The government’s support for motorists looking to install electric charge points is changing. The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, which offered up to a 75% contribution (capped at £350) towards an EV charge point installation, has been reformed and replaced by a new version simply named “the charge point grant.”
So what are the major changes brought in by the new version of this government subsidy? And who now qualifies for governmental support when installing an EV charge point?
New Charge Point Grant Significantly Alters Eligibility Requirements
Under the old version of the EVHS scheme, the eligibility requirements were as follows:
- You must have purchased an eligible electric or plug-in vehicle from 1st October 2016 onwards.
- You must have off-street parking, such as a driveway or garage.
- Your home charger must be EVHS-approved and installed by an EVHS-approved charge point installer.
- You must provide evidence of keepership, lease, and be named as the primary user of the vehicle, or have a vehicle on order.
- The installation date must not be more than four months ahead of the date of delivery or start date of vehicle use.
- EVHS application must be completed six weeks prior to the date of installation of the Homecharge unit.
However, the eligibility requirements under the new scheme are much stricter. From April 2022, the EVHS will no longer be open to homeowners (including people with mortgages) who live in single-unit properties such as bungalows and detached, semi-detached or terraced housing.
The new version is now only open to:
- Individuals living in flats (incl. leasehold flats) and rental accommodation.
- Non-resident building owners (incl. landlords and social housing providers).
If you fall into the latter category, you can receive up to 200 grants a year for residential properties and a further 100 for commercial properties. These may be across several properties and installations or just for one property.
Further Support Available for Companies, Landlords, and Apartment Block Owners
Falling under the umbrella of the new charge point grant and the closely-related Workplace Charging Scheme, there’s also the following support available:
- Owners of apartment blocks will be able to provide the building’s parking with charge points using a grant of up to £30,000 per building towards the cost of installing charge points (limited to 30 applications per year, per applicant)
- A maximum of 40 grants (each up to £350) are available for businesses to install charge points for their staff and fleets.
The complete list of eligible entities includes:
- The landlord of a property that lets the property.
- Right to Manage (RTM) company.
- Companies owning the freehold of a leased or rented property.
- Companies owning a building’s common areas. The company may comprise shareholders who are the leaseholders. The company may also manage the building.
- Property factor listed on the property factor register.
- Private registered providers of social housing (PRP).
- Public authorities, such as government departments and their agencies, the armed forces, local governments, the NHS and emergency services.
- Charities
Support for EV Charge Point Installation is Changing – Contact Applegarth Today to See if You’re Eligible
Whether you live in rented accommodation, own a flat, or are a company, there’s still plenty of support available from the government to help you switch to electric motoring. However, the changes in legislation can be confusing. That’s why it makes sense to enlist the help of an experienced, government-approved EV charger installation company.
At Applegarth, we can help you understand the changes and see if you qualify for a grant. If eligible, we can walk you through the grant application process and also handle the EV charger installation from start to finish.
This way, you can be sure that you’re getting the most out of the government’s support and that your new EV charger is installed safely and to the highest possible standards.
To find out more about how we can help, call us today on 0151 649 8350 or email us at info@applegarth.co.uk. We’ll be more than happy to provide you with a no-obligation quote for EV charger installation and answer any questions you may have regarding eligibility.