What to look for
Scheduling that lines up with your EV hours, so the car charges when power is cheapest. Load balancing if your supply is tight. Solar diversion if you have panels, or plan to.
The €300 SEAI grant, and its conditions
SEAI pays up to €300 towards buying and installing a home charger. The conditions catch people out more often than the money does.
- The applicant must be a private individual, and the property needs off-street private parking within the property boundary.
- The charger must be on SEAI's approved list, and the electrician must be registered with Safe Electric. A DIY install doesn't qualify.
- Wait for the Letter of Offer. Work that starts before the date on it is disqualified.
- You have six months from the Letter of Offer to finish the job and send in the payment request.
- One grant per property. Homes that got a free ESB ecars charger years ago generally can't claim again.
- Apartments and other multi-unit developments use SEAI's separate apartment charging grant, applied for by the management company, landlord, or local authority.
What it costs
Irish installers quote roughly €800 to €1,800 fitted for a 7 kW single-phase charger in 2026. The spread comes from the unit you pick and the work involved: a long cable run, a tight consumer unit, or a detached garage all push it up. The €300 grant comes off the total, and the quote should include materials, labour, and testing.
Charging a Tesla from 20% to 80% takes roughly 6 kWh per 100 km of range added, so a 7.4 kW charger adds about 46 km an hour. That matters when you match the charger to the cheap window on your electricity plan.
Tethered or untethered
A tethered charger has the cable attached, which is handier day to day. Untethered keeps the wall unit tidy and takes any cable, which suits shared driveways.
Chargers Irish installers fit
Ohme, myenergi Zappi, Easee, Wallbox, and the Tesla Wall Connector all appear on Irish installers' lists. Check the exact model is on SEAI's approved list before you order.
Apartment parking
Without off-street parking, the home grant doesn't apply. Ask the management company about the apartment charging grant, and plan around work or public charging meanwhile.
Questions to ask an installer
- What's your Safe Electric registration number?
- Is the quote the full installed price, including materials, testing, and certification?
- How far is the cable run from the board, and is any consumer unit work included?
- Which approved charger models do you fit, and why that one for my house?
- Do you handle the SEAI paperwork, and can you start after the Letter of Offer date?
- What warranty covers the unit and the installation, and who handles a fault?
Get two or three quotes. Prices for the same job vary more than the chargers do.