Create EV Charger Certificates on Your Phone

An EV charger installation certificate is the Electrical Installation Certificate required by BS 7671 Section 722 after every dedicated EV charging point installation.

Specifically, it is the EIC produced after installing a dedicated electric vehicle charging point, certifying that the installation has been designed, constructed, inspected, and tested in accordance with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (the IET Wiring Regulations), with particular attention to the requirements of Section 722, which deals specifically with circuits intended to supply electric vehicles for charging purposes.

Regulation 644.1 requires the certificate to be issued to the person ordering the work on completion of verification, and Regulation 644.5 requires it to be compiled and authenticated by a skilled person competent to verify that the requirements of BS 7671 have been met. It confirms to the property owner, the Distribution Network Operator (DNO), and any competent person scheme provider that the EV charging installation meets the required safety standards. Without it the installation cannot be signed off through a competent person scheme, and the property owner may struggle to support a grant claim or an insurance question later.

Unlike a standard domestic circuit installation, an EV charger certificate must address several additional considerations specific to Section 722. These include the earthing arrangement assessment (particularly for PME supplies), load management provisions, the type of charging mode, cable sizing for continuous duty at maximum load, and the selection of appropriate protective devices. The certificate must demonstrate that all of these requirements have been properly assessed and met. The underlying Electrical Installation Certificate form is the basis for EV charger certification.

Elec-Mate provides a purpose-built EV charger certificate form that includes all Section 722 requirements as structured checklist items. Rather than trying to remember every regulation, the app guides you through each requirement, validates your test results, and produces a professional PDF certificate ready to issue on site.

Section 722 of BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 sets out the particular requirements for circuits intended to supply electric vehicles for charging purposes — residential, workplace and public. Regulation 722.1 excludes only two things: charging points that employ inductive charging, and those that charge mobility scooters and similar vehicles of 10A and less.

What changed at A4:2026

The A4 amendment makes significant changes to Regulation 722.411.4.1 concerning the use of a PME supply, and the published change note is blunt about the most important one: the exception concerning reasonably practicable has been deleted. The old escape route of arguing that an alternative method was not reasonably practicable is gone. Changes were also made to the requirements for external influences, RCDs, socket-outlets and connectors. Separately, Regulation 722.311.201 permits load curtailment to be taken into account when determining maximum demand.

Earthing on a PME supply

Regulation 722.411.4.1 addresses the earthing arrangement where the supply is TN-C-S (PME). Because an open PEN conductor fault could place a dangerous potential on the vehicle body via the charging cable, a PME earthing facility shall not be used as the means of earthing for the protective conductor contact of a charging point located outdoors, or one that might reasonably be expected to be used to charge a vehicle located outdoors, unless one of methods (b) to (e) is used. This is the most commonly misunderstood requirement in EV charger installation, and it is set out in full in the next section.

Protective measures not permitted

Two groups of protective measures are ruled out. Regulation 722.410.3.5 prohibits obstacles and placing out of reach (Section 417). Regulation 722.410.3.6 prohibits non-conducting location (Regulation 418.1) and earth-free local equipotential bonding (Regulation 418.2). Where electrical separation is used instead, Regulation 722.413.1.2 limits it to the supply of one electric vehicle from one unearthed source, through a fixed isolating transformer complying with BS EN 61558-2-4.

Circuit design and RCD selection

The circuit must be designed for continuous duty — the cable and protective device must be rated for the full load current drawn continuously. For a standard 7kW domestic charger, this means a 32A circuit with no diversity applied. Under Regulation 722.312.2.1, a circuit supplying charging equipment for electric vehicles shall not include a PEN conductor. Additional protection is provided by an RCD with a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30mA (Regulation 415.1.1), and Regulation 722.531.3.101 governs the selection of the RCD and the detection of DC fault current. Where the charging equipment does not itself provide protection against DC fault current, that means a Type B RCD, or a Type A RCD combined with a residual direct current detecting device (RDC-DD to BS IEC 62955 — defined in Part 2 as detecting and evaluating 6mA DC residual current and switching the monitored circuit). Always check the charger manufacturer installation instructions.

Equipment standards and AFDDs

Regulation 722.511.101 requires EV charging equipment to comply with the appropriate parts of the BS EN 61851 series. AFDDs are not required for circuits supplying EV charging equipment conforming to the BS EN 61851 series that incorporate socket-outlets or vehicle connectors conforming to BS EN IEC 62196-2 (Regulation 722.421.1.7.201).

Most domestic properties in the UK are supplied with a TN-C-S (PME) earthing system. Regulation 722.411.4.1 states that a PME earthing facility shall not be used as the means of earthing for the protective conductor contact of a charging point located outdoors, or that might reasonably be expected to be used to charge a vehicle located outdoors, unless one of the listed methods is used. Indent (a) was deleted by BS 7671:2018+A2:2022, leaving four: (b), (c), (d) and (e).

The reason is an open PEN fault. On a PME supply the neutral and earth are combined in the supply cable, and if that PEN conductor is lost the voltage on the installation earth terminal can rise dangerously. The charging cable puts a metallic connection between the installation earth and the vehicle body, so a person touching the vehicle is exposed to that rise. Every one of the four methods is a way of making sure the voltage a person can touch is limited, or removed quickly.

Method (b) is not a TT conversion. The installation stays on the PME earthing facility; the electrode is added to hold the main earthing terminal below 70V RMS relative to Earth during an open PEN event. The electrode resistance must be measured and recorded.

