UK (Scotland, Fife) install question

[Chimpy McChimp]

I'm hoping anyone in Scotland can help advise me on install.
I have purchased the Tesla wall charger and have been getting quotes to get it installed. So far 2 companies have replied and 2 haven't responded at all.

the first company has been very communicative and have even done a site survey and the second asked for photos of main fuse, fuse box and install location. They then provided a quote based on this.

where I am needing some guidance is regarding the quoted prices. The first company came and saw that my gas supply is not bonded but water is (and I understand it's now a requirement to have this) All other aspects of install are straight forward apparently. The second company never asked anything about has or water bonding and said they didn't need any more info other than the photos I sent.


First company quoted £979 and the second £525
Big difference. My gut feeling is that as the first company know the site and what exactly needs doing, the £979 is the "real" price. But I don't know.
So my questions to anyone who can help are:
What companies would you recommend that cover Fife Scotland to get quotes from?

And based on the the prices and I do above is £979 a more realistic quote? Or the £525? I appreciate each install will have different challenges but this seems a big difference to me.

Hope someone can advise

 

[Adopado]

I'm hoping anyone in Scotland can help advise me on install.
I have purchased the Tesla wall charger and have been getting quotes to get it installed. So far 2 companies have replied and 2 haven't responded at all.

the first company has been very communicative and have even done a site survey and the second asked for photos of main fuse, fuse box and install location. They then provided a quote based on this.

where I am needing some guidance is regarding the quoted prices. The first company came and saw that my gas supply is not bonded but water is (and I understand it's now a requirement to have this) All other aspects of install are straight forward apparently. The second company never asked anything about has or water bonding and said they didn't need any more info other than the photos I sent.


First company quoted £979 and the second £525
Big difference. My gut feeling is that as the first company know the site and what exactly needs doing, the £979 is the "real" price. But I don't know.
So my questions to anyone who can help are:
What companies would you recommend that cover Fife Scotland to get quotes from?

And based on the the prices and I do above is £979 a more realistic quote? Or the £525? I appreciate each install will have different challenges but this seems a big difference to me.

Hope someone can advise

It’s impossible to know from your information which quote is nearer the mark I’m afraid. Ensure that the cheaper quote includes a PEN device as unlike some other brands the Tesla wall charge point doesn’t include this additional safety feature but is required by regulations. There is no reason on the face of it that the cheaper quote is deficient however. In my opinion that one is nearer the mark for install only (ie where it doesn’t include the actual charge point cost). If you get a breakdown of exactly what the quotes cover you should have a fighting chance of making a comparison. A simple statement of price means nothing in my opinion.

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Thanks for replying so quickly.
First quote:
EV board
Matte unit
Gas bonding
Supply materials install commision
£979

second quote:
GAro EV switchgear
Labour and materials
£525

so the second quote doesnt include gas bonding or matte unit. Which is where I'm guessing the extra £450 is coming from. I've asked second company to requote including the missing items. So let's see what they say

Still open to any suggestions on installers who cover Fife. I looked for recommended ones on Tesla site but some seem to not be responding at all. Maybe too busy with all the new cars Tesla are having to supply!!!

 

[Adopado]

Thanks for replying so quickly.
First quote:
EV board
Matte unit
Gas bonding
Supply materials install commision
£979

second quote:
GAro EV switchgear
Labour and materials
£525

so the second quote doesnt include gas bonding or matte unit. Which is where I'm guessing the extra £450 is coming from. I've asked second company to requote including the missing items. So let's see what they say

Still open to any suggestions on installers who cover Fife. I looked for recommended ones on Tesla site but some seem to not be responding at all. Maybe too busy with all the new cars Tesla are having to supply!!!

Yes, the second quote may be planning to install an earth rod instead of the Matt:e, and the earth bonding is an extra job whether you were having a charge point installed or not ... there should be others from Fife who have had charge points installed recently so hopefully someone can make a recommendation.

