You are the owner of an electric vehicle and you have chosen for maximum comfort, but also safety, to equip your home with a charging station or wallbox. This equipment is very easy to install inside and outside your home.
However, your domestic electrical installation must be adapted to this new equipment which can be very greedy in electricity. Thus, the power of your electricity meter must allow you to use your wallbox without risk of overheating and above all accept that your other electrical devices operate at the same time as your charging station. Everything you need to know about the required power of your electricity meter to use your wallbox with peace of mind.
What is the link between the power of your electricity meter and your wallbox?
The electricity meter of a house is the device that measures the electricity consumption of its occupants. This electrical device is limited in power and is adapted to the electricity consumption needs of a household.
Each individual has the possibility of defining the necessary power of his electricity meter with his energy supplier when taking out a subscription with the latter, according to his needs. This power depends on criteria such as the surface area of his home, the type of heating used (electric, gas, wood, etc.) and of course the level of consumption of each electrical device present in his home, such as the household appliances, multimedia, and of course its charging station, or wallbox, for owners of electric vehicles.
The electrical power of a meter, which designates the ability of an electrical installation to support the operation of several electrical devices at the same time, is expressed in kilovoltamperes (kVA). It can also be expressed in kilowatts (kW), but electricity suppliers use kVA more. This power defines the electricity consumption at a given moment of a dwelling.
Individuals have the choice between 9 powers for their electricity meter: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36 kVA. For example, a household made up of 2 people who resides in a dwelling of 25 m2 with non-electric heating and a minimum of electrical appliances can choose an electric meter with a power of 3 kVA. In the case of a dwelling of 100 m2 where reside between 2 and 4 people, heated with electricity, and with a large number of electrical appliances (refrigerator, television, computer, toaster, microwave, oven, dishwasher, washing machine, machine, freezer, etc.), the recommended electric meter power is 9 kVA.
These different powers each correspond to a different type of subscription with its energy supplier, the price of which of course differs for the individual subscriber. The higher the power of the electricity meter, the more expensive the subscription. The power of an electric meter is indicated on the electricity bill of its energy supplier.
Consequently, if you are the owner of an electric vehicle and wish to install a wallbox in your home, you must ensure that your electricity meter, and more precisely its power, is well designed to support this new equipment.
How to determine the power of your electricity meter according to the type of your wallbox?
As we have seen, having an electricity meter whose power is adapted to your consumption habits is essential to avoid overheating of your electrical installation and that it does not trip regularly, that is to say that the arrival of current is interrupted for safety reasons in particular. In a word, the power of your meter must allow all your electrical devices to operate normally and at the same time if necessary.
As the owner of an electric vehicle, if you choose to install a charging station, also called a wallbox, in your home, you must obviously ensure that the power of your electric meter is appropriate and that it will be able to support the operation of this new electrical appliance and all those present in your home.
The different types of wallbox that an individual can install at home have a power that varies from 3.7 kW to 22 kW. Equipment which, the greater their power, consumes electricity, and sometimes a lot. As indicated by IZI by EDF, EDF’s electrical works provider in the fields of renovation, heating, insulation, equipment, etc., ” an 11 kW terminal consumes as much energy as 11 small electric heaters ».
Concretely, in order to have the guarantee that your electricity meter is well adapted and can support the installation of a wallbox in your home, you must check that the power of your meter is at least higher than that of the wallbox you have. chosen. Thus, if you install a 7.4 kW wallbox in your home, your meter must be at least 9 kVA; for an 11 kW charging station, you must have a subscription of at least 12 kVA and in this case, in addition, a three-phase electricity meter, whereas for less powerful wallboxes, a single-phase meter is sufficient.
Note however: these electric meter powers indicated and defined according to the power of your wallbox represent minimums. Indeed, you must of course consider the electricity consumption of all your other electrical appliances. Consequently, the power of your electricity meter must be greater than the sum of all these consumptions, including that of your wallbox.
However, having a wallbox at home allows you, among other things, to charge your electric vehicle at night, when you are not using the other electrical appliances in your home. A solution that gives the possibility of not necessarily providing an electricity meter with a power greater than the total electricity consumption of all your electrical installations.
In any case, if you do not have an electricity meter powerful enough to support the operation of your wallbox, it is very easy to change your subscription and its power by contacting your electricity supplier.