What your supply can carry
Single phase or three phase, the size of your main switch and what the rest of the house already draws. This is the number that decides which chargers are even on the table.
REC 11743
Single & Three Phase
Tested & Certified
EV ChargerInstallation
Homes and workplaces across Melbourne. We check what your supply and switchboard can actually carry before we talk about chargers, because that is the part that decides the price.
Quick Quote
Three fields. We come back with an upfront price for your ev charging.
Licensed REC 11743
Fully Insured
Emergency & Same Day
Free Quotes
Homes & Business
Start Here
Buy The Charger Second, Not First
Most EV charger quotes go wrong in the same place. Someone buys a 22kW charger, then finds out the house is on a single phase supply and an old board with no spare ways. We look at the supply first.
Whether the board has room
A charger needs its own circuit and its own RCD protection. Older boards often have no spare ways, which makes a switchboard upgrade part of the job.
How far the cable has to run
Metres of cable, and whether the route is a clean run through the roof space or a trench across a driveway. This is usually the biggest single line on the quote.
Options
Which Charger Actually Suits You
Charge speeds below are rough figures for a typical electric car. Your own car has a maximum AC charge rate built into it, and a 22kW charger will not go any faster than the car allows.
| Option | Typical use | What it needs | Rough range added per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15A outlet | Occasional top ups, plug in hybrids | A dedicated 15A circuit from the board | Around 15 to 20 km |
| 7kW single phase | The common home install, overnight charging | Single phase supply, a dedicated 32A circuit and a spare way in the board | Around 40 km |
| 11kW three phase | Homes with three phase, two car households | Three phase supply and a dedicated circuit | Around 60 km |
| 22kW three phase | Workplaces, fleet parking, homes with heavy daily distance | Three phase supply, a larger main switch and often a board upgrade | Around 120 km, if your car accepts it |
Most electric cars sold in Australia accept between 7kW and 11kW on AC. Very few accept the full 22kW, so a bigger charger is often money spent on capacity the car cannot use. We will tell you which one fits your car rather than selling you the biggest box.
Load Management Beats An Upgrade
If your supply is tight, the answer is not always a bigger service. A charger with load management watches what the rest of the house is drawing and turns itself down when the oven and the ducted heating are both running. It is usually cheaper than upgrading the mains, and it is one of the first things we look at.
26Years On The Tools
47Suburbs Covered
How The Install Runs
Five Steps, No Guesswork
Step 01
Supply And Load Check
We look at the switchboard, the main switch, the meter and what the house already draws, then work out the maximum demand with the charger added.
Step 02
Charger And Position Advice
Which charger suits your car and your supply, and where it should go so the cable reaches the car without crossing a walkway.
Step 03
Paperwork Where It Is Needed
Some installs need the electricity distributor notified or the connection approved before the charger goes on. We handle that rather than leaving it to you.
Step 04
Install And Circuit
Dedicated circuit run from the board, RCD protection, isolator and the charger mounted and terminated. Cable routed neatly, not draped.
Step 05
Test, Commission And Certify
Full electrical test, the charger commissioned and set to the right current, app or load settings configured, and a Certificate of Electrical Safety issued.
Pricing
What Moves The Number
We quote every EV install on site rather than off a price list, because these six things change the figure more than the charger does.
01
Distance from the switchboard to the charger
The single biggest variable. A garage next to the board is a different job to a carport at the far end of the block.
02
The cable route
A clean run through the roof space is straightforward. Trenching under a driveway or chasing through a rendered wall is not.
03
Whether the board has a spare way
If it does not, a switchboard upgrade becomes part of the job. We tell you that upfront, not halfway through.
04
Single phase or three phase
Three phase installs cost more in cable and hardware, and are only worth it if your car and your supply can both use it.
05
Main switch and supply capacity
If the maximum demand with the charger added exceeds your supply, the answer is either load management or a supply upgrade.
06
Who supplies the charger
You can buy your own and we will install it, or we can supply it. Either way the labour and materials are itemised separately so you can see what you are paying for.
Questions
EV Charging FAQ
Yes. We install home and workplace EV chargers across Melbourne, single phase and three phase. We check your existing supply and switchboard first and tell you what the install actually needs before we quote it.
Sometimes. An EV charger needs its own dedicated circuit with RCD protection, and older boards often have no spare ways or no room for one. If your board needs upgrading we will say so upfront and price it separately so you can see the two costs.
No. Most Melbourne homes charge perfectly well on a single phase 7kW charger, which adds roughly 40 km of range an hour and will fill almost any car overnight. Three phase is worth it for workplaces, fleets or households covering serious daily distance.
Yes. Plenty of customers buy their own unit. Tell us the make and model before we quote so we can check it suits your supply, and keep the paperwork for the manufacturer warranty.
A straightforward install near the switchboard is usually a single visit. Long cable runs, trenching or a switchboard upgrade can add time. We will tell you which one yours is after the site check, not on the day.
It can. Depending on the charger size and your supply, the distributor may need to be notified or the connection approved before it is energised. We check that as part of the quote and handle the paperwork where it applies.
Load management lets the charger watch what the rest of the property is drawing and reduce its own current when the house is busy. If your supply is tight it is often much cheaper than upgrading your mains, and it means you never trip the main switch on a cold night.
Service Areas
Where We Install
Based in Doncaster East and installing chargers right across inner Melbourne, the bayside suburbs, the south east and the eastern suburbs.
Bayside
- Brighton
- Sandringham
- Hampton
- Beaumaris
- Black Rock
- Cheltenham
- Highett
- Mentone
- Parkdale
- Mordialloc
- Aspendale
- Edithvale
- Chelsea
- Bonbeach
- Carrum
- Elwood
Inner Melbourne
- Carlton
- Fitzroy
- Collingwood
- Abbotsford
- Richmond
- Cremorne
- South Yarra
- Prahran
- Windsor
- St Kilda
- Albert Park
- Port Melbourne
- South Melbourne
- Southbank
South East
- Oakleigh
- Clayton
- Mulgrave
- Springvale
- Noble Park
- Dandenong
- Keysborough
- Endeavour Hills
Eastern Suburbs
- Doncaster East
- Glen Waverley
- Mount Waverley
- Wheelers Hill
- Rowville
- Wantirna
- Ferntree Gully
- Boronia
- Bayswater
Other Services You Might Need
Thinking About An EV Charger?
Send us your address and the car, and we will tell you what your supply can carry before you buy anything.
Contact
Talk To Us About Your EV Charging
Phone, text, email or the form. Whatever is easiest. Urgent jobs are always best by phone.
- Phone or SMS0474 906 716
- Emailbernardelectricsptyltd@gmail.com
- Based InDoncaster East, Victoria
- HoursMonday to Saturday, plus emergency callouts
- LicenceREC 11743, fully insured
Send An Enquiry
Tell us what you need and we will come back with a free quote.