As I say, if there's no breakdown of pricing in a quote it's hard to compare one with another. It's a total pain that companies often don't routinely do this. To come up with the quote they need to have done this for themselves anyway after all, otherwise how do they know if they are making a profit or a loss on the job? For example they may have needed cost: x hours of labour @ £x per hour, x metres of SWA cable @ x per metre, Matte unit @ £x, Mini consumer unit and RCBO @ £x, sundry fixings @ £x, completion of required documentation @ £x Total £x + VAT

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Yeah. Learning curve for me. I'm no sparky and in the excitement of test drives and ordering the Tesla didn't even think about the install of wall charger.
Aside from installing a car charger I wasn't aware our gas should be bonded and wasn't. Although when I opened the gas meter box to look for evidence I found a little label tucked behind the meter saying gas wasn't bonded and should be. God knows how long that was there and who put it there but no one even mentioned it (I suspect it was the guy who installed our smart meter, which he royally f***ed up causing me no end of grief over my bills. Anyway I digress)

The one saving grace is my delivery date isn't until mid to end of November so I have a bit of time to figure it all out and get resolved.

 

[Toblerone]

I'm hoping anyone in Scotland can help advise me on install.
I have purchased the Tesla wall charger and have been getting quotes to get it installed. So far 2 companies have replied and 2 haven't responded at all.

the first company has been very communicative and have even done a site survey and the second asked for photos of main fuse, fuse box and install location. They then provided a quote based on this.

where I am needing some guidance is regarding the quoted prices. The first company came and saw that my gas supply is not bonded but water is (and I understand it's now a requirement to have this) All other aspects of install are straight forward apparently. The second company never asked anything about has or water bonding and said they didn't need any more info other than the photos I sent.


First company quoted £979 and the second £525
Big difference. My gut feeling is that as the first company know the site and what exactly needs doing, the £979 is the "real" price. But I don't know.
So my questions to anyone who can help are:
What companies would you recommend that cover Fife Scotland to get quotes from?

And based on the the prices and I do above is £979 a more realistic quote? Or the £525? I appreciate each install will have different challenges but this seems a big difference to me.

Hope someone can advise

Chimpy - see this:

UK Charge Point Installer Recommendations

Have a look at Evcc, they have a list of their approved installers. Might have someone local to you too Find An Evcc Member - Consumers - Electric Vehicle Consumer Code

teslamotorsclub.com

If link doesn’t work, there’s a pinned thread for charge point installers. Search it for Fife.

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Chimpy - see this:

UK Charge Point Installer Recommendations

Have a look at Evcc, they have a list of their approved installers. Might have someone local to you too Find An Evcc Member - Consumers - Electric Vehicle Consumer Code

teslamotorsclub.com

If link doesn’t work, there’s a pinned thread for charge point installers. Search it for Fife.

That's great thanks. They are only about 4 miles from me so have phoned and left a message.

 

[craig_edi]

I can really recommend Voltix based out of Dunfermline. They did a great job installing my charge point, hiding all the cabling under stones around the house. It was about £345 for install and the guy really knows his stuff. Two other people on my street had theirs installed by them too.

EV Chargers, Electric Car Charger Installers & Installations for Home

Voltix Provides Electric Vehicle Chargers Installation and Installers for Home. We have years of experience in installing a range of electric vehicle chargers near me.

voltix-evchargers.com

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

I can really recommend Voltix based out of Dunfermline. They did a great job installing my charge point, hiding all the cabling under stones around the house. It was about £345 for install and the guy really knows his stuff. Two other people on my street had theirs installed by them too.

EV Chargers, Electric Car Charger Installers & Installations for Home

Voltix Provides Electric Vehicle Chargers Installation and Installers for Home. We have years of experience in installing a range of electric vehicle chargers near me.

voltix-evchargers.com

Great. Always good to get a recommendation. I suspect my install may be more as I need the gas bonded and it looks like it might be a bit of a ball ache. Just spoke with Gemma at voltix very quick coming back to me so that's a good start!!

 

[init6]

Great. Always good to get a recommendation. I suspect my install may be more as I need the gas bonded and it looks like it might be a bit of a ball ache. Just spoke with Gemma at voltix very quick coming back to me so that's a good start!!

How far is your gas meter from your consumer unit?

https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/earth-meter-gas-bonding-cost/

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

How far is your gas meter from your consumer unit?

https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/earth-meter-gas-bonding-cost/

That's good info. Unfortunately (for me) the CU is at opposite end of house to the gas meter. Probably around 20m and access under floor is difficult. Guy that did site survey said he could earth at the boiler and atke from the water earth which is only around 5m but would need to be done under the floor and an average sized human would struggle to get under!

