Installing a Zappi home EV charger: what the job involves

Video reference. The Cambridge-based team at Artisan Electrics show a real Zappi installation in "Installing a Zappi EV Charger". The video covers the cable route, consumer unit RCBO, wall mounting, and initial commissioning — all to UK standards. Artisan Electrics have over 300,000 subscribers and focus exclusively on domestic electrical and renewable energy work in the UK.

1. Assessing the consumer unit and incoming supply

Before any cable is run, your electrician will check that the consumer unit has a spare way for a new 32A RCBO. They will also measure the actual load on the incoming supply using a clamp meter during peak use — typically early evening. A 7.4 kW Zappi draws around 32 A, so the existing supply needs enough headroom.

Most modern 100A single-phase supplies handle a Zappi comfortably. Problems arise in older properties with a 60A or 80A cut-out fuse, or where multiple high-demand appliances are already running simultaneously. If load balancing is a concern, a CT clamp on the incoming tails tells the Zappi to reduce its output automatically when other circuits are busy. This is called demand side response and it is one of the Zappi's genuinely useful features.

If the consumer unit is old and has no spare ways, or if it is a rewireable fuse box, the electrician may recommend upgrading the board at the same time. That adds cost but gives you a modern RCBO board that also improves protection for the rest of the house.

2. Choosing where to mount the Zappi

The most common position is on the outside wall of the house beside the front or rear parking space, or on the outside of a garage. The Zappi is weatherproof (IP65 rated) so it can go outside, but a sheltered spot under an eave protects the socket and cable from direct rain and frost.

Height-wise, between 0.8 m and 1.2 m from the ground is the standard. Too low and you are crouching every time you plug in; too high and you are stretching to reach a tethered cable. The final position also depends on where the cable can realistically run from the consumer unit without cutting through structural elements or going further than the cable size allows.

3. Running the supply cable

A 7.4 kW Zappi requires 6 mm two-core and earth cable on a 32A circuit. If the consumer unit is in the house and the Zappi is going in a detached garage, the cable often travels through the loft void, down an external wall in surface conduit, and then underground in armoured cable (SWA) across the driveway. Underground cable needs to be at least 450 mm deep and mechanically protected where it crosses a vehicle route.

For a wall-mounted installation directly outside the consumer unit room, the cable run can be short and tidy — sometimes just through the wall and into the back of the Zappi. Longer runs or unusual routes take more time and may affect the quote.

4. Installing the RCBO and connecting at the consumer unit

The new circuit gets its own 32A Type B RCBO in the consumer unit. Even though the Zappi has an internal earth fault detection system, an upstream RCBO provides overcurrent protection and a labelled means of isolation. The electrician connects the 6 mm live to the RCBO, the neutral to the RCBO's own neutral terminal (on RCBO boards) or to the neutral bar (on split-load boards), and the earth to the earth bar.

If you are fitting a CT clamp for solar integration, it clamps around the incoming live tail at the consumer unit — it is a passive measurement device, not a direct connection, so it can be fitted without further isolation in most cases.

5. Mounting the Zappi and making the final connections

The Zappi backplate screws to the wall using the four fixing points. A spirit level here matters — a unit that is not plumb looks untidy and the tethered cable drapes awkwardly. The electrician feeds the supply cable through the cable entry gland, strips it to the specified lengths, and connects Line, Neutral and Earth to the colour-coded terminals inside.

For a tethered unit, the Type 2 cable is pre-connected at the factory. For an untethered socket version, the installer checks the socket contacts are clean and the weather cap is in place. Both versions get the front cover clicked on and the sealing gland tightened to maintain the IP65 rating.

6. Commissioning and configuring the unit

The electrician restores power and confirms the Zappi's display shows correctly. They then hand the configuration over to you (or complete it themselves) using the MyEnergi app. The key settings are:

• Charging mode. Fast charges at the full 7.4 kW from the grid. Eco diverts surplus solar generation first and tops up from the grid. Eco+ charges only on surplus solar — useful if you have a generous solar array and do not mind a slower charge.
• CT clamp assignment. If a CT clamp was fitted, it gets assigned in the app as either a grid sensor or a generation sensor depending on where it was positioned.
• Schedule. If you are on an off-peak tariff (Octopus Go, OVO Charge Anytime, etc.), you can set the Zappi to charge automatically in the cheap-rate window.

The commissioning check includes a test charge — plug your car in, confirm the car accepts the charge, and check the Zappi display shows the correct power level and session energy.

When to call us

Richard covers EV charger installations across east Kent — Sandwich, Deal, Ramsgate, Folkestone and the surrounding villages. Quotes include all materials, the RCBO, Part P notification and the Electrical Installation Certificate. If you already have solar panels and want to make the most of surplus generation, a Zappi is one of the best ways to do that.