of the installation, less the grant amount they have applied for. If the application is successful, the installer will be paid the grant amount that they have off-set from the customer’s bill."*
  • "The grant can only be claimed by EVHS approved installers (on behalf of their customers) who are accredited by a Competent Person’s Scheme at the time of installation."*
  • To get an EVHS grant a customer must approach an EVHS approved installer and request them to apply for the grant on their behalf. Customers cannot apply directly for an EVHS grant.*
You can purchase the charging point and arrange for an installer to fit it. However If you do this then the installer can only claim the grant for the installation work only:
"A customer may provide their own chargepoint if it’s on the approved chargepoint model list and they can provide a manufacturer’s 3-year on-site warranty. However, such equipment will not be eligible for a grant. The installer may only claim for the cost of labour and other parts provided for the installation."*
Obviously, this means that you may not get the full value of the grant.

*Source: Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme: guidance for customers