If you want a charging station at your home or business, the costs for the station itself are not the only expenses you have. In some cases, the installation costs can even be higher than the price of the charging station you have installed. To prepare you for the possible costs and ways to save on them, we have collected all the costs for having a charging station installed on one page. We have deliberately left out subsidy options and deductions for business users to avoid misunderstandings when you start calculating yourself after reading.
Every situation is unique, so please take this into account
The cost items below do not apply to every situation. There is no universal picture for the costs of having a charging station installed, because every situation is unique. Therefore, look especially at the cost items that are relevant to your situation. For example, if the charging station is placed on the outside wall, then groundwork and excavation work do not apply to your calculation. If you are an electrical engineer or electrician yourself, then the costs for connecting the charging station and adjusting the meter cupboard are eliminated.
In concrete terms, this means that you can immediately see in the list below this paragraph which items are relevant to you and which costs you do not have when having a charging station installed at your home or business premises.
The costs for installing a charging station at a glance
- Costs for adjusting the meter cupboard
- Costs for increasing the power connection
- Earthworks and the costs involved
- Have the charging station connected by a professional
- Maintenance costs, what exactly does that mean?
Adjusting the meter cupboard
Do you have an older meter cupboard or are all groups already occupied in the meter cupboard before a connection for the charging station is considered? Then the meter cupboard must be adjusted. This also applies to meter cupboards that do not yet have a smart meter. You need a smart meter to be able to use useful features on the charging station.
In addition, you ideally want to connect the charging station to a 3-phase connection. If you don't have that, you will end up at the next step.
Increasing the power connection
Most modern homes and almost all business premises are equipped with a 3-phase power connection. If you do not have this and have a 1-phase connection, it is time to contact the grid operator. Not only because the heavier charging stations work best on 3 phases (they can then charge 11 or 22 kW), but also because experts recommend upgrading all connections to 3 phases due to the increasing power consumption.
You can also have your connection increased, for example to 16A or 32A. This ensures that you can charge faster with your charging station, but it also results in significantly higher annual costs for the electricity. Switching to 3 phases is not expensive in itself, but increasing it to a higher number of amps is a cost item that comes back on the bill every month.
This is usually not attractive for households. For business premises, certainly with a number of electric cars in their own fleet, it can be attractive, especially if you want to be able to charge optimally at 22 kW.
Excavation work or costs to get from the meter cupboard to the location for the charging station
Excavation work can be a major determining factor in the installation costs of a charging station, especially when asphalt or pavement has to be broken up to lay power cables from the meter box to the charging station. The following applies here: the more difficult the terrain and the longer the distance, the higher the costs will be.
If it concerns bridging a sandy path next to the driveway of about 5 meters, then the costs are usually low. Does asphalt have to be broken up on a company parking lot to lay the cable and then asphalt has to be poured again? Then the costs for the excavation work and the groundwork are much higher.
For most households, this cost item does not apply and that has to do with strategic placement of the charging station. Can you place a charging station or wall box on the outside wall, ideally a short distance from the meter cupboard (which is usually behind the front door)? Then the installation costs are much lower. If this is not possible, see if you can have the charging station installed in or next to the garage, where you almost also have a main connection for your power and can use that.
The rule of thumb is: the shorter the distance between the meter cupboard and the charging station and the easier the terrain that needs to be bridged, the lower the installation costs will be.
Have the charging station connected by an electrical engineer or electrician
You cannot connect the charging station yourself. This is a precise job that must be done by a specialist. Not only to prevent problems and dangerous situations, but also to ensure that the charging station actually works optimally and the warranty is maintained.
The costs that electricians and electrical engineers charge vary widely. It is wise to compare prices and request quotes, especially if you want to save a few tens of euros. However, always choose a professional. They will not only install the charging station correctly, but will also take the time to explain exactly how everything works and will in most cases even help you with the first charge with your new charging station at home.
Maintenance costs are generally not applicable to private individuals
Nowadays, there are often warnings about the high maintenance costs, but in almost all cases these do not apply to charging stations at private homes . Maintenance costs mainly apply to charging stations that are located on larger charging squares and are used daily. Even business charging stations do not require weekly maintenance, not even when they are used intensively. The charging stations of renowned models are designed for this.
Can you reduce costs by doing it yourself?
Are you handy and do you like to roll up your sleeves? Then you have probably already seen a few things that you can do yourself to save some money. Here it is important to be honest and compare the savings with the hours that you have to put in yourself. Yes, you can dig out your entire driveway with a shovel and wheelbarrow, but a small excavator can do this work for you within an hour.
Things that you can do yourself in most cases (assuming some technical knowledge and the right tools):
- Prepare the power cable from the meter cupboard to the place where the charging station is to be placed on the outside wall (do not connect the power cable itself).
- Preparing the location where the charging station is to be installed (for example, a location along the driveway).
- Order the right charging station online from us in advance. When you have the charging station arranged by one of the service providers, you will always pay more than when you order the charging station yourself.
Other things you can take into account are to consult with your neighbour when you have to dig along the driveway. If they also want a charging station (now or in the future), the connection can be prepared and the costs can be shared. Also keep in mind that you always have a data cable pulled (even if you do not currently have a smart charging station or smart meter) and keep a second connection free for a second charging station in the future.
But I can just connect a charging station myself, right?
In the Netherlands, you can arrange the installation of a charging station yourself as a private individual, as long as you do not have to break the seal of the meter cupboard. If the meter cupboard does have to be opened, you can only outsource the installation of the new group to a professional.
However, the question is whether you really want to and can do this. Do you have knowledge of electrical engineering, do you have the time to work safely and quietly and can you possibly even arrange some extra hands and an excavator? Then you can also simply place the charging station yourself. The charging stations on our website are provided with all the information you need to be able to place the charging station yourself.
If you have little time, little technical knowledge in the field of electricity or if you live in an older home, we advise against installing the charging station yourself.
Order the right charging station so you only have to invest once
Another way to save a lot of money right away is to choose the charging station that fits your situation perfectly. By that we mean not only the current situation, but also the circumstances in a few years. Keep in mind that the battery packs of electric cars are getting bigger and the maximum charging speeds are steadily increasing. That is why we recommend the 11 or 22 kW (depending on your power connection) charging stations including the right charging cables as standard, which can also deliver the desired power in the coming years.
In our offer you will only find charging stations with a CE quality mark and of course you can count on the best price-quality ratio, which has ensured that we have become one of the largest suppliers of charging solutions in the Netherlands and can process orders from all over Europe. If you complete your order before 5:00 PM, we will ensure that your order is shipped today.
Can't find what you're looking for or do you have questions about one of our products? Then please contact us. The experts at Accu-Machine.nl will be happy to help you personally so that you too can soon optimally and safely charge your electric car with your own charging station.