Annex A722, Item A722.3 gives the formula for the maximum permitted resistance — the sum of the earth electrode resistance and the protective conductor connecting it to the main earthing terminal — and gives separate single-phase and three-phase expressions. Its Note 1 warns that earth electrodes with a resistance above 200Ω may be unstable, and caps the design value at 200Ω where the three-phase formula would give more. Where the protective conductor to the electrode is buried in the ground, its cross-sectional area must be not less than that stated in Table 54.1.

Where a device to method (c), (d) or (e) is used, protective conductors and exposed-conductive-parts downstream of that device must have no connection to the protective conductors or exposed-conductive-parts of any circuit not protected by the same device, and no connection to any extraneous-conductive-part.

Before installing an EV charger, the installer must consider the impact on the property's maximum demand and whether notification to the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) is required. A standard 7kW single-phase EV charger draws 32A continuously, which is a significant addition to a typical domestic supply.

Most domestic properties have a supply fuse rated at 60A, 80A, or 100A. If the existing maximum demand of the property (including electric showers, cookers, immersion heaters, and other large loads) plus the 32A EV charger exceeds the supply fuse rating, action is needed. This might involve installing a load management device that limits the charger output when other loads are active, or it might require requesting a supply upgrade from the DNO.

The threshold commonly quoted for prior approval rather than notification is a load of 13.8kVA (about 60A single phase) or above, or where the total demand will exceed the existing supply capacity — but thresholds and process vary by DNO, so check the relevant operator's own guidance rather than relying on a rule of thumb. In practice most DNOs ask to be notified of every EV charge point installation through their online portal, which helps them plan for rising demand across the local network.

Elec-Mate includes a maximum demand calculator within the EV charger certificate. You enter the existing loads on the supply, and the app calculates the total demand including the new charger. If the total exceeds the supply fuse rating, the app prompts you to document the load management solution and record the DNO notification reference number.

Regulation 722.311.201 states that load curtailment, including load reduction or disconnection, either automatically or manually, may be taken into account when determining the maximum demand of the installation or part thereof. That single sentence is what makes documented load management a design solution rather than a workaround: a properly recorded system can legitimately reduce the assessed maximum demand, which is often what avoids a supply upgrade.

In practice, a CT (current transformer) clamp is installed on the supply tails to monitor the total current drawn by the property in real time. The charge point uses that data to adjust its charging rate dynamically, backing off when other loads are active and increasing again when demand falls, so the supply fuse is not asked to carry more than it is rated for when a shower and a charge point run together.

Smart charging goes further than simple load management. Under the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, new domestic and workplace charge points sold in Great Britain must have smart functionality: the ability to be remotely controlled, default off-peak charging times, and a response to signals from the electricity network to help balance supply and demand.

From a certification point of view, all of this needs to be recorded. The certificate should state whether a CT clamp has been installed, the maximum current limit set by the load management device, and the smart charging settings configured during commissioning. Elec-Mate provides dedicated fields for all of it.

Every Mode 3 EV charger must be supplied by its own dedicated circuit from the distribution board. The circuit must be designed for continuous duty at the full rated current of the charger. For a standard 7kW domestic charger, this means a 32A circuit with no diversity applied — the cable, protective device, and all connections must be rated for 32A drawn continuously for extended periods.

The protective device should be a 32A Type A RCBO for most domestic installations. The Type A characteristic provides protection against both AC and pulsating DC fault currents, which is appropriate for Mode 3 chargers with built-in DC residual current detection. If the charger does not include DC detection, a Type B RCBO may be required — always check the manufacturer instructions.

Cable sizing for a 32A continuous load requires careful consideration of all correction factors. A common starting point for a typical domestic installation is 6mm² thermoplastic twin-and-earth clipped direct. That is a starting point only: it assumes favourable conditions — an ambient temperature no higher than the 30°C the tabulated ratings are based on, no grouping with other cables, no thermal insulation, and a length short enough to stay inside the voltage drop limit. Select from the tabulated rating for the actual reference method and apply the Appendix 4 correction factors; never apply an installation-method multiplier on top of a rating that already accounts for the method.

For longer cable runs — common when the charger is mounted on an external wall or in a detached garage — a larger conductor may be required to meet the voltage drop requirement. For external underground runs, SWA (steel wire armoured) cable is typically used and must be buried at the correct depth as specified by the installation design. The SWA armour can be used as the circuit protective conductor (CPC) but must be properly terminated with gland plates and earth tags. The table below gives indicative starting points; always calculate each circuit for its actual conditions.

The UK government has offered various grant schemes to support the uptake of electric vehicles, including grants towards the cost of installing domestic and workplace EV charge points. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) has administered these, including the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and the Workplace Charging Scheme. Scheme names, values and eligibility change, so confirm the current position on GOV.UK before you quote — but the documentation requirements have stayed broadly the same.

To claim a grant, installers typically need to submit the completed Electrical Installation Certificate, photographs of the installed charger, evidence of the DNO notification, and confirmation that the installation meets all Building Regulations and BS 7671 requirements. The certificate must demonstrate compliance with Section 722, including the earthing assessment and load management provisions. Incomplete or incorrect documentation is one of the most common reasons for grant claims being rejected.

Elec-Mate streamlines this process by producing a certificate that includes all the documentation typically required for grant submissions. The Section 722 checklist, PME assessment, load management details, and test results are all structured in the format that scheme providers and grant bodies expect, reducing the risk of rejection due to missing information.