 

[Overworked]

If there is a delay in getting it wired in, don’t forget that you can charge using the granny charger and a 3 pin plug- which many find adequate as it will give you about 10mph of charge.

 

[Alan J]

I'm hoping anyone in Scotland can help advise me on install.
I have purchased the Tesla wall charger and have been getting quotes to get it installed. So far 2 companies have replied and 2 haven't responded at all.

the first company has been very communicative and have even done a site survey and the second asked for photos of main fuse, fuse box and install location. They then provided a quote based on this.

where I am needing some guidance is regarding the quoted prices. The first company came and saw that my gas supply is not bonded but water is (and I understand it's now a requirement to have this) All other aspects of install are straight forward apparently. The second company never asked anything about has or water bonding and said they didn't need any more info other than the photos I sent.


First company quoted £979 and the second £525
Big difference. My gut feeling is that as the first company know the site and what exactly needs doing, the £979 is the "real" price. But I don't know.
So my questions to anyone who can help are:
What companies would you recommend that cover Fife Scotland to get quotes from?

And based on the the prices and I do above is £979 a more realistic quote? Or the £525? I appreciate each install will have different challenges but this seems a big difference to me.

Hope someone can advise

Bear in mind that as you live in Scotland you have access to the Chargeplace Scotland Network which depending on where you live and work may be really helpful. I've had my Tesla for 3 years next week and have relied entirely on CPS for Charging which incidentally has been entirely free. I've only recently installed a Home Charger as my local CPS Chargers are now busy all the time. I used Smarter Utility in East Kilbride who did a great job of installing a Sync EV Charger, not sure if they do Fife / Tesla but you could try them.

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Bear in mind that as you live in Scotland you have access to the Chargeplace Scotland Network which depending on where you live and work may be really helpful. I've had my Tesla for 3 years next week and have relied entirely on CPS for Charging which incidentally has been entirely free. I've only recently installed a Home Charger as my local CPS Chargers are now busy all the time. I used Smarter Utility in East Kilbride who did a great job of installing a Sync EV Charger, not sure if they do Fife / Tesla but you could try them.

Thanks. I have a quote from smarter utility but nothing back from them when I said my gas would need bonded. Voltix quoted (cheapest yet) and convinced them to do a site survey (they initially said it's unlikely gas isnt bonded but I'm pretty confident it isn't). I guess I could get a separate sparky for the gas bonding but I'd much rather get it all done by the same people.

Edit: Free you say? How is that? I work from home (not a lockdown thing, I always have. Lucky me.) And most CPS ones near seem to charge.

 

[Overworked]

Some CPS sites are still free, some now charge. They are council funded in most cases. Have a look at their site/app for details. I am fortunate that there is a free 3phase CPS charger in walking distance from me and I use it all the time - and haven’t bothered wiring in the wall charger I bought at the outset.

 

[Medved_77]

Edit: Free you say? How is that? I work from home (not a lockdown thing, I always have. Lucky me.) And most CPS ones near seem to charge

If you're in Fife, head across the county lines to Perth and Kinross for free charging.

Charge Place Scotland Tariffs by Council

Many believe that Charge Place Scotland (CPC) offer free charging nationwide, unfortunately that's not the case. Individual councils have the power to introduce tariffs for electric vehicle charging and so far 12 out of 32 appear to have done so. I asked CPC to provide me with a breakdown of...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[Overworked]

Even if they do charge, you might find that it is cheaper than your home tariff with the current increases!

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

If you're in Fife, head across the county lines to Perth and Kinross for free charging.

Charge Place Scotland Tariffs by Council

Many believe that Charge Place Scotland (CPC) offer free charging nationwide, unfortunately that's not the case. Individual councils have the power to introduce tariffs for electric vehicle charging and so far 12 out of 32 appear to have done so. I asked CPC to provide me with a breakdown of...

teslamotorsclub.com

Worth looking into more. Unfortunately I'm in the south of Fife so a good drive to get up to Kinross. Might still be worth it though.

Mind you. Is this just fuelling the scurrilous rumour that fifers are cheap?

 

[Overworked]

Frugal, my boy. Not cheap!

 

[Chimpy McChimp]

Frugal, my boy. Not cheap!

Frugal fifers. I like it.