Smart EV charging lets your charger automatically choose when to charge based on electricity prices, grid demand, or your own solar generation — saving you money and reducing carbon.
🏠Homeowner view
A smart EV charger is connected to the internet (via Wi-Fi) and can be controlled through an app. The main benefit is that it can automatically charge your car at the cheapest time — typically late at night (from midnight to 6am) when electricity prices drop on smart tariffs like Octopus Intelligent or Economy 7. With a compatible tariff, overnight EV charging can cost as little as 7–9p per kWh instead of 35p during the day — a saving of hundreds of pounds per year for typical drivers. Smart chargers can also: schedule charging around your daily routine, prioritise your solar panels when they're generating, limit charging during peak grid times, and track your charging history and costs. Since 2022, all new home EV charger installations in the UK must use smart chargers — non-smart chargers cannot be installed under current rules.